Category: Commander Report

Another long day of training, the rhythm much faster that what we will have once we settle down in our Martian habitat. Today we had a full tour of the habitat, and it was interesting to see how many little things have been improved in our simulation, the RAM, the habitat, the ScienceDome, the Greenhab. The crew is beginning to show signs of excitement and awe, and we are all ready to delve into simulation tomorrow. All our briefings and crew discussions today gave us all the tools to make this a successful and amazing mission!! Boiler up and on to Mars.

Cesare

Commander, MDRS 218

There is no denying it, I cannot resist the call of Mars. And until we will reach the red planet, I cannot resist the call of a good analog mission.
So for the third time I have the pleasure of being hosted by The Mars Society at the Mars Desert Research Station. Crew 218, "The Next Giant Leap", composed entirely of students and alumni of Purdue University, is getting ready to begin their two-week analog mission. As commander and only veteran, I feel a mix of emotions: proud of my crew and happy of being able to support them throughout the mission while they test themselves like I did two years ago; conscious of many aspects of the mission and of all the responsibility I carry; curious to experience a rotation which will cover not only New Year's Day (as in the last two years I participated) but also Christmas away from our family and friends; interested in the development and outcome of our many research projects.
The eyes and the heart never get tired of the landscape surrounding us, those rocks and clays that we will walk upon and work amidst during our EVAs. It is incredible to be here again! Here is to another successful mission!
Boiler up.

Cesare
Commander, crew 218 

Commander’s Report

12 Dec 2019

Shannon Rupert

Today I had the fifth grade experience I never had when I was in the
fifth grade. I make a Space War alarm using a circuit set. I planted
a plant in Martian soil. And I made a rocket. A real one. That
worked and everything. I needed a hell of a lot of help to get it
fashioned out of the bits and pieces of paper and plastic in the kit,
and I got glue on my fingers and remembered how much I hated that, but
in the end it was a stylish retro rocket with a shimmering copper body
and a silver cone on top. At the end of the day I watched as it
soared straight up, fire lighting its way. It was very satisfying, and
even though I’m not a fan of the STEM movement, I have to admit I am
grateful now that kids get to experience these things, because I would
have loved them as a fifth grader, and I’m not going to lie, I loved
them today.

It’s been an inspiring week. For years, I have wanted to develop a
program to support and foster relationships among K-12 teachers here
at MDRS. I wanted to be able to bring them here and give them the
opportunity to explore new ways to connect themselves with space, and
in an extension of that, connect their kids with space. Thanks to
support from the Utah NASA Space Grant Consortium I was able to do
that, when they funded my proposal for a NASA Spaceward Bound Utah
(NSBU) program. And then, as a bonus, it all went better than
planned.

I couldn’t have asked for better teachers to inspire me and confirm
that there is magic when you bring together good teachers. Hope, Jen,
Teresa, Cynthia, Ann and Kevin have the right stuff. Amazingly
generous, filled with enthusiasm for space and a love for teaching,
they made me realize how good the world really is, that these people
are the ones working, against all odds really, to inspire this newest
generation to touch the stars, to not only dream about becoming a
space-faring species, but to understand that is it possible, and that
they have within them the tools to make it happen. Really good
teachers are the most valuable asset our children have. And this team
of Alpha-T, first cohort of NSBU, are the best!

Commander’s Report

11 Dec 2019

Shannon Rupert

It seems strangely familiar. Although I haven’t suited up for an EVA
in over a decade, the routine is the same. Slide flight suit on.
Well, this one doesn’t quite fit the way the last one I had put on
did. Instead of slipping into the oversized suits of the past, I pull
and tug and grunt as I squirm my way into a flight suit one size too
small. It was either this or steal the larger one from Atila, and
pride keeps me from doing that. Once the flight suit is on, I add the
radio. Earpiece, check. Radio with good battery, check. COMMS
check, check. I am ready. I chose the prototype for the one piece
suits, sometimes called the milk carton suits, for this EVA. It takes
three people to adjust it to fit me, because one shoulder strap,
incorrectly threaded, just keeps popping over and over. I can’t see
them, but I can feel them as they work on the suit. Finally, I feel
the strap tighten and stay that way, and I know someone has found a
way to fix it. Thumbs up. I’m ready now. Into the airlock. This too
seems familiar, something I am comfortable with. We wait until the
light goes off and are given permission to exit. I open the heavy
door and lift one foot, looking down. For one panicked second, I
hesitate, because this now seems strange. Whether from age or from
lack of practice, I worry that I won’t be able to walk. But I do. I
get to the rover and bump my suit a few times on the frame as I settle
in. I find myself in a reclining position as Jen starts the drive to
our EVA destination. I laugh as I sit there, getting flung from side
to side like a damn ragdoll. I spend the next twenty minutes trying
to get comfortable. I ignore the incredible Mars-like landscape we are
passing through. That I know like the back of my hand. What I don’t
know is how to get comfortable in this damn suit. Finally, I lean
forward and realize that there is a way to sit up straight. But it
comes at a price. When I sit up, the helmet pummels the hell out of
me. First my lip, then my teeth, then my lip again. And all the time
I am laughing, because what the hell do you do in that situation?
Finally, after what seems the longest rover ride of my life, we arrive
at the Moon overlook. I realize with delight that I am small enough to
just slither right out of the rover seat, and I’ve got my feet on
solid ground. We take a few fun photos, and then I head up the road to
scout for gypsum. I find a promising mound, then stop. I radio my
team “Do you think if I get down on my knees I will ever be able to
get up again?” I plop onto my knees and remember in a flash how hard
it is to collect samples when your vision is limited by the helmet and
your gloves make it difficult to pick things up. We gather some
gypsum and my team holds my hand so I can get up. We have two more
sampling sites, and as we head to the next one, I wonder why the sun
is getting so low in the sky. At the final sampling site I realize
that I had screwed up a long held rule at MDRS and I have scheduled
our EVA to end at sunset and not one half hour before sunset. That’s
what Atila had been trying to tell me, when I insisted the EVA go
until 5. We travel back to MDRS at a fast pace. Jen is enjoying the
hell out of driving the rover, but I am distracted by the way my
helmet keeps trying to punch me in the face. We park, enter the
airlock and in a few minutes I’ve put the murderous suit back on the
shelf. Both it, and I, will live to fight another day.

Crew 216 Commander Report 06-DEC-2019
Sol: 12
Summary Title: End of sim
Author: Marc Levesque
With a mixture of sadness and anticipation, the crew wound down its activities and prepared to go out of sim this evening. In some ways it seems like we have been at MDRS for a very long time, yet here we are nearing the end of our mission. I didn’t quite know what to expect when I was selected as commander of this crew, but being around this collection of bright and interesting people has been worthwhile and personally rewarding. We were all strangers prior to meeting for the first time almost two weeks ago. Now, that is definitely not the case. While some of us will likely never see each other again, I am sure we will stay in touch via email as we did before the mission. I am most anxious to see Evgenia’s final film production and Michael’s educational presentations. There will also be the Roker Entertainment science series episode to look forward to next spring. It will be most interesting to see how we all appear in these productions.

Crew 216 Commander Report 06-DEC-2019
Sol: 12
Summary Title: End of sim
Author: Marc Levesque
With a mixture of sadness and anticipation, the crew wound down its activities and prepared to go out of sim this evening. In some ways it seems like we have been at MDRS for a very long time, yet here we are nearing the end of our mission. I didn't quite know what to expect when I was selected as commander of this crew, but being around this collection of bright and interesting people has been worthwhile and personally rewarding. We were all strangers prior to meeting for the first time almost two weeks ago. Now, that is definitely not the case. While some of us will likely never see each other again, I am sure we will stay in touch via email as we did before the mission. I am most anxious to see Evgenia's final film production and Michael's educational presentations. There will also be the Roker Entertainment science series episode to look forward to next spring. It will be most interesting to see how we all appear in these productions. 

[title Commander Report– December 05th]

Crew 216 Commander Report 05-DEC-2019
Sol: 11
Summary Title: One Sol to go
Author: Marc Levesque
The station was alternatively quiet and busy indoors today. Projects were being wrapped up, while others used the time to rest or work on personal tasks. There is mixture of sadness and anticipation among the crew as we are aware of how close we are to the end. Our mix of six previous strangers have become much more familiar with each other, and some conversations have been overheard about meeeting up again in the future. It is impressive how well we have bonded as a team and how much has been accomplished by individuals on their projects. All will have been completed by mission’s end. I continue to feel blessed by this crew. My role as commander has been much lighter and easier than anticipated, and for this I am extremely grateful.

[title Commander Report – December 04th]

Crew 216 Commander Report 04-DEC-2019
Sol: 10
Summary Title: High and Low
Author: Marc Levesque
When you walk away from the Hab, you are always treated to something special. The rocks, soils, shapes, colors, and sun angle form a unique optical combination no matter where you look. The people who chose the MDRS location nailed it for an analog Martian landscape. Walking around in an EVA suit adds to this feeling that you truly are on a different planet. Today’s trip to the summit of Phobos Peak for Evgenia’s filming and Michael’s drone footage once again reinforced how special it is to be here at MDRS and participate as a crew in this environment. After decompressing from this high, we then prepared for our attempt to contact the International Space Station via amateur radio. The ISS orbital schedule had it passing directly overhead at 1315 for 10 minutes. After we set up my vehicle’s mobile radio as a cross-band repeater, we returned to the Hab to attempt the contact. We knew it would be a very long shot, as there were too many variables that had to come together to make it happen. Most crucial of all was that an astronaut had to be listening, which is something they do only on an occasional basis unless a contact is set up months in advance through a formal program. The crew was pretty excited by the prospect, however, and while we were disappointed that no contact was made, all felt the effort worthwhile. From a ham’s perspective, it was a great technical exercise.

Crew 216 Commander Report 03-DEC-2019
Sol: 9
Summary Title: A major accomplishment
Author: Marc Levesque
Crew 216 completed a long awaited survey of radioactive ores and minerals using an ultraviolet (UV) light source in support of Mike’s project. As he noted in his project plan, Martian colonists will have to exploit local resources to survive and thrive on Mars, and UV searches can identify possible sources of rare-earth ores, radioactive ores, and other useful minerals, such as industrial gemstones for cutting, polishing, and abrasive processes. Traditional rock sampling, either by chipping rock faces or cone and quartering, would net only small samples (kilogram or smaller scale). An in-situ UV search of a rock-face or a gravel deposit can rapidly scan many tons of material in a matter of minutes. If a target “lights up,” it can then be sampled for further analysis in the Hab. The timing of this activity comes at an optimal time, as the crew’s time on station is rapidly diminishing with only three more sols left on the mission.

Crew 216 Commander Report 02-DEC-2019

Sol: 8

Summary Title: Progress on Projects

Author: Marc Levesque

Crew 216 accomplished one of its main objectives during its mission by reaching the summit of the North Ridge to confirm there is an accessible route to the summit and that it would be an ideal site for a radio repeater. This repeater would be the heart of an enhanced communication system that would allow the Hab to remain in direct radio contact with EVA teams over a much wider area around MDRS, thereby enhancing EVA safety. The second EVA of the day captured some spectacular drone footage of an EVA team walking in Lithe Canyon for Michael’s project and allowed Evgenia to film additional footage to complement what she already has for her project. In a discussion over this evening’s dinner, the only group meal that seems to range from simple to complex, we discussed the optimal size for a crew at MDRS, or on a Mars mission. Six seems to be a magic number, as that size distributes tasks well and maintains beneficial group cohesion. A number smaller would likely be more burdensome on crew members, possibly affecting the completion of their projects; a number larger would make the Hab seem much more crowded.