Category: Journalist Report

Sol: 6
Author: Trevor Jahn, Technology Officer

December 3, 2022, and Sol 6 on Mars, the Mars Desert Research Station Crew awoke to anticipation, as they prepared for their two furthest EVAs yet. Breakfast was a delicious combination of sourdough bread with various toppings ranging from honey, butter, olive oil, and chocolate spread, but not all at once of course. With the smell of eucalyptus coming from the humidifier the crew brought from home, the Crew Habitat filled with its sweet aroma. The crew passed health checkouts with flying colors after breakfast, and began preparation for their first EVA.
Allison Taylor, Kristine Ferrone, and Ashley Kowalski departed the Airlock at 9:01 am, and continued via crew rover along Cow Dung Road to the Special Region North of Gateway to Lith, where they would search for regolith samples, took radiation measurements, and scouted out future drone flight locations. The morning EVA crew had limited coms with IVA as they past Gateway to Condor along Cow Dung Road, and the EVA crew switched coms to channel two for local communication. IVA took the opportunity to discuss what they would do to plan a rescue in the event the EVA crew did not make contact at the end of their EVA window.
Shortly after EVA Crew 1’s arrival back inside the Crew Habitat, the afternoon EVA Crew began preparation, and exited the airlock at 1:01 pm, proceeded along Cow Dung Road, heading North in Crew Rover Curiosity. The EVA Crew consisted of Matthew Eby and Barbra Braun. They maintained communication with IVA, which was operated by Trevor Jahn, until nearly reached Galileo Road, when communication was no longer possible. IVA continued to attempt 15 min check-ins with the EVA crew, but the EVA crew was able to successfully send “all is well” communications over satellite transponder. The EVA crew made their way back to the marked location from the morning EVA, and continued to collect regolith samples as a follow up to the morning’s EVA sample collection, and collected samples at a second point of interest, before returning to the airlock at 2:53 pm.
Crew 269 was very tired after the end of their first week on mission, but continued to work on various things around the crew habitat throughout the day, and made time to drink hot coco and listen to holiday music to get in the holiday spirit as the calendar progressed into December only a few days prior. The crew bundled up in blankets in protest to the December cold night air, and the sound of busy keyboards could be heard throughout the habitat as the clock ticked closer to dinner time and as the conclusion of Sol 6 rapidly approached, the wind continued to howl across the barren cold landscape of the Martian surface, only inches beyond the thin white walls of Crew 269’s temporary home.

Sol: 5
Author: Matthew Eby, GreenHab Officer

Gale force winds arrived overnight, buffeting the habitat. At 3am the mind wanders: what was the fail-safe wind level? Optimizing for mass, a safety factor, this far, but no further. The Hab swayed and creaked with the gusts until dawn arrived and the wind started to ease just a bit. Today a pair of coordinated EVAs deployed teams across the station, equipment and test samples passing back and forth through the airlock as the science dome and the EVA crews worked in tandem. The XO, Alli Taylor, and the Crew Engineer, Ashley Kowalski, kicked things off with a morning trek across the East flat to retrieve the mirror coating exposure experiment package, returning it for an interim inspection under the microscope at the Science Dome. While this inspection progressed, a second EVA was dispatched with the Commander, Kristine Ferrone, the Health and Safety Officer, Barbara Braun, and the Technology Officer, Trevor Jahn, to attempt the first drone flight. Wind levels threatened to scrub the flight, but the wind relaxed just enough at the end of the EVA window to allow the drone to take flight. Ball’s Bluff Elementary chimed in on our time-delayed STEM outreach channel, christening the drone “Vixl”. Soaring 100 feet above the station, Vixl zig-zagged above the Hab capturing data destined for the augmented reality project. Overcoming hurdles in the dome, the mirror inspection was completed in the nick of time, and the experiment package was returned to the outside environment for additional dust exposure.

The entire crew reunited by the late afternoon. The wind and the crew grew tired and quiet descended across the station. It was time for the first naps of the rotation, quiet time in the GreenHab thinning carrot seedlings, and recording our visions on the group canvas. Recovered, we gathered for a pizza party.

Crew 269 Journalist Report
Date: 1 Dec 2022
Sol: 4
Author: Barbara Braun, Health and Safety Officer

The crew started their morning with a quick breakfast of oatmeal, rehydrated fruit, coffee/tea, and sourdough bread that our Health and Safety Officer, Barbara Braun, baked the night before. After morning health checks, Crew Engineer Ashley Kowalski and Green Hab Officer Matt Eby gathered equipment to repair the charging plug on one of the spacesuits, while Commander Kristine Ferrone, Tech Officer Trevor Jahn, and HSO Barbara Braun prepared to conduct an EVA to test out the crew’s imaging drone. Executive Officer Alli Taylor provided comms support to the EVA crew from the Hab.

The EVA crew had mapped out several locations for taking imagery, but encountered technical issues in the field with the drone’s memory card and the battery for the drone controller. The team was able to charge the battery and work around the issues with the memory card, but by then the time allotted for activities near the first drone site had passed. The team therefore checked on the mirrors experiment before returning to the Hab, and will re-attempt the EVA tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Ashley and Matt were able to successfully repair the spacesuit and complete other maintenance activities. The three ham radio operators on the crew (Kristine, Matt, and Barbara) looked at the ham radio equipment in the Hab in preparation for next week’s balloon launch and for possibly conducting some ham radio contacts. The Green Hab Officer, with the enthusiastic help of the rest of the crew, planted carrots and onions in the Green Hab for future crews to enjoy. Other crew members exercised using the compact exercise equipment in the Hab and had quick showers, before the whole crew settled down to a dinner of macaroni and cheese.

Crew 269 Journalist Report
Date: 30 Nov 2022
Sol: 3
Author: Barbara Braun, Health and Safety Officer

Crew 269 is settling into life on Mars! This morning the crew had fresh pancakes for breakfast, courtesy of Green Hab Officer Matt Eby. After health and safety checks, three members of the crew (Tech Officer Trevor Jahn, Crew Engineer Ashley Kowalski, and Green Hab Officer Matt Eby) prepared for a long EVA to continue collecting 3D model data. The crew was able to demonstrate an augmented reality headset at various locations in the area of the Hab and the Marble Ritual rock formation. The team also checked on the placement of the mirrors deployed on Sol 1 and mapped the area around the mirrors using “Goose,” our mini-rover. Before setting out, the EVA crew was able to consult with “tech support” via the time-delay Discord server to determine how to clean its main EVA camera, which had a small piece of debris on one of its internal mirrors.

While the EVA crew conducted its mission, the three remaining crew members (Commander Kristine Ferrone, Executive Officer Alli Taylor, and Health and Safety Officer Barbara Braun) set up the compact fitness gear in the lower deck of the Hab. The HSO gave a demonstration of the fitness gear to the Commander and XO and discussed fitness goals and protocols for the mission. The team took turns working out using the fitness gear and videos and several members of the crew rewarded themselves with quick “Navy-style” showers in the Hab!

Once back from his EVA, Green Hab Officer Eby visited the Green Hab to harvest some microgreens, which he and Crew Engineer Kowalski used to supplement a Martian dinner of seared Spam (yes, Spam!) over scalloped potatoes and peas. The crew had a dessert of rice pudding and settled in to review the 3D footage from the day and to plan the next day’s adventures.

Crew 269 Journalist Report
Date: 29 Nov 2022
Sol: 2
Author: Alli Taylor, Executive Officer

After a quick hot breakfast of oatmeal and rehydrated fruit, Crew 269 gathered on the first floor of the habitat to complete EVA training with MDRS Director Dr. Shannon Rupert and Assistant Director Sergii Iakymov. The crew was shown how to don and doff the spacesuits, make adjustments for comfort, and correctly position headsets and radio equipment. Dr. Rupert also provided an in-depth review of the EVA Planning Map for the local terrain surrounding MDRS, pointing out known paths for rover traverses, and exploration quadrants.
Later that day, with comms equipment securely in place and microphones positioned snugly inside their helmets, the first three crew members entered the airlock to begin a 5-minute depressurization period before opening the airlock to the Martian terrain. The crew tested their ability to ingress and egress the rovers, increased confidence in using the comms system (the radio settings and the push to talk button are blocked from view by the helmet), and briefly explored and captured photographs of the Marble Ritual area before making their way via rovers back to the habitat. With wind whipping sharply through the dune-like hills, the second three crew members later arrived at the Marble Ritual area. The crew deployed a remote control mini all-terrain vehicle, dubbed “Goose”, in the vicinity of Marble Ritual, to capture initial imagery for use in building a 3D model of the terrain as part of one of the primary research objectives. The crew adjusted the configuration of Goose for different measurements, worked together to activate the sensors at the correct timing, and collected data along a small portion of Cow Dung Road while controlling it from about 80-100 ft distance. The team drove Goose back to the crew rovers they had ridden to Marble Ritual, collecting data the entire way. After wrapping up the Sol’s EVAs, the crew came together for an Italian dinner with delicious homemade sourdough and prepared for their next Sol on Mars.

Author’s name: Dr. Kristine Ferrone, Commander

Sol 1 dawned bright and sunny on Mars. Crew 269 awoke one by one and enjoyed breakfasts of hot oatmeal with cinnamon apples and homemade bread with honey. The crew commander, Dr. Kristine Ferrone, owns a mobile coffee shop back on Earth and prepared freshly percolated espresso lattes for the crew with oat milk and agave syrup. After breakfast, the health and safety officer, Barbara Braun, measured each crew member’s temperature, pulse, and blood pressure and privately discussed each crew member’s mental and physical health as they adapt to their new environment. The crew is generally in good health and good spirits, adjusting well to life on Mars, partially due to a special communications protocol via the Discord app (programmed by Barbara’s teenage son, Elias) that allows them to chat with their friends, family, colleagues, and education/outreach contacts throughout the mission with a built-in Mars to Earth time delay. After morning activities, the crew then split into teams to prepare their experiments for operations throughout the mission. Kristine and the executive officer, Alli Taylor, explored the area around the Habitat with tools they brought from Earth for collecting samples of Martian regolith and taking measurements of the ambient radiation environment. The crew engineer, Ashley Kowalski, deployed a set of mirror coating samples to a particularly windy, dusty, and sunny location near the Habitat. These samples will be exposed to the harsh environment then collected and analyzed under a microscope on a later Sol with results sent back to the Primary Investigator on Earth, Dr. Chelsea Appleget. The technology officer, Trevor Jahn, performed initial setup and calibration of his Project Phantom virtual/augmented reality hardware for experiments on future Sols. Ashley, Barbara, and green hab officer, Matt Eby, trained on the use of the DSLR camera provided by The Aerospace Corporation and practiced taking photos around the Habitat. Barbara and Matt also set up and tested a compact fitness kit for the crew to use for exercise throughout the mission. Barbara is an experienced breadmaker back on Earth and, in the afternoon, she began the preparation of sourdough bread for the crew to enjoy with future meals. In the later afternoon, the crew learned all about living in the Habitat and operating its systems from the station director, Dr. Shannon Rupert. Topics such as how to operate the Martian toilet, shower, and kitchen were covered so that the crew can live comfortably in the station. Upon completion of their Habitat training, the crew met the assistant director, Sergii Iakymov, for training on the rovers. The crew had a great time learning how to operate and drive the rovers around the Martian surface and drove to the Marble Ritual area near the Habitat. Each crew member had an opportunity to drive the rover and learn how to navigate the Martian terrain. Upon completion of their training, the crew returned to the Habitat to write their reports and prepare the evening meal. Alli and Barbara prepared a meal of chili with crumbled beef and homemade tortillas.

Sol 0 Crew Journal:

Crew 269 arrived at the Mars Desert Research Station around 1 pm Saturday, November 27th, to clear blue skies, dry dust blowing in the air, and the cool winter air nipping at their noses. The crew made quick work moving luggage and experiments into the habitat in a well-executed relay. Packages, duffle bags of various shapes, colors and sizes, and boxes full of experiments and equipment made their way up the charred black and brown front steps of the white painted habitat, through the double insulated white painted airlock doors, past the bronze Mars Society plaque, and up the steep metal steps to the second floor.
The rumbling of the furnace could be heard throughout the first floor in protest to the encroaching November air, as the crew came and went to finish unpacking. The smell of bread and assorted lunch meats flooded the second floor, as the crew took stock of their handywork and enjoyed lunch. The rustling of jackets and the thud of boots could be heard in the late afternoon, as our adventures prepared to explore the other facilities branching off the main habitat.
The smell of hot cider, the sound of typing keyboards, and the whisper of cooks in the kitchen occupied the evening, as Crew 269 settled in.

Trevor Jahn

Sol: 12
Title: Our martian adventure is over

Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist

Our last sol greets us with a sun as bright and a window view as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. We are so lucky – Mars has been charming and endearing every day of our mission. The crew is busy, focused, working hard to catch up with our various projects and wrap up a successful mission. Last reports complete, photos uploaded and voted for, personal belongings collected and organized. After a quick lunch, we get busy with cleaning, ticking tasks off our end-of-mission checklist, making sure we leave the Hub and its facilities in perfectly good condition to make the next crew feel welcomed and at home.

And then we break the sim. Our martian adventure is over.

It was amazing, busy, productive, full of excitement, lessons learned, shared moments and inspiring experiences. It gave us a different perspective on life on Earth, taught us to count our blessings and appreciate what we often take for granted – the simple privilege of being with our loved ones, of enjoying the comforts and safety of our home environments and the accessibility of uninterrupted daily interactions with the rest of the world. We are richer with experience, knowledge and appreciation, ready for new beginnings and even greater adventures.

Now we can walk outside, take a breath without the space suits, take photos on the porch of the Hab and watch the brilliant night desert sky for as long as the freezing winter air allows us.

Over the horizon Mars is glowing red, bright and inviting.

Yes, yes, we are coming!

Sol: 11
Title: Adjourning

Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist

Life on Mars is so fast-paced, we didn’t notice how the days have passed and we are already planning our end of sim.

Sol 11 begins with another long EVA – the Commander and XO are out on an EVA together – for the first and last time. Back in the Hab we provide HabCom support, water plants, sort photos, write in our emotion study journals, clean the kitchen and make plans for our last day here.

Commander and XO return on time, tired from the long walk to the Special region, with additional rock samples and stories about the incredible views they found there. Our scheduled crew training in the afternoon is on the topic of Group development phases. After the Forming, storming, norming and performing stages, inevitably comes the adjourning phase when the crew members feel tired, the momentum of the group slows down, some individuals feel sad, others – relieved and there is a change in the air. We talk in length about the adjourning of our team, acknowledge and celebrate our achievements in this mission, talk about our future plans. To finish the sessions we all take a test on our type of business chemistry and discuss our individual traits and how to use our strengths in business interactions.

As we opted to have Thanksgiving earlier, today is all about snacking on the leftovers from yesterday’s feast, sharing thoughts on what we are grateful for and thinking of the loved ones we miss.

Thank you Mission support and Happy Thanksgiving.

Sol: 10
Title: M is for Mars, M is for Magic

Author: Izabela Shopova, Crew Journalist

We start the Sol an hour later than usual – everyone is tired after the busy day yesterday and we need to catch up on our sleep. Jennie whips up chocolate pancakes and an amazing quinoa, blueberries and coconut meal (from the space nutrition app we are testing) for breakfast.

Our daily operations meeting is short – we have two major tasks planned for sol 10 – a 4-hour-long EVA to the Special region in the morning and preparations for Thanksgiving dinner in the afternoon.

We are confident and calm as our crewmates are getting ready for the EVA, test the life support systems, enter the airlock and 8 minutes later leave the station with two of the rovers. Halfway through their EVA the weather suddenly changes, and the wind picks up – it appears that the weather forecast has changed dramatically since last night. The tunnels’ tarpaulin and the external doors start flapping and trembling, reminding us every minute of the potential danger that is brewing out there in the stark landscape. We wait anxiously for the radio to come alive again. And exhale with relief. when we finally hear the loud and clear voice of our crew biologists: “HabCom, com check”. The EVA goes well, without a hitch. The EVA crew is tired but happy and satisfied with their last EVA for the season, rich with experience and incredible photos.

Their return triggers the beginning of the long-anticipated food preparations for our Thanksgiving dinner.
And they are epic!

3 hours later the Hub is filled with mouthwatering flavors, cozy warmth, and Thanksgiving homemade magic, while our American crewmates are playing hosts and setting up an amazingly beautiful table with Thanksgiving napkins, paper plates, tablecloth, orange cutlery (all of which were delivered and stored secretly in the Commander’s room before the beginning of the sim) and a multitude of irresistible traditional dishes. Each one more tempting and better looking than the last.

Mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole with … wait for it! … marshmallows!, cranberry sauce (disguised like slices of beetroot), sweet corn, turkey, actual cranberries, green beans casserole with cream of mushroom soup and crunchy onion rings on top, Did I mention marshmallows?

If anyone thought that this was all of the food on our table, they know nothing about Thanksgiving. There is always desert! Even on Mars.

And, no, it’s not the marshmallows (they were just a side dish for the turkey, kind of veggies). Just before the opening of the comms window, a sumptuous, crunchy, juicy, full of flavor, decadence and temptation apple pie emerged from the oven.

On Thanksgiving Mars is magic.