Category: Sol Summary

Sol Summary Report

Lindsay Rutter, Crew Commander 228

Sol: 4

Summary Title: Homeland of the Gods

Author’s name: Lindsay Rutter

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: We started our day at 0700 enjoying pancakes made by Dave. During the morning, each crew member worked on their own projects. Jin and I would be embarking on the first science EVA of the mission and we both thoroughly prepared for it. I was sterilizing my regolith collection equipment and determining best practices for regolith collection, knowing the limitations of the spacesuit. Jin was refining his geographical collection procedure.

After a quick lunch, Jin and I began suiting up for our endeavor. Waiting giddily in the airlock, we
pumped ourselves up by playing Multi-Axis Trainer from the First Man soundtrack. As we approached my favorite road in the solar system (Cow Dung Road), we noticed a space vehicle, filled with space tourists. They stopped and took our pictures (as tourists do).

Jin and I successfully located our targeted destination, an inverted river channel called Jotunheim, located west of Galileo Road. I was able to collect five samples of dark red regolith from the Jotunheim geographical feature, while Jin collected important metadata, including sample collection time, altitude, and GPS coordinates (WGS84). In Norse mythology, Jotunheim is the “Homeland of the Gods”, and I concur with whoever coined this geographical structure. Taking in the entire landscape was breathtakingly subliminal.

Despite the successful sample collection, we identified several operational areas for improvement that we can incorporate when we return to Jotunheim for another science EVA, this time to collect endolith and non-endolith rocks. We experienced radio blackout with HABCOM several times and I experienced issues with VOX functionality on my radio, which eventually lost battery power. We will perform a viewshed analysis of the radio blackout and bring a spare radio in our follow-up EVA science mission.

In the evening, Inga harvested several herbs from the GreenHab, which we used as toppings to the vegetable soup Jin and I concocted. We ended our hard-worked day with some treats. Some of us dared to try a tangy orange mystery drink that is apparently popular here at MDRS and Jin made us some cookies.

Look Ahead Plan: Inga and Dave will perform EVA #4 tomorrow, exploring a less-explored area South-West of Robert’s Garden

Anomalies in work: We have significantly less water remaining in our static tank than expected and have confirmed a few minor leakages around the HAB, although these small leakages should not add to anything close to the loss of water we are observing. We will continue to investigate.

Weather: Sunny and hot with few clouds

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: EVA 3 to the Jotunheim (see EVA reports filed separately)

Reports to be filed: Journalist Report, EVA report, EVA request, Science Report, Crew photos, GreenHab report, Operation Report

Support Requested: None

Sol Summary Report

Lindsay Rutter, Crew Commander 228

Sol: 4

Summary Title: Homeland of the Gods

Author’s name: Lindsay Rutter

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: We started our day at 0700 enjoying pancakes made by Dave. During the morning, each crew member worked on their own projects. Jin and I would be embarking on the first science EVA of the mission and we both thoroughly prepared for it. I was sterilizing my regolith collection equipment and determining best practices for regolith collection, knowing the limitations of the spacesuit. Jin was refining his geographical collection procedure.

After a quick lunch, Jin and I began suiting up for our endeavor. Waiting giddily in the airlock, we
pumped ourselves up by playing Multi-Axis Trainer from the First Man soundtrack. As we approached my favorite road in the solar system (Cow Dung Road), we noticed a space vehicle, filled with space tourists. They stopped and took our pictures (as tourists do).

Jin and I successfully located our targeted destination, an inverted river channel called Jotunheim, located west of Galileo Road. I was able to collect five samples of dark red regolith from the Jotunheim geographical feature, while Jin collected important metadata, including sample collection time, altitude, and GPS coordinates (WGS84). In Norse mythology, Jotunheim is the “Homeland of the Gods”, and I concur with whoever coined this geographical structure. Taking in the entire landscape was breathtakingly subliminal.

Despite the successful sample collection, we identified several operational areas for improvement that we can incorporate when we return to Jotunheim for another science EVA, this time to collect endolith and non-endolith rocks. We experienced radio blackout with HABCOM several times and I experienced issues with VOX functionality on my radio, which eventually lost battery power. We will perform a viewshed analysis of the radio blackout and bring a spare radio in our follow-up EVA science mission.

In the evening, Inga harvested several herbs from the GreenHab, which we used as toppings to the vegetable soup Jin and I concocted. We ended our hard-worked day with some treats. Some of us dared to try a tangy orange mystery drink that is apparently popular here at MDRS and Jin made us some cookies.

Look Ahead Plan: Inga and Dave will perform EVA #4 tomorrow, exploring a less-explored area South-West of Robert’s Garden

Anomalies in work: We have significantly less water remaining in our static tank than expected and have confirmed a few minor leakages around the HAB, although these small leakages should not add to anything close to the loss of water we are observing. We will continue to investigate.

Weather: Sunny and hot with few clouds

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: EVA 3 to the Jotunheim (see EVA reports filed separately)

Reports to be filed: Journalist Report, EVA report, EVA request, Science Report, Crew photos, GreenHab report, Operation Report

Support Requested: None

Crew 228 Sol Summary Report 30Sep2021

Sol: 3

Summary Title: Boots on Mars

Author’s name: Inga Popovaite

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Third day on Mars was the most exciting so far. We had scrambled eggs with dry-freeze vegetables with some fresh bounty from the GreenHab (Swiss chard, tomatoes, micro greens, and lettuce) for breakfast. Afterwards, Lindsay and me suited up for the very first EVA of Crew 228. We went to the Marble Ritual about half a kilometer away. It might seem a short distance, but have you tried walking up and down a sandy hill and driving a rover wearing a 30 lbs spacesuit and a helmet? Not as easy as it sounds.

We left the Hab at 9.30 and came back at 11. Lindsay picked up some test samples, and I took pictures and videos of her doing that. Different data for different science, I guess 🙂

We had leftovers for lunch (rice and beans from last night’s dinner prepared by Dave). After lunch it was time for the second EVA of the day. This time, Jin and Dave stepped onto the Red Planet at 14.30 sharp (and came back at 16). The second EVA team also went to the Marble Ritual and test-drove two rovers (Spirit and Curiosity). This EVA climaxed with Jin reading on the radio “No sea was ever sailed” by Cordair from the top of the hill in front of the Hab. The silhouettes of the Mars Walkers and the backdrop of the rust-colored desert made it for quite a sight.

Diner was another feast prepared by Jin and Lindsay – a pasta dish with vegetarian tomato sauce enhanced by herbs from the GreenHab.

Another successful day on Mars.

Look Ahead Plan: Lindsay and Jin will go on an EVA tomorrow, Inga and Dave will work on their own projects back at the Hab and prepare for the EVA for the day after tomorrow.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny morning followed by lightly overcast afternoon and yet another cotton candy sunset.

Crew Physical Status:

EVA: EVA #1 and EVA#2; both to the Marble Ritual (see EVA reports filed separately).

Reports to be filed: Journalist Report, EVA reports, EVA request, Science Report, crew photos

Support Requested: None

Inga Popovaitė

Crew 228 Sol Summary Report 29Sep2021

Sol: 2

Summary Title: Breath In, Slow Down

Author’s name: Inga Popovaite

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Second day on Mars was a slow one. No EVAs were scheduled for the day due to inclement weather. The main activity of the crew was the safety tour of MDRS led by Jin, the crew HSO. Otherwise, we all worked on our own projects and slowly settled into life on Mars. Inga (crew scientist/GreenHab officer) planted some banana peppers, lettuce, chamomile and carrots. Cucumbers and zucchini seem to have sprouted overnight!

Lindsay set up her work space in the Science Dome, Dave fixed one of the room doors and worked on the radios, and Jin caught up with his blogging. Some of us took our very first showers.

Crew 228 slowed down, breathed in, and settled on Mars.

Look Ahead Plan: Planning to have first EVAs (the Marble Ritual) tomorrow.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Rain in the morning; overcast in the afternoon, beautiful cotton sunset.

Crew Physical Status: Feeling more rested than yesterday

EVA: None

Reports to be filed: Commanders Report, Journalist Report, EVA request, Science Report

Support Requested: None

Sol: 1

Summary Title: The Orange Bucket

Author’s name: Jin Sia (HSO)

Mission Status: Nominal, Hab fully prepared for in-sim operations

Sol Activity Summary: We started the day with breakfast pancakes made
by Dave, during which we discussed how our daily routine will run for
the next few sols. Then, we got to work cleaning the Hab lower deck
and the RAM. After a thorough vacuuming and mopping, including Inga
and Lindsay going over every square inch of the lower deck with paper
towels, the floors are now sparkling clean. We hope they won’t get too
dirty again if we keep our EVA boots confined to the airlocks –
perhaps this is a bit optimistic, given that we are surrounded by
literal mountains of dust! After a lunch of broccoli cheddar soup made
by Lindsay, we tested out the EVA suits by donning and doffing them on
the lower deck, then walking through the tunnel between the Hab and
the RAM. We found that the old style of spacesuits worked best for us
if the straps are secured properly. However, a ferocious Martian dust
storm (that contained a suspiciously large amount of liquid water)
quickly forced us back into the Hab. I proceeded to make a Malaysian
staple, Chinese-style fried rice. It turned out to be the best fried
rice I’ve ever made – does this mean that restaurants use freeze-dried
ingredients for fried rice?! Overall, it was a productive day that
ended with us all being very well-fed. We may find we’ve gained weight
at the end of this…

Look Ahead Plan: Inga will begin her psychological journal pilot study
later tonight. We also hope to file a plan for our first two EVAs on
the Red Planet tomorrow, if weather permits.

Anomalies in work: We encountered issues with the new spacesuit neck
rings that made them uncomfortable to wear. We will contact Dr. Rupert
to discuss next steps.

Weather: Warm and sunny this morning, but a thunderstorm came near the
Hab late in the afternoon. We did not need to evacuate to the lower
deck.

Crew Physical Status: All crew nominal, feeling better than yesterday.

EVA: None today.

Reports to be filed: GreenHab, Science, Photo, EVA request

Support Requested: RAM seems to be missing a smoke detector,
requesting an additional one to put there.

END

Sol-Summary Report
Jin Sing Sia, HSO

Submitted by: Jin Sia
Crew: 228
Date: 2021/09/26

Smoke alarms:
– Upper deck: Functional
– Lower deck: Functional
– RAM: None found, please advise on location
– GreenHab: Functional
– ScienceDome: Functional

CO alarms:
– Upper deck: Functional
– Lower deck: Beeping very soft, recommend battery replacement
– GreenHab: Functional

Fire extinguishers:
– Upper deck: Charged
– Kitchen: Charged
– Lower deck: 1 charged, 1 empty
– GreenHab: None found, recommend transferring one from ScienceDome
– ScienceDome: 2 charged
– RAM: Charged

Fire blankets:
– Kitchen: Ready
– RAM: Ready
– ScienceDome: Ready

First aid kits:
– Lower deck: Inventoried, items missing
– EVA room: Inventoried, minor issues found
– ScienceDome: Inventoried
– GreenHab: None found
– RAM: Inventoried

Jumper cables:
– EVA room: No longer there
– HabCar: Did not get chance to check
– CrewCar: Did not get chance to check

Emergency exits:
– Round window: All levers can be actuated
– Stairs: No non-nominal issues
– Commander’s room window: Unobstructed but no breaking tool
available; please advise if tool is required
– Emergency ladder: Transferred to correct compartment under sofa

HabCOMM radios on and working: Checked by work party crew

Noted safety issues:
– Toiletries cubbies: Contaminated with rat poison, toxicity hazard.
Strongly recommend thorough cleaning removal of poison block before
use.
– Engineering airlock: External door does not seem to close properly,
please advise
– Hab ladder: Falling hazard. Recommend minimum three-point contact at
all times, descend backwards only. Crew members should give way to
those descending. Only one crew member on ladder at all times.
– Fire extinguishers: Placement in ScienceDome and RAM are
non-obvious. Recommend moving to more conspicuous locations and
conducting safety tour to familiarize crew with locations once in-sim.

Noted health/environmental issues:
– General crew fatigue noted. Concur with command decision to start
sim later in day on Sep 27.

Missing health and safety supplies:
– EVA first aid kit in hab lower deck: Loose gloves unsealed and
dirty, throat lozenges unsealed and dirty, large syringe unsealed and
dirty. Recommend discard.
– Diabetic kit in hab lower deck: Blood glucose tester has low
battery. Recommend battery replacement, but for later crews.
– First aid kit in Hab lower deck: Missing tape, ointment for burns
(only antiseptic available), ice pack, and aspirin. Recommend replacement.

Crew 235 Sol Summary Report 05-May-2021

Sol: 3

Summary Title: Rocks and Rockets!

Author’s name: Atila Meszaros

Mission Status: Crew Biologist

Sol Activity Summary:

We continued or geology hunting as EVA team #1 and #2 went South and reached the 1101 road to collect granite, lava in its different color variation, asphalt, devil’s toenail, and more to be analyzed by our expert, Dr. Shannon Rupert.

The first EVA encountered a small incident (check the EVA report for full explanation), but we are very close to finishing our geology hunt and gathering.

After lunch, we decided to start building our rockets and launching system for tomorrow’s project! Jennifer and Krysta are making dinner as we prepare the reports and get ready for a great night trying new activities and games.

Look Ahead Plan: Rock hunting EVAs in the morning, rocket launching, and going out of sim!

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Fully sunny, but with a great temperature throughout the day.

Crew Physical Status: Healthy. Finally learned how to work with dehydrated food and happy with the great meals and bread.

EVA: Tomorrow EVAs #5 and #6

Reports to be filed: Operations Report, EVA Report, EVA Request, Crew Journalist

Support Requested: Nothing to report.

Crew 235 Sol Summary Report 04-May-2021

Sol: 2

Summary Title: Jurassic Hunting

Author’s name: Atila Meszaros

Mission Status: Crew Biologist

Sol Activity Summary:

Finally on Mars! It’s been quite a while for some of us: our Commander’s last mission and mine was the last cohort for the Spaceward Bound in 2019, and after more than a year and a half, it feels wonderful to be back to Sim. Today was our first day in Sim. After a wonderful Geology lesson class from Dr. Rupert, we suited up and embarked to our destination to hunt petrified wood in the southern region of the Kissing Camels, a late Jurassic deposit. After our two successful EVAs, we did a small rock show between each other to see our bounties. We are preparing dinner and getting ready for a lovely night.

Look Ahead Plan: Our geology hunting will get more in-depth. Will visit two new sites to find a series of different rock samples. We would get into some hardcore Lego building and more teambuilding activities.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Fully sunny, but with a great temperature throughout the day.

Crew Physical Status: Everyone is healthy, hydrating, and eating pretty good.

EVA: Tomorrow EVA #4 and EVA #5 to continue or geology hunting!

Reports to be filed: Operations Report, EVA Report, EVA Request, Crew Journalist

Support Requested: Nothing to report.

Crew 235 Sol Summary Report 03-May-2021

Sol: 1

Summary Title: Mars needs Teachers

Author’s name: Atila Meszaros

Mission Status: Crew Biologist

Sol Activity Summary:

After breakfast, we started our tour around the station, showing all the facilities and all the systems. We started our ATV and rover training after visiting the RAM, and everyone got the chance to pick their chosen mode of transportation on Mars for our future EVAs. After learning about radio and suits operations, we got to do a pre-mission EVAs to Pooh’s corner to decide if we were going to do a full simulation or semi-sim: we drive Percy and our two ATVs, walk for around 10 minutes and collect some rock and mineral samples to try all the mobility on the suits. After a conversation with the crew, we decided to do full-sim EVAs until the end of the mission, and I couldn’t be happier.

We started the microbiology project after lunch. We are going to sample very exciting locations around the station and figure out which bacteria live amongst us! While we were preparing the agar, we did some EVA debriefing and discussed our mission.

We are all sitting together in the upper deck writing the reports and getting ready to close the day!

Look Ahead Plan: The first day on Sim waking up on Mars! Geology class during the morning to prepare for our rock hunting EVAs. Finalizing mission patch and team building activities.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Pretty amazing. Partially cloudy and a very comfortable temperature.

Crew Physical Status: Healthy and excited!

EVA: EVA #2 and EVA #3 for rock hunting.

Reports to be filed: Operations Report, EVA Report, EVA Request, Crew Journalist

Support Requested: Nothing for tonight.

Crew 245 Sol Summary Report 23APR2021

Sol: 13

Summary Title: Last Day on Mars

Author’s name: Shayna Hume

Mission Status: Executive Officer

Sol Activity Summary:

· 08:30-09:30: Misc. breakfast and briefing

· 09:30-10:00: Prepare for EVA.

· 10:00-12:00: EVA. (ended an hour short) Those in the hab worked on final video recordings and science.

· 12:00-13:30: Lunch!

· 13:30-18:00: Cleaning the hab and wrapping up science!

· 18:00-19:00: Dinner & wrap up reports.

Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow morning we intend to exit sim soon after we wake up and conduct the check-out process to head to Grand Junction.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Nominal.

Crew Physical Status: No issues.

EVA: EVA #12 report coming in.

Reports to be filed: Operations Report, EVA Report, GreenHab Report

Support Requested: n/a