Sol Summary – January 22nd

Crew 220

MDRS Crew 220 Sol 3 Summary 22Jan2020

Summary Title: WE HAVE THE POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Author’s name: Shawna Pandya, Commander
Mission Status: THE MOST NOMINAL WE’VE EVER BEEN
Sol Activity Summary: Praise Mars! Power was restored as a new generator came online today. We spent the day coming back online in a cautious graded fashion: first radios were charged, then suits and rovers and internet were plugged in as SOC increased past 12%, and finally the entire Hab came fully online as we got past SOC 50%. We are now sitting pretty at a SOC of 100% (SOC of our morale is also 100%).
Look Ahead Plan: The plan is to get the generator back online tomorrow, and spend the day getting the station comms, operations and science back online, with EVAs on hold until we are operational. Anomalies in work: Generator crisis resolved! THANK YOU OUTPOST FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE WORK! <3
Weather: -4C low / 3C max, 0C average.
Crew Physical Status: Electrified 🙂
EVA: N/A.
Reports to be filed:
Sol Summary
Commander’s Report
Ops/Engineering Report
GreenHab Report
Photo Report
EVA Request: Submitted.
Support Requested: Please remove trash from airlock.

Sol Summary – January 21st

MDRS 220 Sol 2 Summary 21Jan2020

Summary Title: Powerless
Author’s name: Shawna Pandya, Commander
Mission Status: Super not nominal
Sol Activity Summary: The Crew faced a Mars first: both the generator failed while the solar panels failed to charge during the previous day, leading to the dreaded 0% State of Charge, putting the station in a state of emergency for 24+ hours. The crew rose admirably to the occasion, using flashlights, propane power and bringing water in manually to deal with the situation. With no power to charge the rovers, suits or radio comms, all EVAs for the day were unfortunately cancelled. Our science that required internet and/or power was similarly put on hold. Despite this the crew proved their mettle and why they are “Made for Mars” with the mental resilience and good spirits. The crew still maintained co-station briefs and activities with the MAU crew, including singing, dancing, guitar playing, and bonding in a “Mars Sharing Circle.”
Look Ahead Plan: The plan is to get the generator back online tomorrow, and spend the day getting the station comms, operations and science back online, with EVAs on hold until we are operational. Anomalies in work: No power, no back up power 🙁 | Water access and propane heater still functioning. 🙂
Weather: Snow fell in the morning. -4C low / 3C max, 0C average. Crew Physical Status: All watered and fed.
EVA: N/A.
Reports to be filed:
Emergency reports only: Sol Summary, Ops/Engineering Report, GreenHab Report EVA Request: None until Generator back online.
Support Requested: Generator back pretty please <3

Sol Summary – January19th

MAU-MDRS Crew 220

Sol Summary Report 19-01-2020

Sol: Pre-Sim Day 1

Summary Title: All Our Bags Are Packed, We’re Ready to Go…

Author’s name: Shawna Pandya, Commander

Mission Status: Really really nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Today both MAU & MDRS crews set about preparing to enter sim in the AM. For the MDRS crew, this entailed cleaning the Hab, moving supplies and personal gear into the hab, sorting and dividing up food rations with the MAU crew, completing the MDRS entry quiz (the crew of 12 passed on the first try – well done!), completing Hab orientation, undergoing EVA and rover training and finishing the night up with a joint MDRS-MAU dinner, completing pre-sim surveys and briefing a plan for tomorrow. From the MAU side, in addition to the above, the crew finished setting up base camp and established an internal power system (great job guys!!)

Look Ahead Plan: Sim starts tomorrow. First reconnaissance EVAs with station-to-station EVA coordination planned, 2 in the AM (1 for MAU, 1 for MDRS), and 2 in the afternoon (1 for MAU, 1 for MDRS). MAU crew to continue to optimize base camp set-up.

Anomalies in work: Network failure noted at 1800 local time – network status restored; Generator failure noted – currently on Emergency power protocol with minimal power usage. MAU – No anomalies.

Weather: 0C in AM, 10C in the afternoon, light to no wind with thin cloud cover.

Crew Physical Status: All well (MAU crew says they are really, really cold but are establishing heat with the new internal systems (hooray!). MDRS sympathizes with them).

EVA: N/A.
Reports to be filed:
Sol Summary
Journalist’s Summary
Ops/Engineering Report
Photo Report
GreenHab Report
Support Requested: Will leave trash in rear airlock tonight.

Sol Summary – January 18th

Crew 219 Sol Summary Report 18 JAN 2020

Sol: 13

Summary Title: Farewell MDRS

Author’s name: Nathan Hadland

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Sol 13 started as usual, with coffee and a light breakfast. After breakfast, we finished up residual cleaning tasks and packing. N. Hadland, D. Masaitis, K. Crisman, H. Blackburn, A. Perez, and R. Raphael went on our traditional end of sim hike to the top of North Ridge where we took group photos. After the hike, we returned to the Hab and began making a lunch of chicken noodle soup for Crew 220. As the new crew started arriving in chunks, we began the process of helping them move in. In the afternoon, we trained the crewmembers on Hab systems and gave them a tour of the campus. The incoming crew spent most of the day setting up their new outer Hab system, but tonight we will be headed to Hanksville for burgers and shakes! We will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning so tonight we will be headed to bed early. We are excited to be headed back to the tropical Florida weather!

Look Ahead Plan: Going home!

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Chilly and sunny all day

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: NONE

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary

Operations Report

GreenHab Report

HSO Report

Commander’s Report (in lieu of Journalist Report)

Photos (Including Photo of the Day)

Support Requested:

None

Sol Summary – January 17th

Crew 219 Sol Summary Report 17-01-2020

Sol: 12

Summary Title: Mission Complete.

Author’s name: Dave Masaitis

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Sol 12 started with gourmet coffee and a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs. After breakfast D. Masaitis performed a walk-around inspection of the campus with Handbook in hand, to annotate any deficiencies that needed to be fixed before check-out, and passed the list to the crew. As the crew began touching up the modules and Hab, D. Masaitis sat down to truncate the rough draft of the crew’s Mission Summary from almost 7,000 words of eloquent academic prose. The crew had completed their cleaning tasks by lunchtime, and spent much of the afternoon working on the 2000 piece Mars puzzle. N. Hadland and H. Blackburn joined D. Masaitis in The Great Revision, and the Mission Summary was complete by 1630 hours.

Crew 219 ended Simulation at 1700 hours, and stepped out into the waning daylight to clean exterior areas, completing the work by sundown. We are proud of the work that we have accomplished here, and look forward to meeting Crew 220 tomorrow!

Look Ahead Plan: Meeting and Training Crew 220!

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Chilly and sunny all day

Crew Physical Status: OUTSTANDING

EVA: NONE

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary

Operations Report

GreenHab Report

Mission Summary (In lieu of Research Report)

Food Inventory

Journalist’s Report

Photos (Including Photo of the Day)

Support Requested:

None

Sol Summary – January 16th

Crew 219 Sol Summary Report 16-01-2020

Sol: 11
Summary Title: If You Give a Martian a Cookie
Author’s name: Cynthia Montanez

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The morning started with crew 219 sipping on coffee and indulging in a light breakfast before they partook in their nominal tasks. To train C. Montanez and K. Crisman for their next field season, C. Montanez took the position as CO and K. Crisman took the position as XO for the day. Between 0908 to 1018, EVA #17 entered sim for sample return and came back to a delicious dish of pork sausage meatballs and spaghetti made by H. Blackburn.

Once everyone finished eating, each person started to work on finishing up their projects, post-mission report edits, and/or cleaning up parts of the Hab. Between 1402 to 1534, EVA #18 entered sim for the final sample return and came back to freshly made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, brownies, and chai tea made by H. Blackburn. The aroma of the desserts made the Hab smell like grandma’s house, as the taste brought the crew back to Earth.

Finally, the day ended with H. Blackburn cooking coconut curry and crew positions being switched back. Overall, today was a great day on Mars.

Look Ahead Plan: Cleaning the Hab and its exterior facilities in preparation for the next crew

Weather: Chilly and sunny all-day

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA:

EVA #17 – Sample Return W of Candor Chasma (0520000/4251500)
EVA #18 – Sample Return 1 km S of Kissing Camel (0518500/4248300)

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary
EVA Reports #17 and #18
Operations Report
GreenHab Report
Research Report
Astronomy Report
Journalist’s Report
Photos (Including Photo of the Day)

Support Requested: None

Sol Summary – January 15th

Crew 219 Sol Summary Report 15-01-2020

Sol: 10

Summary Title: What day is it, camel?

Author’s name: Dave Masaitis

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The crew filtered out casually for coffee and a
light breakfast, before EVA #15 moved downstairs to suit up. The team
moved out towards North Ridge, documenting their route up to Hab
Ridge, so that future teams can use the same route. They found a
multitude of viable samples and returned to the Hab in time to have a
quick lunch and help EVA #16 get out on time. While EVA #16 moved out
for sampling, those at the campus processed samples and started
drafting language for their respective sections of the end of mission
summary. H. Blackburn prepared cheddar biscuits and hot chocolate for
the crew to enjoy as EVA #16 returned, and crew members got to work
preparing their evening reports. H. Blackburn prepared stir-fry in the
wok for dinner, and after the Comms window, the crew looks forward to
turning command over to C. Montanez and K. Crisman for a Thursday of
on-the-job command experience so they will have a taste of what is to
come next year. D. Masaitis will spend the day assuming the role of
Health and Safety Officer, and N. Hadland will take over as GreenHab
Officer. Their Command-exchange will end after tomorrow’s Comms
window, but will better prepare them to understand the roles they will
be returning to fulfill next year.

Look Ahead Plan: Two sample return EVA’s, materials consolidation,
revisions of mission summary

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Chilly and sunny all day

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA:

EVA #15 – Sample Collection on Hab Ridge (0517700/4251600)

EVA #16 – Sample Collection around North Pinto Hills (0521000/4248800)

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary

EVA Report #15 & 16

EVA Request #17 & 18

Operations Report

GreenHab Report

Research Report

Journalist’s Report

Photos (Including Photo of the Day)

Support Requested:

None

Sol Summary – January 14th


Crew 219 Sol Summary Report 14-01-2020

Sol: 9

Summary Title: Taco Tuesday!

Author's name: Dave Masaitis

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: There is no Tuesday better than Taco Tuesday.
The morning started with coffee and a light breakfast as the crew got
up and started performing their normal routines around the Hab. The
sun shone brightly and everyone’s mood was light and jovial, as crew
members busied themselves and joked amongst one another. H. Blackburn
prepared tuna tacos for lunch, to the great enjoyment of everyone
present, and then the EVA support team went downstairs to prepare
suits for EVA #14’s 1300 departure. Checklists were followed, and EVA
#14 exited the airlock a minute early. They returned an hour and a
half later with a bag full of samples, and the much of the crew spent
the afternoon in the science dome investigating and cataloging the new
scientific material, while K. Crisman collected his biometric data
from the EVA’s participants. The crew then sat down and wrote their
evening’s reports while H. Blackburn effortlessly whipped up a
delicious chicken pot pie...of which there were no leftovers. After
Comms window, the team will meet one more time to discuss tomorrow’s
plan before bedding down for another full day on Mars. The sun shines
on us again, and the planet is finally starting to peek some red
terrain out from under sheets of snow!

Look Ahead Plan: Two EVAs, sample analysis and preparation for
shipment, rough drafts of the end of mission summary and maintenance
as necessary

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: cold and sunny all day

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA:

EVA #14 – Geologic Sample Collection south of Robert’s Rock Garden
(0518500/4248300)

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary

EVA Report #14

EVA Request #15 & #16

Operations Report

GreenHab Report

Research Report

Astronomy Report

Journalist's Report

Photos (Including Photo of the Day)

Support Requested: None

Sol Summary – January 13th

  

 Crew 219 Sol Summary Report 13-01-2020

Sol: 8

Summary Title: Oh, Mondays...

Author's name: Dave Masaitis

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The crew was woken abruptly around 0600 to a
generator failure and low power, and immediately responded according
to guidance from Outpost. We then boiled water on the stove for
coffee, and got started with the days work. Some worked on science
while others transplanted plants in the GreenHab. H. Blackburn made a
lunch of chili and rice before EVA #13 pushed out towards Beige Moon,
and those left behind continued their tasks. EVA #13 collected their
samples, but suffered an H&S-related incident (see HSO report) forcing
their return by 1508. K. Crisman resolved the situation swiftly,
decisively, and admirably. With the whole crew back at nominal status,
A. Elnajdi and R. Raphael prepared an incredible dinner for the crew
while everyone finished and proofread reports for this evening’s Comms
window.

Look Ahead Plan: One EVA, continued sample analysis, and maintenance
as necessary

Anomalies in work: Generator Failure

Weather: Early morning fog, cold and sunny all day

Crew Physical Status: Nominal at present (See HSO Report)

EVA:

EVA #13 – Geologic Sample Collection around Beige Moon (0516000/4254300)

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary

EVA Report #13

EVA Request #14

HSO Report

Operations Report

GreenHab Report

Research Report

Journalist's Report

Photos (Including Photo of the Day)

Support Requested:

-Quart-sized ziploc bags

-Medical tape

-Refer to Operations Report for maintenance-related request 

Sol Summary – January 12th

Crew 219 Sol Summary Report 12-01-2020

Sol: 7

Summary Title: Bacon, Burgers, Hawaiian Shirts and Mistaken Aces

Author’s name: Dave Masaitis

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Despite today being a DONSA (see yesterday’s Sol
Summary for definition), work did actually get done today. After a
breakfast of bacon and eggs, some crew members swept snow out of the
tunnels, while others swept and mopped mud from the Hab’s first floor.
A. Elnajdi performed some sample analysis in the Science Dome and R.
Raphael performed astronomic data reduction while H. Blackburn and C.
Montanez made bacon cheeseburgers and fresh salad with GreenHab greens
for lunch. Afterwards N. Hadland and R. Raphael simulated a dust storm
for our dust mitigation experiments, and others engaged in a lively
game of Rummy 500. C. Montanez took a victory, before the crew sat
down to finish reports and sip the world’s best chai tea, courtesy of
A. Elnajdi. The evening will hold a crew meeting to prepare for
tomorrow’s work, and then it’s back to business in the morning.

Look Ahead Plan: One EVA, continued sample analysis, and maintenance
if necessary

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Cold and overcast most of the day, with some sunshine in the
late afternoon

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA:

None

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary

EVA Request #13

Operations Report

GreenHab Report

Research Report

Journalist’s Report

Astronomy Photos (ATTN: Dr. Zubrin)

Photos (Including Photo of the Day)

Support Requested:

– Refer to Operations Report

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