Journalist Report – Mar 29th

29th March 2018
Journalist Report

Makoto Kawamura

Three days since door has been closed.
This means that it has been three days since I could see the outside world directly. In the habitat base, it is through the window and the view is from the helmet if I wear the EVA (extra-vehicular activity) suit.
Mars is not an environment which allows the human body to feel its atmosphere directly. When I go to EVA, I am unable to do everything I could do. First of all, I cannot touch my face. I cannot blow my nose while in EVA as well. Even if I have seen this graceful view of the scene, I do not have the full-option to explain about my feeling. I cannot see the display on the camera and I feel it is difficult to manipulate my camera. Before coming here, I tried to carefully select my instruments. However, the freedom of the real world is far away from what I thought.
Important life material such as electricity, water, garbage, communication, even some daily material can turn our life to be deadly such as passing to the tunnel to the dark world step by step. This time that I cannot see the outside of the world is enough to feel that I am living in the different world right now.
This is, at the same time, that our team, Crew191, is trying to simulate being on Mars right now. From waking up in the morning to going to bed, we are attempting to spend a day on Mars honestly. That is why we have actively discussed the mission with each other and sometimes we have impoliteness while in the discussion. Even myself, I am surprised that I am changed by only closing door and this environment in the center of a desert. When humans reach Mars, the situation faced by us is going to be happening and I am sure that there is a someone who would like to report life on Mars in the next several years or decades, could be several centuries later.
When a journalist gets to Mars, what is going to be asked? And what should record? Although it is about a week to be a crew 191 member as well as life at the MDRS, I think that I should get back to regular life which is not inside of a box as much as I can.
Winds with sand are hitting our white dome when I see the outside through the window.
I think that the view of red desert and rocks through the window is the space that reminded me the opinion as well.

EVA Report – April 05th

EVA Report

EVA – 5 Apr 2018 – Sol12
Crew members: Wataru Okamoto (EVA leader) ,Yusuke Murakami, Fumiei Morisawa (HABCOM)

Objectives: 3 dimension survey

Operations:
9:57 – Depressurize start
9:59 – Depressurize abort finish
10:01 – Re-Pressurize finish
10:07 – Depressurize start
10:10 – Depressurize start of the Airlock of RAM
10:11- EVA start
11:08 – Drone operation is finished
11:20 – Pressurize start
11:23 – Pressurize finished

Destination: Hab Area

Narrative:
Today we made 3 dimension model survey around the HAB. We flew the drone. We flew out of the prohibited area from the Hanksvill airport. Home position of Drone was on the hill behind the RAMM. We test basic mode at the beginning. After that we accomplished 3 dimension survey twice.

Vehicles
No

Commander Report – March 27th

March 28, 2018
Crew 191 Commander Report 27 March 2018
27 MAR 2018 – Sol3 – Commander Report

Our “earnest Mars play” has finally begun. Speaking of exaggerations, Mars may be a symbol of our curiosity. At the same time, the journey to Mars is also associated with great risk. “Every single aspect of space is conspiring at every moment to pretty much kill humans,” is how one Indian space architect phrased it. It is impossible for us to control Mars. While balancing curiosity and risk, we must carefully move one step at a time. A road without retreat will never allow progress. Here’s where MDRS (Mars Desert Research Station) is, where people with a serious and playful spirit gather together to dream of the future.

Everyone in this life may be imagining a life of “surviving,” as typified by the word “survival.” This is certainly a concern, but as the scale of time spent on Mars increases from “staying” to “living” in a manned Mars mission over the years, it is more a matter of “living” than “surviving.” Real feelings “become more important. It might be a matter of the willingness to be tested in terms of survival, but the ability to live with roots is actually a reliable and predicatable mood. In a tension-forced life, negative feelings easily emerge. “I am OK with myself” does not pass. One absolutely cannot say “Because this is the earth.”
I think that it is my role, as the captain, to make the crews to forget that this place is the earth.
Be curious, Ad Astra, and safe return.

Crew 191 Team Asia Commander Yusuke Murakami

Operations Report – April 05th

Crew 191 Operations Report 05/04/2018

SOL: 12

Name of person filing report: Wataru Okamoto

Non-nominal systems: Solar system, Water Tank

Notes on non-nominal systems: Solar system seems extremely unusual. Now it is normal operation. We are keeping a detailed monitoring. We attach SOL12 parameter.
We cleaned the Black tank and the water pump.

Generator (hours run): 12hours

Solar SOC 7% (Before generator is run at night)

Diesel 80%

Propane 70psi.

Ethanol Free Gasoline (5 Gallon containers for ATV) ? – gallons.

Water (trailer) 0%

Water (static) 20%

Trailer to Static Pump used ? –

Water (loft) Static to Loft Pump used Yes

Water Meter: 133080.4
Toilet tank emptied: –

ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3) –

Oil Added –

ATV Fuel Used: –
Hours the ATVs were Used today: –

Notes on ATVs: Dr. Shannon ask us don’t to use all ATV , because of fuel trouble.

Deimos rover used: –
Hours: 117.9h
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: %
Currently charging: plugged

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:

Spirit rover used: –
Hours: 29.4h
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: %
Currently charging: –

Opportunity rover used:
Hours: 28.8h
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: %
Currently charging: –

Curiosity rover used:
Hours: 24.3h
Beginning charge: 100 %
Ending charge: %
Currently charging: –

HabCar used and why, where? –

General notes and comments: Solar system seems extremely unusual. Now it is normal operation. We are keeping a detailed monitoring. We attach SOL12 parameter.
We cleaned the Black tank and the water pump.

Summary of internet: No problem

Summary of suits and radios: 5 charger of the backpack out of order.

Summary of Hab operations: We cleaned the black tank.

Summary of GreenHab operations: No problem

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Only use checking the solar system.

Summary of RAMM operations: No problem

Summary of health and safety issues: No problem

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: We need water filter, a lot of paper towels for clean up the Loft tank . We already mailed to Dr. Shannon.

Journalist Report – April 05th

WATER = AIR = MIZU

WATER AND (HUMAN) BODY
Mayday…
Mayday…
Water contaminated…
Water contaminated…
(Copy from MDRS Radio Conversation on SOL#08)

Water is essential for cells to function properly, means it enters into the composition of the cells. Water as a main constituent of blood contributes to the transport of nutrients to the cells. In deed the nutrients are transported by the blood. Water also is just as important to our bodies as it is to life on earth.
In our SIM at MDRS right now, we only can take shower once per 3 or 4 days. Not like on Earth (in reality) where we can actively – do a properly – wash our body as much as we want.
Anyway, talking about “water”, since we were born to this planet, water accounted for nearly 80 percent of our body weight and accounts for as much as 70 percent as our adult body. Similarly, nearly three-fourths of the earth’s surface is covered by water. Unlike the earth, our “human body” can easily lose large percentages of its water content whereas all the water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today.

NEW BUSSINESS ON MARS ; Can i have IceCream please…
Memory, Water, and Brain…
Which one you will choose if the only have one option to taking care the most… Hmm, NONE i guess ; and yup! those three option stay in one line direction in our body system. For example, our brain uses 20 percent of the total oxygen in your body. If your brain loses blood for 8 to 10 seconds, you will lose consciousness. And when we were born, our brain was almost the same size as an adult brain and contained most of the brain cells for your whole life. What do you think?
Related with the memory, every time we recall a memory or have a new thought, we are creating a new connection in your brain. And you know exactly “water” is the most we need on this body system.
And how about if we can put “our tent” on MARS and enjoy our entire life over there? And where i can buy ice-cream? 🙂 …Lately we heard that some scientist found clean water ice just below MARS surface, so then the next question is : Can we do mining there…or can we use water as much as we want to support our life in Red Planet?

Problem is, properties of that ice, how pure it is, how deep it goes, what shape it takes and also how big is that, are still a mystery. We didn,t know exactly until nowdays, but we are sure that there is “ice” under. But they also said, some trouble how to explore is, dirt, rocks, and other surface-level contaminants make it hard to study the stuff. MARS landers can dig or drill into some meters from the surface. Its possible to do in the coming years.
“On Mars, when you see something bright, it usually means ice,” says Richard Zurek, chief scientist for the MARS Program Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who was unaffiliated with the study.
Frozen water also lies beneath the surface. Scientists discovered a slab of ice as large as California and Texas combined in the region between the equator and north pole of the Red Planet. And the European Space Agency’s MARS Express spacecraft captured images of sheets of ice in the cooler, shadowed bottoms of craters, which suggests that liquid water can pool under appropriate conditions.
INTERESTED TO HAVE A NEW ICE CREAM BUSSINESS IN THE FUTURE HUMAN COLONY UP THERE?

Seriously, its possible to make your DIY ice-cream on MARS mission. 🙂
(…like we did once during our SIM right now in MDRS…)

EVA Report – April 05th

EVA Report

EVA #15 – 5th April 2018 – Sol 12
Crew members: Kai Takeda (EVA leader), Makoto Kawamura, Venzha Christ

Objectives:
– Observing plants and lichens

Operations:
13:32– Entering the airlock
13:35–Depressurize finished, Operational check started
13:55–Leaving the Hab, EVA started by pedestrinan
14:25–Arriving at destination(Merble Ritual)
15:01–Leaving Merble Ritual
15:01 – Back to the Hab
15:30 – Enter the Airlock
15:33 – Pressurize finished

Narrative:
I fulfilled my dream of observing plants and lichens around MDRS.
It is really thanks for my crew mate. The purpose of EVA was to examine psychological influence from plants to EVA members through observing plants. As a method of observing plants, we drew pictures of plants. I will send a questionnaires to EVA members about their change of interest in plants later on.

Vehicles
– None

Greenhab Report – April 05th

GreenHab Report
Kai Takeda
5 APR 2018

Environmental control: (Choose which of the following is appropriate and explain further if needed)

Ambient with window/door open
Shade cloth on
Fan on(11:00~13:00)

Average temperatures: 27.5℃
Low 14.6℃
High 40.3℃

Hours of supplemental light: None

Changes to crops: None

Daily water usage for crops: 8gal

Time(s) of watering for crops: three times

Moringa research observations: None

Changes to research plants: No

Aquaponics: None

Narrative:
Today, I held “PLANT DAY” in MDRS.
I ate lunch and harvested crops and planted seed with crewmate.

Dear Dr.Shannon
Thank you for your approval about “PLANT DAY”.
Tomorrow, I want to run one of Mario’s hydroponic systems in greenhab.
But hose of the system is too long.
Other two systems have already worked.
Can I cat the hose?

Support/supplies needed: None

Crew Photos – April 05th

SOL Essay (Photo Description)
05 Apr 2018

Sol 12
Miho Tsukishiro (XO)

It’s been a long and busy day.
In the morning, the EVA team did 3D survey of the HAB by a Drone Camera. It was for Wataru’s project and he succeeded it although it was a bit windy.
Then we had lunch with fresh vegetable in the GreenHab for the project of Kai. He planned letting us spend the day as the “Plants Day”. That is, we do what usually just only the GreenHab officer do: harvest, sowing, watering and eating etc. So we were surrounded by greenery today! So Kai did also greenery EVA in this afternoon. He took the team to the place where they could find some plants and let them observe and draw it. His interest is how will plants influence people especially in such a closed life.
Meanwhile, we worked hard again to clean the black water tank. We hope you can see the result: now ready to fill with the clean water!

Sol Summary – April 05th

Crew 191 Sol Summary Report
05 Apr 2018

Sol 12

Summary Title:
Drone-shooting and the “Plants Day”
Miho Tsukishiro (XO)

Mission Status:
in progress

Sol Activity Summary:
7:00 Breakfast
7:30 Briefing
9:30 EVA #14 3D Survey of the HAB by a Drone Camera (leader: Wataru Okamoto, Yusuke Murakami) Habcom: Fumiei Morisawa
11:45 Lunch in GreenHab
13:30 EVA #15 Observing Plants and Lichens (leader: Kai Takeda, Venzha Christ, Makoto Kawamura) Habcom: Fumiei Morisawa
14:00 Cleaning Water Tank
18:00 Gathering reports
19:00 CapCom

Look Ahead Plan:
See EVA Request.

Anomalies in work:
N/A

Weather:
Cloudy. Mild winds.

Crew Physical Status:
Good.

EVA:
See EVA Report.

Reports to be file:
– SOL Summary Report
– Engineer Report
– GreenHab Report
– Photo Report with Description
– EVA Report x2
– EVA Request
– Journalist Report

Support Requested:
N/A

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