Journalist Report – December 22nd
Journalist Report Ben Durkee, Crew 218 Journalist Waking up on Mars for the first time is a starkly humbling experience. You emerge from your personal oven labeled "Crew Quarters" for some fresh (synthesized) air. After taking a few breaths you realize that that very air is a privilege afforded to you by the tin can that surrounds you. The tin can that is now your home for the foreseeable future. Once we had all shaken the sleep from our eyes, we began haphazardly assembling breakfast for ourselves. Jonathan demonstrated his prowess in the kitchen right off the bat. His potion was an assembly of dehydrated eggs - the most foul abomination I have ever seen and smelled - and dehydrated milk and butter - tied for second place. Yet against all odds, he whipped up some mighty fine scrambled eggs in a process I can only describe as culinary sorcery. I look forward to seeing (and tasting) more of such magic in the coming weeks! After breakfast, Shefali and I got drafted to dispose of some heavy stones outside of the Hab (which I'm still convinced was a form of clandestine physical training). After our rugged rock repositioning, we were given a full tour of the Hab. It was on this tour that we discovered the presence of an uninvited GreenHab guest. We suspect there is some kind of Martian rodent that has been chomping on our precious strawberry sprouts! We've laid a trap in the GreenHab, and will hopefully meet the extraterrestrial culprit very soon... In the shadow of the trapping excitement, we began our actual training. This featured a rotation of Rover and ATV training, followed by training on the EVA suits. There's a unique comedic value to the notion that it took equally long to teach us how to put a suit on as it did to teach us how to operate two separate motor vehicles. We are professionals, we swear. As the sun retires behind the Martian landscape, we too begin to wind down our activities. A big day tomorrow calls for some good rest tonight. Generously, the rotation of Mars offers us an extra 37 minutes to work with every day. I believe tonight that implies 37 more minutes of well-deserved sleep. Tomorrow, we face our first true Martian day equipped with the know-how and acuity to kick this planet's butt!
Journalist Report – December 22nd
Journalist Report Ben Durkee, Crew 218 Journalist Waking up on Mars for the first time is a starkly humbling experience. You emerge from your personal oven labeled "Crew Quarters" for some fresh (synthesized) air. After taking a few breaths you realize that that very air is a privilege afforded to you by the tin can that surrounds you. The tin can that is now your home for the foreseeable future. Once we had all shaken the sleep from our eyes, we began haphazardly assembling breakfast for ourselves. Jonathan demonstrated his prowess in the kitchen right off the bat. His potion was an assembly of dehydrated eggs - the most foul abomination I have ever seen and smelled - and dehydrated milk and butter - tied for second place. Yet against all odds, he whipped up some mighty fine scrambled eggs in a process I can only describe as culinary sorcery. I look forward to seeing (and tasting) more of such magic in the coming weeks! After breakfast, Shefali and I got drafted to dispose of some heavy stones outside of the Hab (which I'm still convinced was a form of clandestine physical training). After our rugged rock repositioning, we were given a full tour of the Hab. It was on this tour that we discovered the presence of an uninvited GreenHab guest. We suspect there is some kind of Martian rodent that has been chomping on our precious strawberry sprouts! We've laid a trap in the GreenHab, and will hopefully meet the extraterrestrial culprit very soon... In the shadow of the trapping excitement, we began our actual training. This featured a rotation of Rover and ATV training, followed by training on the EVA suits. There's a unique comedic value to the notion that it took equally long to teach us how to put a suit on as it did to teach us how to operate two separate motor vehicles. We are professionals, we swear. The post-training briefing was punctuated by some energetic (and welcome) pounces from the crew trainer's puppy. Maybe it's the isolation speaking, but I think dogs are even cuter on Mars. After all the hard work and excitement, we finally got a moment to stop and breathe, and then we splintered off to fulfill our personal duties. As the sun retires behind the Martian landscape, we too begin to wind down our activities. A big day tomorrow calls for some good rest tonight. Generously, the rotation of Mars offers us an extra 37 minutes to work with every day. I believe tonight that implies 37 more minutes of well-deserved sleep. Tomorrow, we face our first true Martian day equipped with the know-how and acuity to kick this planet's butt!
GreenHab Report – December 22nd
Crew 218 GreenHab Report 22-DEC-19
Crew GreenHab Officer: Dr. Jonathan R. Buzan
Environmental control: Heating.
Shade cloth (40% and 30%) on.
Average temperature: 23.5°C 18%
9:20AM
Floor Unit: 15°C
Electronic: 18°C
humidity 21%
12:05PM
Floor Unit: 28°C
Electronic: 28.5°C
humidity 16%
2:35PM
Floor Unit: 12°C
Electronic: 22.2°C
humidity 19%
7:00PM
Floor Unit: 17°C
Electronic: 22.8°C
humidity 19%
Max: 29.8°C, 21%
Min: 17.3°C, 15%
Hours of supplemental light: Light system 7PM-12AM
Daily water usage for crops: 4.3 Gal.
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: N/A
Water in Blue Tank – ~135 Gal.
Time(s) of watering for crops: 7:00 PM
SEASONAL PLANTING HISTORY:
Change to crops: None.
OTHER NOTES:
1st sprouts: N/A
—Martian rodent has eaten strawberries. Setup trap/release with two bits of sweet potato.
—Gnats infested strawberry plants.
—Adjusted suspended avocado pits to touch water.
—Leaving door closed at 9:20AM. Opened door at 12:05PM. Closed door at 2:35PM.
Harvest: Checked radishes. Not ready for harvest.
Support/supplies requested: N/A.
Sol Summary – December 22nd
Crew 218 Sol Summary Report 22-DEC-2019 Sol: 00 Summary Title: Final Preparations Author's name: Pat Pesa Mission Status: Everyone is Learning! Sol Activity Summary: Our first morning on campus was this morning. We started off early with facility operations training. Next we finished filling the static tank with water, and restocked on shelf stable food to last us the remaining two weeks. After lunch the crew continued training with Rovers and EVA suits, with plans on using both in full simulation tomorrow. The evening concluded with final briefing from Mission Control, Crew Dinner, and then submission of reports during our daily communication window. Look ahead plan: Tomorrow will be our first EVAs and Rover use. Anomalies in work: None Weather: Clear and Sunny, around 30 degrees Crew physical status: healthy EVA: none Reports to be filed: sol summary, commander report, operations report, greenhab report, journalist report, HSO Beginning of Mission checklist, Mission Plan Support Requested: none Pat Geologist, MDRS 218
Commander Report – December 22nd
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
Crew Photos – December 21st
Crew 218 bio sketches: Commander and Crew Astronomer Dr. Cesare Guariniello is a Research Scientist in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Purdue University. He holds two Master's degrees, in Automation and Robotics Engineering and in Astronautical Engineering, from the University of Rome "La Sapienza", and a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University. His research ranges from System-of-Systems design and architecture to space applications, cybersecurity, and defense and includes projects with NASA, the US DoD, the US Navy, and MITRE corporation. Cesare recently expanded his research in the field of Earth Sciences, where he is pursuing a Master's degree in Planetary Geology. Cesare is a senior member of AIAA and IEEE, and a member of INCOSE, AAS, and various other professional societies. Outside academia, Cesare spends much time with Purdue Fencing Club, of which he is assistant coach and advisor. In 2014 he obtained all three levels of amateur radio certifications and the first of his five scuba diving certifications. In 2016 he obtained his Private Pilot License, and in 2018 his instrument rating. Most recently he earned a Wilderness First Responder and a Rescue Diver certification. In 2018, he served as crew geologist in crew 186 at the Mars Desert Research Station and in 2019 he served as commander of crew 202. Crew Scientist and Greenhab Officer Dr. Jonathan R. Buzan attended the University of California Santa Cruz for his bachelor's degree in planetary sciences. He pursued a Masters and PhD at Purdue University in atmospheric physics and planetary habitability. While attending graduate school, he was accepted into the Advanced Study Program and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Jonathan is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Crew Engineer Luz Maria (LuzMa) Agudelo Urrego is a s a PhD student in Civil Engineering at Purdue University. She did her undergrad in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia. She holds a Master's Degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on computational engineering and mechanics of materials. Her current research is focused on Moon lava tubes and the physics and mechanics of Earth materials. Health and Safety Officer Shefali Rana graduated from Purdue with a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering in 2018. She is currently a Reliability engineer working on on-highway applications for Cummins Emissions Solutions. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University. She has interest in reliability, durability, human factors, human-systems integration and interaction. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring new places and learning about different cultures and perspectives. Crew Geologist Pat Pesa is from a small town in Massachusetts and is a senior dual majoring in Astronautical Engineering and Planetary Science at Purdue University. He wants to pursue graduate school next Fall, to focus on the development of instrumentation that will progress the field of Space Exploration. At MDRS he hopes to test non-intrusive methods of testing sub-surface rock strength and believes this will be a crucial element of Humanity's future aspirations of colonizing Mars. Outside of academics Pat is deeply passionate about educational outreach and community development. He frequently spends his Saturdays waking up at 6am to go to disadvantaged neighborhoods and builds with Habitat for Humanity, or travels to local schools and museums to teach STEM activities with the Purdue Space Day organization. Crew Journalist Benjamin (Ben) Durkee is a junior at the Purdue University School of Aeronautics & Astronautics. He hopes to pursue a concentration in astrodynamics while still obtaining a comprehensive knowledge of other aerospace disciplines. At the same time, he is earning a minor in Organizational Leadership. Outside of academics, he is a jazz pianist and a marching bass drummer. He also enjoys rock climbing, drone racing, and scuba diving Cesare Commander, MDRS 218
GreenHab Report – December 21st
Crew 218 GreenHab Report 21-DEC-19
Crew GreenHab Officer: Dr. Jonathan R. Buzan
Environmental control: Heating.
Shade cloth (40% and 30%) on.
Average temperature: — single reading of 18°C; 20% humidity
Hours of supplemental light: Light system 7PM-12AM
Daily water usage for crops: 10 Gal.
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: N/A
Water in Blue Tank – ~140 Gal.
Time(s) of watering for crops: 7:30 PM
SEASONAL PLANTING HISTORY:
Change to crops: None.
OTHER NOTES:
1st sprouts: N/A
Harvest: None
Support/supplies requested: N/A.
Operations Report – December 21st
Crew 218 Operations Report 21-Dec-19
SOL: 0
Name of person filing report: Luz Maria Agudelo Urrego
Non-nominal systems: NA
Generator: run
Hours run: 6
From what time this morning: 0100
To what time this morning: 0700
List any additional daytime hours when the generator was run: N/A
Solar— SOC % (Before the generator is run at night: 70 %
Diesel Reading – 90
Station Propane Reading – 85
Ethanol Free Gasoline: N/A
Water (loft tank) (gal): 25
Water Meter (units): 0146907.3
Water (static tank) (gal): 400
Static to Loft Pump used – No
Water in Green Hab (gal): 150
Water in Science Dome (gal): 0
Toilet tank emptied: No
Deimos rover used: Still in the workshop
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Sojourner rover used: Assigned to director
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Spirit rover used: Nominal
Hours:
Beginning charge: (Before EVA):
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging):
Currently charging: Yes
Opportunity rover used: Still in the workshop
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Curiosity rover used: Nominal
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before charging):
Currently charging: Yes
Notes on rovers: Opportunity and Deimos off-site for maintenance.
ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3): No
Reason for use: N/A
Oil Added? No
# Hours the ATVs were used today: 0
Notes on ATVs: Operated for maintenance
HabCar used and why, where? Twice to get water and to the storage room
CrewCar used and why, where? Picking Crew MDRS 218 from Grand Junction
General notes and comments:
Summary of internet: Nominal
Summary of suits and radios: Nominal
Summary of Hab operations: First day of crew MDRS 218, basic training in major systems
Summary of GreenHab operations: routine watering.
Summary of Science Dome operations:
Summary of RAM operations:
Summary of any observatory issues: NA
Summary of health and safety issues: NA
Questions, concerns, and requests to Mission Support: NA
Luz Ma
Commander Report – December 21st
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
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