Astronomy Report – March 4th – Mars Desert Research Station

Crew 223 Astronomy Report Mar 04 2020

Name: Florian Delpech
Crew: 223
Date: 3/4/2020

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested (choose one) MDRS-14

Objects to be Imaged this Evening: Same as yesterday : IC 342 ; NGC 2775; NGC 4449 ; NGC 4254 ; NGC 4125 ; NGC 3338 ; NGC 2683 ; M100 ; NGC 6503; NGC 5248 ; NGC 4038. This is part of the research project aiming at observing about 30 galaxies per week to try to find a supernovae.

Images submitted with this report: A picture of M81.

Problems Encountered: When I wanted to calibrate images with AstroImageJ for M81 and IC1805, I used calibration files (MDRS-WF_mbias, MDRS-WF_mdark, etc.) taken from Skynet on March, 3rd. However, when I launched CCD Data Processor, the following error message appeared : "Fileinfo parameter error. Offset + image size > file length".

To solve the problem, I took calibration files from a previous observation (a week ago) and it worked. So maybe the calibration files from yesterday were too heavy.

Also, I don’t know if it is linked but the image with Halpha filter for both objects was very noised and so unusable.

MUSK OBSERVATORY

Solar Features Observed: N/A

Images submitted with this report: N/A

Problems Encountered: N/A

About The MDRS

The Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah desert was established by the Mars Society in 2001 to better educate researchers, students and the general public about how humans can survive on the Red Planet. It is the second Mars analogue habitat after the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station was established in 2000.

Over 200 crews of six-person teams have lived in 1-2 week field visits at MDRS to simulate life on the Martian surface. Researchers and students alike have explored the Mars-like terrain in the area surrounding the station in full “spacesuits”, maintained the station’s systems, grown plants in the GreenHab to support themselves and even recycled their waste water.

Our activities at MDRS are not only about informing the public, but also conducting real research to bring humanity that much closer to the reality of human exploration on the planet Mars.

Annual field seasons at MDRS run approx. October through May. Anybody can apply to be on a crew, and we also need volunteers to help with the project.

Management Team

Mission Support

Astronomy Report – March 4th

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