Crew 279 EVA Report 10-04-2023
EVA #9
Author: Thomas Stinglhamber, Crew Scientist
Purpose of EVA:
The EVA was the sequel to EVA #3 for Thomas’ experiment. He had to take radioactivity measurements near the base with his detector. He made punctual measurements of radioactivity (gamma emission) every 10 meters. The area was vast, so he aimed to do as many measurements as possible, targeting 100-150 measurements. He followed a snake-like route: North (250m)-West (10m)-South (250m)-West (10m)-North (250m), and so on. During EVA#3, he had taken measurements from the East of the Hab, and this time, he was covering the West part.
It had been difficult to make measurements with only one person for support during the last EVA, so he was helped by Antoine and Aglaé, who took notes and guided him in his tracing with the help of GPS.
Start time: 8:15 am
End time: 10:13 am
Narrative:
The day was likely to be very hot, so we began the EVA an hour earlier than usual to avoid exposure to the sun at its peak. The crew had to wake up early to prepare for an 8 am start. This was already the first difficulty. The second difficulty was the preparation of pancakes by Thomas and Antoine for the rest of the Crew… Fortunately the 2 difficulties were passed successfully.
Despite the precaution of getting up earlier to avoid the heat, taking radiation measurements for Thomas’s experiment around the base was difficult due to the hilly terrain and intense heat that began as early as 9:30 a.m. However, they persevered and managed to complete the EVA successfully. They made more than 140 measures which almost completed the planned map. In fact, they were so efficient that they even had time to capture drone footage of the station.
Destination: Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS)
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 518200 E ,4251000 N
Participants: Thomas (EVA Leader, Scientist), Antoine (Commander), Aglaé (Journalist).
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: None
Mode of travel: By foot