Crew 279 EVA Report 11-04-2023
EVA #10
Author : Gwenaël le Bussy, Crew Astronomer
Purpose of EVA:
The goal of today’s EVA was to check out bacteria samples from Agnes in North Ridge that we placed there 4 days ago. We needed to check that everything was in good condition. These checks are essential to ensure the accuracy and success of Agnes’ research project. This was Agnès’ last check and her next EVA will be to recover her bacteria.
Then, Gwenael had to take advantage of the light morning wind and his presence in North Ridge to pilot the drone and report on Agnes’ experience. These drone shots will be useful to understand the environment and the conditions where Agnès put her bacteria. Ttele’s presence was essential to keep an eye contact with the drone during the report.
Start time: 8:08 am
End time: 10:54 am
Narrative:
First, we went to North Ridge ; both rovers started the trip with 100% battery. The ride was smooth and without any problem.
Arriving at the base of North Ridge, the EVA crew started climbing towards the top by the south side of the mountain. During the ascension, Ttele used the drone to report the climb under Gwen’s supervision.
On top, Agnès checked all bacteria samples ; the samples are in good condition and no samples are missing. We noticed little bacterial growth but we won’t be sure until SOL11 when Agnès will finally retrieve the samples and analyse them in the MDRS.
During this time, Gwenaël and Ttele performed the mapping of North Ridge’s top to document the environment where the bacteria grew. In fact, this was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone : all the information is useful for Agnès’ bacterial experiment but also for Augustin’s mapping of the surroundings of MDRS. The mapping went smoothly and we had the chance to cover a wide area. For the last hour of this EVA, Gwen attempted to connect the drone a last time to make some video reports. Sadly, we failed to connect the drone and had to come back to the rovers at 10:30 AM.
The crew made it back safely to MDRS at 10:54 AM.
Destination: North Ridge
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 518500 E, 4251750 N
Participants: Gwen (EVA Leader)(Astronomer), Ttele (HSO), Agnès (Crew Executive Officer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road 0110
Mode of travel: Drive to North Ridge then walk on top of it.