Crew Photos – May 23rd
Sol Summary – May 23rd
Crew 281 Sol Summary Report 23 May 2023
Sol: 9
Summary Title: Moon and Mars
Author’s name: Ritupriya Patil (XO) and Megan Kane (Commander)
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
EVA:
Today an all-female EVA crew from Team Pegasus successfully completed a long EVA to explore the Overlook region. There was a lot of planning and contingencies that the crew discussed, especially since there were rains and storms last night. The crew were well prepared and narrowed down Mission Support efforts to specific location/coordinates per time estimations for each spot. They started out at 0758 for the intersection of Cow Dung and Hwy 1572, which was previously termed as White Moon. The area was interesting due to the geological features that made a unique mix as if they were from moon and mars. The crew witnessed shades and combinations of red and white at various locations around, a beautiful sight especially with the sunlight going in and out due to overcast weather. On arrival, Ana (Crew Scientist) collected rock and soil samples and Ritu (XO, EVA Lead) deployed drone for aerial footage. For the next stop, the crew wrapped up and drove on Hwy 1572 until they arrived at the ‘Y’ fork at the Overlook region. Weather was perfect, bright and sunny, there were more samples and some great drone shots collected.
The crew then left for Pooh’s Corner on their way back and acquired vertical and oblique drone images and videos for previously done geotechnical survey. This will aid to georeferencing the region under study. The crew left for MDRS right after and arrived at 1037.
During the EVA Comms did not work once the EVA crew went past Pooh’s corner. At the Hab Rachel and KC managed to set up the SDR to pick up the EVA Crew’s transmissions.
After the EVA, the crew grabbed a snack and jumped in on report writing and completed mid-mission video. KC (Crew Engineer) made a hearty veggie soup with handmade noodles. Which gave the crew an impetus to jump in the next big activity for the day, making STEM educational videos for waves and propagation in the Science dome. Megan (Commander) and Rachel (HSO) directed and shot the movies respectively, and the rest of the crew helped with acting and set up.
Green hab got very hot up to 43 C today, Megan watered and checked on the plants. KC did the routine hab operational checks. Rachel made more contacts on the ham radio station.
Dinner was finishing up the leftovers.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will do 2-person EVA near the hab to check the antenna and conduct a drone payload delivery test. The drone will be launched from the observatory and flown to the crew on EVA. First test will be without a payload second with a payload.
There were no operations in the RAM today.
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Winds and thunder
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA: Completed 1 today
Reports to be filed:
Greenhab Report
EVA Report
EVA Request
Ops Report
Journalist Report
PHOTOS!
Photo of the Day
Support Requested:
Mission support is requested in case of storms if the antenna needs to come down or be retrieved.
Operations Report – May 23rd
Crew 281 Operations Report 23 May 2023
SOL: 9
Name of person filing report: Megan Kane (Commander), Ritupriya Patil (Executive Officer) and KC Shasteen (Crew Engineer)
Non-nominal systems:
Electrical outlets in kitchen
Remote observatory
EVA Helmet
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: No
Hours: (before EVA): 222.5
Hours: (after EVA): NA
Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): NA
Currently charging: Yes
Opportunity rover used: Yes
Hours: (before EVA): 130.0
Hours: (after EVA): 131.2
Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): 65%
Currently charging: Yes
Curiosity rover used: No
Hours: (before EVA): 240.2
Hours: (after EVA): NA
Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): NA
Currently charging: Yes
Perseverance rover used: No
Hours: (before EVA): 264.6
Hours: (after EVA): NA
Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): NA
Currently charging: Yes
General notes on rovers: Oppy used on long EVA to Overlook Region and back.
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 13.9 gallons
Water (static tank): 269.0 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): off
Static tank heater (On or off): off
Toilet tank emptied: no
Summary of internet:
nominal
Summary of suits and radios: All suits and radios are fully recharged.
Summary of GreenHab operations:
WATER USE: 1.59 gallons
Heater: Off
Supplemental light: Off
Harvest: in grams : 0
Summary of Science Dome operations:
Dual split: Heat and AC, Off
EVA & Research Planning
Cacao Experiment:
Watered cacao seedlings
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done)
None
Summary of any observatory issues: NA
Summary of health and safety issues:
No new issues to report.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
Request Mission Support assistance to take down or retrieve the ham radio antenna in case of emergency or high winds.
Journalist Report – May 23rd
Crew 281 Journalist Report 23 May 2023
Journalist Report
By: Rachel Jones
Sol 9 and Things are Going Fine
Despite the early EVA, I slept in. The crew mercifully agreed I could sleep in and that KC and Megan could help Ana and Ritu prepare for their 0745 EVA. I woke up just in time to see them start to drive the rover away from the hab. Ana and Ritu were going on a long EVA to the Overlook region. This area is really special because it has gypsum (which glows when exposed to UV light). In the past, this region was nicknamed the “Moon” region because the grey and white sand features resemble the moon.
KC was Hab Comm for the EVA. Hab Comm is a member of the crew that attempts to maintain contact with the EVA while they are in the field. We were warned that the Overlook region and the paths to get there had very bad/spotty communications. Given the current band conditions, I imagine this matter was expounded. While I was never able to resolve my Software Defined Radio (SDR) sound issue, we did observe the waterfall of the crew transmission frequency (i.e. we could see when they were transmitting), even when our radios did not register the transmission. I only wonder if we would have been able to hear them if my speakers were working.
Overall, the EVA was a success and lots of aerial footage and loose samples were collected.
For lunch today, KC went overboard in the best possible way. He handmade noodles from scratch and turned our normal rehydrated and freeze-dried ingredients into an amazing soup. I again tried to get on the OMISS (Old Man International Sideband Society) net but do not think I was heard today. The bands were all over the place.
After lunch, Ana, Ritu, Megan, and I filmed an outreach video of an experiment for the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS). Then we had a rapid segment of high wind and a light dusting of rain.
Before dinner, I was very successful at making amateur radio contacts on 20 meters. Then my friend Tony (NR1Z) helped me make my first Morse Code contact. Morse Code is a method of communication that uses dots and dashes (dits and dahs) to code a message. Morse Code holds some advantages over voice communications as the transmission often requires less power and (some people.…not me yet) is faster. This makes Morse Code very efficient for emergency situations and most associate it with signaling S.O.S (… – – – …). I’m not sure yet, but I might be the first person to have made a Morse Code contact from MDRS.
I continue to imagine what communications on Mars will be like, but till then, I’m signing off: 73s.
GreenHab Report – May 23rd
Crew 281 GreenHab Report 23 May 2023
GreenHab Officer: Megan Kane
Environmental control: mixed door open/ door open with fan
Average temperatures: 91.38 °F
Hours of supplemental light: None
Daily water usage for crops 1.19 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0.4 gallons
Water in Blue Tank 159.53 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops:
0945: refilled 4 water bottle (2 L) watered other plants as needed 2.5 L
Changes to crops:
None
Narrative:
In the morning the GreenHab was checked and watered. The cooling cloth’s reservoir was also refilled. The temperature was checked several times. The highest recorded temperature today was 110.5.
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams): None
Support/supplies needed: None
EVA Report – May 23rd
Crew 281 EVA Report 23-05-2023
EVA # 10
Authors: Ritupriya Patil (Executive Officer), Ana Pires (Crew Scientist)
Purpose of EVA:
Drone flight to record and do aerial imagery for new exploration areas
Acquire vertical images and videos for previously done geotechnical survey of Pooh’s Corner
Start time: 0750 hrs
End time: 1038 hrs
Narrative:
This was first long EVA with a crew of two. At 0745 hrs the crew entered the airlock exiting at 0750 hrs. They first checked all the rovers and collected the hours and SoC information, and it was verified that all were securely plugged in. They then unplugged Opportunity and headed out for the first destination at 0758 for the intersection of Cow Dung and Hwy 1572. The area was interesting due to the geological features that made a unique mix as if they were partly from moon and mars. The crew witnessed shades and combinations of red and white at various locations around. On arrival to the site, Ana (Crew Scientist) collected 9 rocks (270 g) and soil (55 g). It was drizzling initially but the clouds dispersed by the time the crew arrived and Ritu (XO, EVA Lead) was able to deploy the drone at 0845, capture aerial imagery and videos, and land at 0855 with a 58% battery.
For the next stop, the crew wrapped up and drove on Hwy 1572 until they arrived at the ‘Y’ fork at the Overlook region. Weather was perfect, bright and sunny. Ritu was able to record good footage of the site, with the drone deployed at 0912 and landed at 0924 with 15% battery remaining. Meanwhile, Ana collected 9 rock samples for total of 206 g.
The crew then left for Pooh’s Corner on their way back and acquired vertical and oblique drone images and videos for previously done geotechnical survey for control point 2. This will aid to georeferencing the region under study. The drone batteries were swapped, drone was deployed at 1016 (at 97% battery), the winds had picked up by this time , but the drone was successfully landed at 1025 with 57% battery. The crew left for MDRS right after and arrived at 1037.
During the EVA, the crew observed that Opportunity rover experienced faster drop in the initial 15-20% of battery SoC. By the time they got to the Overlook (almost 7 Km), the charge had dropped to 67%. However, after that the rover’s performance was good and, on the journey back, the SoC was 57%.
Water checks were done approximately every half an hour.
Overview of EVA
Drove to the intersection of Cow Dung and Hwy 1572 and then walk no more than a radius of 100m to explore the area
Drove further on Hwy 1572 to explore the Overlook region, while walking no more than a radius of 500m
On the way back stopped at Pooh’s Corner, walking no more than a radius of 500m;
Issues Experienced During EVA
Comms issues throughout. This was expected per Mission Support’s advice.
Weather was initially an issue with drizzle and winds
XO, suite buckle came undone a couple of times while retrieving the drone from travel packaging. It could have been due to inadvertent pressure on the belt buckle and it popped open.
Outcomes
Crew completed Rover checks
Explored intersection of Cow Dung and Hwy 1572 area, collected soil and rock samples, and drone footage
Explored the Overlook region9 rock samples for total of 206 g and drone footage
Collected drone footage of survey area at Pooh’s Corner collected
Collected 18 rocks, 479 g; 1 tube of soil, 55 g
Destination: MDRS Hab and surrounding 500 m radius
Coordinates :
(use UTM WSG 84): 517533E, 4254823N
(use UTM WSG 84): 516055E, 4254568N
(use UTM WSG 84): 519025 E, 4251183 N
EVA Participants 2: Ritupriya Patil (XO, EVA Lead), Ana Pires (Crew Scientist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map:
Drive on Cow Dung Road take left on Hwy 1572, park on the side of intersection
Drive on Hwy 1572 until the ‘Y’ fork at the Overlook region
Drive on Cow Dung Road and walk left hand side to Pooh’s Corner, scanline boulders
Mode of travel: Rover
Crew Photos – May 22nd
Sol Summary – May 22nd
Crew 281 Sol Summary Report 22 May 2023
Sol: 8
Summary Title: Hair wash day
Author’s name: Ritupriya Patil (XO) and Megan Kane (Commander)
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
EVA:
Today’s EVA was at Pooh’s corner. The crew of 3 drove Spirit and Perseverance rovers and reached the site at 0823 hrs. They captured scanline measurements for the boulders Ana Pires (Crew Scientist) approved at Pooh’s Corner. KC Shasteen helped with the Equotip measurements while Ana gathered the Schmidt hammer data. The crew finished a 5 station long scanline and during their measurements Ritupriya Patil (XO, EVA Lead) deployed the drone for aerial imagery. Detailed vertical images and videos of the scanline were captured to help confirm the weathering grade, discontinuities of the rocks. These images and videos will be used for georeferencing the area around the scanline and for further assessment of the geological region. The objective was achieved right before winds gusted to 27 kmph and the drone was secured.
For lunch Ritu (XO) made tofu Thai curry with white rice. Post lunchtime Ritu and Ana worked on tomorrow’s EVA planning, looking at maps, distance and noting time for each stop over during the 2 person EVA. Then Ritu and KC worked in the RAM to build a drone packaging so it can be securely stored during the travel time in a ready to be deployed configuration. This makes the drone launch much faster and efficient.
Rachel (HSO) checked into OMISS Old Man International Side band Society through the ham radio setup. She is working through troubleshooting the power reception she is having. While Ana worked on closing the set of scanlines and working further on research and synergies with Ritu. KC and Rachel had a hair wash day to clear their heads (get that?!).
In the green hab, Megan (Commander) watered and checked on the plants. KC (Crew Engineer) did routine checks on hab operations – batteries, tunnels, flushed toilet and water levels. Ana cleaned up her robotic scoop in the RAM after a successful mission today.
In the science dome Megan checked on the cacao seeds and made a video recording the changes to the seeds.
For dinner Rachel made stamppotten a mashed potato dish from the Netherland. It rained in the late afternoon and there were storms, but the antenna stayed upright.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will do a 2-person, long range EVA to the Overlook region. It will be an all-female crew exploring the Martian surface and capturing aerial footage. On our way back we will stop at Pooh’s Corner for images of scanlines that were measured on earlier EVAs.
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Windy
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA: Completed 1 today
Reports to be filed:
Greenhab Report
EVA Report
EVA Request
Ops Report
Journalist Report
PHOTOS!
Photo of the Day
Support Requested:
Mission support is requested in case of storms if the antenna needs to come down or be retrieved.
Operations Report – May 22nd
Crew 281 Operations Report 22 May 2023
SOL: 8
Name of person filing report: Megan Kane (Commander), Ritupriya Patil (Executive Officer) and KC Shasteen (Crew Engineer)
Non-nominal systems:
Electrical outlets in kitchen
Remote observatory
EVA Helmet
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: Yes
Hours: (before EVA): 222.2
Hours: (after EVA): 222.5
Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): 78
Currently charging: Yes
Opportunity rover used: No
Hours: (before EVA): 130.0
Hours: (after EVA): NA
Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): NA
Currently charging: Yes
Curiosity rover used: No
Hours: (before EVA): 240.2
Hours: (after EVA): NA
Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): NA
Currently charging: Yes
Perseverance rover used: Yes
Hours: (before EVA): 264.3
Hours: (after EVA): 264.6
Beginning charge: (Before EVA): 100%
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging): 66%
Currently charging: Yes
General notes on rovers: None
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 39.9 gallons
Water (static tank): 281.9 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): off
Static tank heater (On or off): off
Toilet tank emptied: yes
Summary of internet:
nominal
Summary of suits and radios: All suits and radios are fully recharged.
Summary of GreenHab operations:
WATER USE: 2.64 gallons
Heater: Off
Supplemental light: Off
Harvest: in grams : 0
Summary of Science Dome operations:
Dual split: Heat and AC, Off
EVA & Research Planning
Cacao Experiment:
Watered cacao seedlings
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done)
Fixed Patches for Ana and KC
Fabricated restraint for carrying drone on EVA
Summary of any observatory issues: NA
Summary of health and safety issues:
No new issues to report.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
Request Mission Support assistance to take down or retrieve the ham radio antenna in case of emergency or high winds.
Journalist Report – May 22nd
Crew 281 Journalist Report 22 May 2023
Journalist Report
By: Rachel Jones
Sol 8, Getting Our Procedures Straight.
It’s Sol 8, and things are starting to feel like clockwork. Everyone knows I’ll ask them if they have water, if they’ve been drinking water, if they brought extra water, etc. etc. etc. Our EVA of Ana, Ritu, and KC went to Pooh’s Corner test to perform the last scan line and take aerial footage. Our Crew has taken over 950 measurements of rock hardness with the Equotip and Schmidt Hammer. The crew has the system down to a point where neither the slightly damp ground nor the poor band signal interfered with the mission.
Lunch today, prepared by Ritu, was Tofu Thai Curry and white rice. I spent my lunchtime hour trying to check into the Old Man International Sideband Society’s (OMISS) daily net. For those not into amateur radio, a “net” is traditionally an on-the-air gathering. I was on 20 meters and could barely be heard. I plan to try again tomorrow and see if I can get through. You can check them out on www.omiss.net.
After lunch, the great hair-washing experiment commenced. Our goal was to use as little water as possible. We averaged about 3/4s of a gallon per person. We then reused the hair-washing water to top off and flush the toilet system. From cooking to basic chores, we like to make every drop count. After my hair was washed, Megan our impromptu stylist, put it up in a French braid.
The afternoon sent everyone off to their various tasks. I collaborated with various radio operators to try and diagnose my radio set up to be clearer. KC and Ritu constructed a new on-EVA drone transportation system so that the drone could be carried in a ready-to-be-deployed configuration (gloves make it hard to do in the field). Ana and Ritu then planned out tomorrow’s EVA. Megan took care of the GreenHab and her chocolate plants. The chocolate plants are starting to sprout now.
Dinner tonight was up to me. For all those of you that have waited with bated breath to learn what-all is involved in cooking at MDRS, wait no longer. Given the variety of options we had, I chose to make a MDRS version of stamppotten, a potato and vegetable dish. First, I gathered the various vegetables I wanted to include. Each ingredient had a different amount of time it needed to rehydrate. I put about two tablespoons of the first two ingredients (carrot flakes and cheese gratings) in a large bowl and added warm water. They needed 15 mins to rehydrate. Five minutes later, I added the next two veggies (onion flakes and peppers bits). Then 5 minutes later I added the last two ingredients (spinach flakes and butter powder). On the stove, I put in
2 cups of the instant mashed potatoes mix, salt, garlic, and some of the rehydrated milk mix. Then I added the hydrated vegetables (along with the excess water) into the potatoes and brought it to a quick boil. I think it turned out fantastic.
Feeling full and happy, I bid you all ado for tonight.
You must be logged in to post a comment.