Month: December 2023

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Sol Summary – December 20th

Sol: 10
Summary Title: A Day of Firsts
Author’s name: Jilian Welshoff
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
Crew 288 started the day off at 7:30AM for a breakfast of the previously enjoyed spam and fried rice, made by Hunter (GEO). They spent the rest of the morning with some reading and slop related jokes and then prepped for EVA #9. Riley (XO), Hunter (GEO), Lipi (JOU), and Jesus (ENG) headed out to Hab Ridge to collect more GPR and geology spectrum samples with the help of Purdue AAE. Jesus and Riley used a drone to take overhead videos and photos of the GPR and of nearby areas while Lipi (JOU) and Hunter (GEO) grabbed more geology and spectroscopy data. They were able to deliver the first sample of sandstone to the HAB crew via drone!
The crew at the HAB had a day of baking, movie watching, and drone assistance. Cesare (CMD) and Ryan (GHO) made a yummy loaf of whole wheat bread used for lunch post EVA. Jilian (HSO) and Ryan (GHO) also setup a DVD of Harry Potter to watch and listened attentively to the radio for updates and check-ins. The HAB crew was involved in the initial and final take off and landings of the drone and were able to also send their own “sample”, of leftover coffee cake to the EVA crew via drone that was enjoyed by out of sim robo-Riley (XO)! Ryan (GHO) tended to the Greenhab harvesting basil for a quick pasta lunch made by Cesare (CMD).
After returning from EVA, the crew enjoyed leftovers of tacos from last night and made some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on top of the freshly baked bread. Ryan (GHO) collected some dill to aid Riley’s (XO) lunch and had some leftovers the crew can use for the next couple days. To take a rest from EVA, some of the crew completed crosswords and read, while others finished Harry Potter. Jesus (ENG) had a different plan in mind. He spent some time in the Science Dome completing photolithography and created some of the first photo-patterns produced on Mars!
Lipi (JOU) is hard at work now making us a delicious rajma dinner of kidney beans and veggies, while the rest of the crew completes their reports. Later the crew might enjoy some board games, or Cesare’s (CMD) VR set, or more likely some crosswords and reading.

Look Ahead Plan: Complete final day on Mars, finish going on EVAs to aid in research, produce more photolithography, harvest and tend to the Greenhab plants, create new recipes for MDRS book
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Very cloudy day, got colder in the late afternoon, ominous clouds
Crew Physical Status: Some sore muscles but good attitudes
EVA: EVA #9 to Hab Ridge completed
Reports to be filed: Eva Request, EVA Report, Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Sol Summary, Astronomy Report, Photos
Support Requested: None

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Operations Report – December 20th

SOL: 10
Name of person filing report: Jesus Meza-Galvan
Non-nominal systems: All systems are nominal.
Notes on non-nominal systems: No non-nominal systems.
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: No
Hours: (before EVA)
Beginning charge: (Before EVA)
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently charging: No
Opportunity rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: No
Curiosity rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: No
Perseverance rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: No
General notes on rovers: No rovers were used today.
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 20 gallons
Water (static tank): 289 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): On
Static tank heater (on or off): On
Toilet tank emptied: No.
Summary of internet: Internet is nominal.
Summary of suits and radios: Suits and radios are nominal.
Summary of GreenHab operations:
WATER USE: 2.0 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: On
Harvest:
Cilantro – 8 g
Dill – 7 g
Basil – 3 g

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Science dome was used today for photolithography. The laminar flow hood was outfitted to perform UV-exposure of photoresist. The hood currently houses the Dremel stand (acting as the photo-aligner) a beaker of photo developer (MF-26 A) and a beaker of water. The first experiment produced one good sample. Lithography experiments will continue tonight.
Dual split: Heat or AC: Off
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done): RAM was not used today.
Summary of any observatory issues: All systems are nominal.
Summary of health and safety issues: No health or safety issues.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: None.

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Journalist Report – December 20th

Lipi Roy, Crew 288 Journalist
12.20.2023
Sol 10
Gazing from the Hab Ridge, we marvel at the grandeur of nature, exquisite patterns of red, white, and purple for miles and miles and miles. Among these patterns, we spot our tiny Hab. Our eyes wide with anticipation, we await the special drone delivery from our friends. Our tiny Christmas gift!
The day began with Hunter’s (Crew Geologist) delicious spam fried rice, preparing us for another four-hour walking EVA. Flight suit, comms, EVA suit, and five minutes of depressurization later, we were ready to hike up to Hab Ridge. Treated to a diverse array of stunning landscapes, our journey led us to a lookout point where we caught sight of our Hab in the distance. Finally, it was time for the long-awaited drone experiment.
As Cesare (Commander) sent the drone to us, we successfully received secret messages and a surprise piece of Jilian’s coffee cake! This wasn’t just a proof of concept, it was a connection to our Hab, an emotion, that brought a smile to all our faces. It made us reminisce for an instant, all the great times we shared, an experience which will soon come to an end…
Jesus then took charge of the drone and skillfully captured the moments of rock sample collection and Riley’s GPR grid. Great job, Jesus! Since we are on the topic of Jesus, let me report that last night, he successfully captured the image of a calibration pattern onto the photoresist using silicon sample, a template, UV light and a photo developer. This is proof of concept to one of the many steps that would help humans build Solar Panels and semiconductor devices from regolith on Mars!
The EVA crew came back to Ryan’s amazing freshly cooked whole wheat bread (which I’m guessing was supervised by the commander because, um, sugar) which we all enjoyed with different toppings. After a relaxing afternoon of ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, I cooked ‘Rajma’, an Indian kidney-beans curry for dinner. Hoping everyone enjoyed it!

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GreenHab Report – December 20th

GreenHab Officer: Ryan DeAngelis
Environmental control: Heater on, fan off, door closed.
Average temperatures: 70 degrees
Hours of supplemental light: 10 pm to 2 am (four hours)
Daily water usage for crops: 2 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: None
Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): __151__ gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 12 pm, 6 pm
Changes to crops: Harvested, dill, basil, and cilantro, and pea & fennel shoots are peaking out of the soil.
Narrative: I watered a couple of the cucumber plants and tomato plants today around 12 pm. I also harvested some basil. I went back to the GreenHab around 6 pm to finish watering the rest of the plants and harvest some more plants. I harvested a fair amount of cilantro and dill this time around. The peas I planted earlier this week are doing well and growing fast, and I also saw some fennel shoots poking up. Cucumber plants are doing well and are almost fully recovered now.
Harvest: Basil: 4 grams. Dill: 8 grams. Cilantro: 8 grams. 20 grams total
Support/supplies needed: None.

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EVA Report – December 20th

EVA # 9
Author: Riley McGlasson 
Purpose of EVA: EVA to obtain a large GPR survey and assess hydration content paired with geologic characterization and sampling.
Start time: 1100
End time: 1530

Narrative: EVA began at 1100 led by Riley (out of sim due to broken leg) and joined by Hunter, Jesus, and Lipi. The crew walked north from the Hab along 1103 until Hab Ridge, and then walked south ~0.5 km along the ridge to overlook the Hab. At this point they worked with the remaining crew at the Hab to conduct a proof-of-concept test for using a drone to transport small payloads from the Hab to the top of the ridge. Two small rocks and a piece of cake were exchanged between the two locations (the cake was eaten by Riley, as she was the only one out of sim on the EVA). After the drone test, they set up a 100 ft by 100ft survey side with 10ft grid spacing for GPR acquisition. After taking the GPR survey, Hunter led sampling and spectra collection at 5 sites within the survey region. The team then walked back to the HAB, happy with having accomplished their 3 science goals for the EVA. The team made it back to the HAB and began the reentry process at 1516.

Destination: Hab Ridge
Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84): N517950, E4251000
EVA Participants: Riley McGlasson (Executive Officer), Hunter Vannier (Crew Geologist), Jesus Meza Galvan (Crew Engineer), Lipi Roy (Crew Journalist). Cesare Guariniello (Commander) piloted the drone from campus, and served as Pilot in Command for Jesus operating the drone at the Ridge.
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Walk North from the Hab along 1103 until Hab Ridge, then South on Hab Ridge.
Mode of travel: Walking.

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Astronomy Report – December 20th

[category 

astronomy-report]

Name: Cesare Guariniello
Crew: 288
Date: 20 Dec 2023

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested (choose one): MDRS-WF.
Objects to be Imaged this Evening: Leo Triplet 50/120 exposures taken. Cloudy weather
Images submitted with this report: M1 (Crab Nebula, remnants of the Supernova SN 1054), imaged with MDRS-WF.
Problems Encountered: None

MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: None (cloudy weather)
Images submitted with this report: None
Problems Encountered: None

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Sol Summary – December 18th

Sol: 8
Summary Title: Rocks and Buns and Showers Oh My!
Author’s name: Jilian Welshoff
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
Crew 288 started the day off at 7:30AM for a breakfast of oatmeal with raisins made by Ryan (GHO). There was an EVA today, so it was important for the crew to fuel up. They spent the morning reading some, and Jesus (ENG) put up a room sensor and then prepped for EVA #8. After they prepped, Hunter (GEO), Ryan (GHO), Jesus (ENG), and Jilian (HSO) headed out to Candor Chasma to collect geology samples. They walked through the beautiful geological structures and collected a few varieties of samples, mainly the solidified gypsum found in the layers of the rock. They were done a bit early, so they explored a bit and looked at great views and more rocks.
The crew at the HAB had a day of baking and showers ahead for them. In preparation for dinner, Riley (XO) and Cesare (CMD) made and proofed some buns! They also got the first showers of the day as well as Lipi (JOU). They made a large sum of ramen for lunch and waited for the rest of the crew to arrive back from EVA while remaining attentive CAPCOMs.
After returning from EVA, the crew enjoyed their ramen and their showers. Jesus (ENG) was hard at work in the RAM while the rest of the crew was enjoying music, reading, and napping. Ryan (GHO) harvested a variety of greens for dinner and Riley (XO) and Cesare (CMD) finished preparing the buns for black bean burgers for dinner!
Look Ahead Plan: Continue going on EVAs to aid in research
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Beautiful day outside, cloudy
Crew Physical Status: A little tired from EVAs, but morale is high!
EVA: EVA #8 to Candor Chasma completed
Reports to be filed: Eva Request, EVA Report, Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Sol Summary, Astronomy Report, Photos
Support Requested: None

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Operations Report – December 18th

SOL: 8
Name of person filing report: Jesus Meza-Galvan
Non-nominal systems: All systems nominal.
Notes on non-nominal systems: No non-nominal systems.
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: No
Hours: (before EVA)
Beginning charge: (Before EVA)
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently charging: Yes
Opportunity rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: Yes
Curiosity rover used: Yes
Hours: 261.5
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 67%
Currently charging: No
Perseverance rover used: Yes
Hours: 280.0
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 66%

Currently charging: No
General notes on rovers: Rovers are functioning properly.
Summary of Hab operations: Entire crew (7) showered today.
WATER USE: 39 gallons
Water (static tank): 328 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): On
Static tank heater (on or off): On
Toilet tank emptied: Yes.
Summary of internet: Internet is nominal.
Summary of suits and radios: Suits and radios are nominal.
Summary of GreenHab operations:
WATER USE: 2 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: On
Harvest:
Kale – 77 g
Arugula – 3 g
Lettuce – 11 g
Red Cabbage – 11g
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Science dome not used today.
Dual split: Heat or AC: On
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done): RAM was used today to build electronics for our station sensors. Tools used were wire strippers and soldering iron. A box of electronics was left on the workbench.
Summary of any observatory issues: All systems are nominal.
Summary of health and safety issues: No health or safety issues.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: None.

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