Month: January 2024

Sara Paule, Crew 289 Journalist & Executive Officer
12.27.2023
Sol 3
Today was a single EVA day but it was an important one. Adriana (CO) was able to gather the bivalves she needs for her research from Habitat Ridge with the help of Eshaana (GEO), Riya (GHO), and Gabe (HSO). The crew trekked out on foot to dig in the sediments of ancient oceans for evidence of past life. They were able to find and collect a total 36 samples of the species commonly referred to as “devil’s toenails” from two different sites along the ridge. In their exploration they located a unique dark layer of sediment which Adriana hypothesizes formed in an unoxygenated environment. They also found some beautiful calcite samples. Upon return to the hab, Adriana made “oyster soup” – washing her oysters in a beaker in the Science Dome. Site 1 samples were crusted in sediment but Site 2 samples were beautifully clean. Both will return to Earth with her for further processing to determine the water temperatures the oysters grew in when alive.
Much of the day was spent in maintenance and science at the hab. Aditya (SCI) was able to get E.L.F. fully operational – minus maximal battery capacity – last night after referencing his original schematics during the evening comms window. Today he focused on securing E.L.F.’s brains (wiring) in preparation for EVA operations in the upcoming days. With some careful planning, he was able to identify next steps for preparation, engineering, and crew training over the upcoming days. The crew is excited to participate.
Nathan (ENG) completed soldering in the RAM of a new battery pack for the sensors the Purdue team is testing out. The battery pack will power air quality sensors for the hab.
Eshaana completed set up of her mini-farm and got it fully planted as well as the plants labelled, and watered. She also troubleshot the Arduino and updated an error. She starts collecting data today.
Riya planted kale in her hydroponics set up and will do so on 12-hour intervals throughout our stay on Mars. She will simulate the effect of radiation on the leaves with the use of hydrogen peroxide. She also tested out her LIDAR scanning on the lower deck of the hab with Aditya posed as a teapot as signature feature. Additionally, she began engineering collapsible structures for multipurpose usage in space with intricately folded paper and legos.
Gabe (HSO) is eagerly awaiting pictures of the Crab Nebula which we are optimistic the telescope will collect tonight. He also was able to complete two photometry (intensity) measurements of the variable star he is studying (SW Tauri) which is in the Taurus constellation. This evening he will clean surfaces to prepare for sampling dust in future days.
As for me, Crew 289 has indulged me and completed two days of surveys on the various skills they have used throughout the mission so far and I began processing that data and got the pre-mission survey downloaded. I look forward to learning more about what traits are most important for astronauts.
Food consisted of a breakfast of biscuits with jam and other tasty topics, lunch was broccoli cheese soup with bread, and dinner consisted of a pasta with chickpeas.
Mars is a place for learning and today we also had a number of firsts! Today’s lunch, cooked by Aditya was his first ever soup. He felt empowered to spice it up and it turned out great. He also decided that it would be a good idea to try Nutella in his soup. Everyone else decided to pass despite his argument that it was a good combo. Eshaana’s first was in the realm of sewing. She reattached patches to her flight suit post-EVA. We also had a number of hab maintenance firsts to include a change of the air filter and cleaning of the hab toilet tank. Thank you, Nathan and Riya for handling those important tasks. However, the most exciting first will come tomorrow: We are looking forward to our first showers on Mars!

Sara Paule, Crew 289 Journalist & Executive Officer
12.26.2023
Sol 2
Today marks our first full day on Mars. Now it feels like we are really living here since familiarity and the beginnings of routine are setting in. People are establishing themselves in their Hab niches such that if someone is not in your visual field, you still *know* where they are, and that sense of surety is supplemented by comms throughout the Hab which allow us to report in and, perhaps most importantly, easily call everyone to meals. We also have established our communal meal table as a place to gather and share joy. The seven of us regularly gather around it to eat, converse, plan, troubleshoot, and philosophize. Early celebrations of Christmas on Mars and tasty meals have helped cement crew camaraderie and firmly established our dining table as a central gathering area.
On the topic of food, let me tempt you, dear reader, with a brief diary of our meals for the day. Breakfast, supplied by Gabe (HSO) was blueberry pancakes. They were a triumph for his first-time cooking pancakes and everyone remarked on the excitement of the very, very blue pancakes. (Reconstituting freeze-dried blueberries via a soak and the need to be water savvy meant that both blueberries and water went into the batter!) Lunch was a huge pan full of veggie-filled fried rice prepared by Adriana (CO) with an assist from Nathan (ENG) and supplemented by fresh greenhouse herbs. Everyone commented on the amazing aroma as they drifted up the stairs. For dinner, Eshaana (GEO) and Aditya (SCI) cooked a Thai curry, Korean Barbeque Chicken, and supplemented it all with a mango salad. We decided to skip fresh-made dessert tonight in favor of treats brought from Earth after already having gone through a number of rounds of dish washing. (Whether on Mars or Earth-bound, who does not want a break from dish washing?)
Eating is not the only high point of living on Mars! Today the crew accomplished two EVAs in beautiful, if chilly conditions.
The morning EVA crew, who completed their training EVA, went out with the Hab weather station declaring the external temperature as -9C. Thankfully, suiting up plus sunshine is enough to keep explorers warm with the right equipment. Adriana, Nathan, and Riya rolled out to Marble Ritual and secured more rocks for admiring. (Rocks are a primary past-time of Martian explorers.) Commander Adriana, supplied a brief geology lesson that those on comms back on station tuned into eagerly despite the lack of visuals on our end.
After their return and just before noon, Riya (GH) suited up for her second EVA of the day! Aditya, Gabe, and I joined her for a multi-priority mission at Pooh’s Corner. (We encountered no cartoons but did see a few aliens and their transports.) A ton was accomplished on our first research EVA! First up, Aditya flew a drone test flight to ascertain whether Garud, the Purdue drone, could assist E.L.F. with locomotion in the field. Pre-EVA, Aditya fashioned a basket that we could load up with rocks to measure the max weight the drone could lift. Lego-friend Jarold (Jerry) accompanied the rocks on the test flight and suffered a number of fatalities throughout EVA such that he made it back to Hab in pieces, but, thankfully, no more than those he was originally assembled from! Garud was then decoupled from his basket and sent off to Scout Candor Chasma, an important task for planning for future EVAs to test out the mobility of E.L.F. and also a great way to get some amazing footage. In the two-hour EVA window, Riya was also able to complete LIDAR scanning of rock feature in the landscape. Her scans are helping us to better understand the landscape and potential areas for expansion of our Mars base.
The day was filled with other research tasks as well as general maintenance tasks like resecuring mission patches on flight suits, re-sewing EVA harness straps to ensure secure radios, servicing packs, and cleaning. It was a good Sol 2.