Crew 289 GreenHab Report : 2-1-2024 (Sol 9)
GreenHab Officer: Riya Raj
Environmental Control: Heater on, fan off, door closed.
MORNING
Average Temperatures:
Avg Temp – 9:53 am (70.3 °F)
Relative Humidity – 13 %
**After Watering:
Avg Temp – 10:17 am (66.6°F)
Relative Humidity – 80%
Used 4 gallons & 30 oz to water all the plants (includes misting amount)
AFTERNOON
Avg Temp – 4:13 pm (88.6°F)
Relative Humidity – 10%
**After Watering:
Avg Temp – 4:45 pm (79°F)
Relative Humidity – 54%
Used 2 gallons & 17 oz to water all the plants (includes more misting)
(Turned on fan for 3 min & 30 seconds)
Hour of supplemental light: 10pm-2am (4 hours)
Daily water usage for crops: Sol 9 – 6.1 gallons
Water in Blue Tank (200-gallon capacity): 157.32 gallons
Times of Watering for Crops: Sol 9 – 10:17am & 4:45pm
Changes to Crops: poked more holes in the cling wrap for the spinach, onions, and mint plants. Screamed about new baby tomato plants
Narrative:
Sol 9:
WE NOW HAVE 11 BABY TOMATOES!!! THEY ARE ADORABLE TEENY GREEN BUNDLES OF HAPPY! Today’s weather is better than usual and the reflector that I put on behind the tomatoes is working great for them. Too much sunlight was also hurting them, so they have been getting partial shade and partial sun! The best way to take care of plants is to treat them like princesses! I make sure to give them words of encouragement and happy sprinkles.
Eshaana also set up her camera for her mini farm! The tiny little kales look so cute! Her camera was acting a little weird, so she used Sara’s GoPro to help track the sunshade from sunrise to sunset! We are hoping to do a LiDAR scan for that and the greenhab! We can make some rearrangements in the greenhab with a CAD model to optimize water usage and space! The inventory sheet is also almost done!
Sol 9 Harvest:
Cilantro: 2 grams
Support/supplies needed: Provide all the happies for baby tomatoes! (^-^)
EVA Report – January 2nd
EVA Report #10
Author: Aditya Arjun Anibha
EVA Date: 2nd January 2024
Start time: 1110
End time: 1340
Purpose of EVA:
Robot (ELF) Testing and Drone (FLiDAR)
Capturing drone LiDAR images (FLiDAR) of Candor Chasma
Testing initial robot maneuverability with a contingency plan of scouting potential terrain locations for further robot testing on another date
Narrative:
The Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) commenced at 1110, led by Aditya (Crew Scientist) with Sara (Executive Officer/ Crew Journalist), Nathan (Crew Engineer), Gabriel (Health and Safety Officer). They started with Opportunity and Spirit at full charges – Opportunity at 100% and 152.8 hours, Spirit at 100% and 240.2 hours. The crew embarked on their Martian exploration by driving their rovers northward along Cow Dung Road before turning onto Galileo Road and stopping near the entrance of Candor Chasma around 1131. At arrival, Spirit was at 65% charge and Opportunity at 61% charge.
The crew then started by walking about 0.5 km into the Chasm to scout for a suitable testing location for the robot. After finding two suitable hills, Aditya set up the robot and with the assistance of Nathan controlled it to traverse 40 feet 3 inches and 102 feet 9 inches over mixed rocky and sandy terrain with highly uneven and unstable characteristics with the maximum slope angle between 30 and 45 degrees. Sara and Gabriel supported via videographic and measurement documentation. Next, Aditya initiated the FLiDAR (Drone-based LiDAR) scanning of the chasm for about 20 minutes while the rest of the crew would co-pilot and start exploring the chasm further. After FLiDAR scans were complete, the crew explored within a kilometer into the chasm and discovered frozen lakes, majestic vistas and diverse cavernous terrain with a range of rocky surfaces, mineral deposits and varied consistencies.
The crew then returned to their rovers and drove back to the Habitat, returning with Opportunity at 38% charge and 153.4 hours, and Spirit at 37% charge and 240.7 hours. The reentry process for the HAB commenced at 1340, concluding the Martian exploration.
This EVA involved meticulous planning, organization and time tracking to ensure the robotic exploration objectives were efficiently and successfully completed during the limited excursion time. It contributed many valuable insights into robot operation for exploration of varied flat, sloped, uneven and rocky terrains using variable wheel radii to overcome different degrees of rock size distributions. Overall, the EVA was executed with a resounding success with exploration, research and safety properly balanced and prioritized.
Destination: Candor Chasma
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N 520300, E 4251500
Participants: Aditya Arjun Anibha (Crew Scientist), Nathan Bitner (Crew Engineer), Sara Paule (Crew Journalist), Gabriel Skowronek (Health and Safety Officer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drive north on Cow Dung Road 0110 and turn east onto Galileo Road 1104, and finally south on the same road until it intersects with the Gateway to Candor footpath. Then, head further east on foot.
Mode of travel: Driving and Walking
Journalist Report – January 1st
Sara Paule, Crew 289 Journalist & Executive Officer
01.01.2024
Sol 8
Crew 289 got a bit of a later start today after staying up late here on Mars to ring in the new year for humanity. With an EVA planned for noon, that start was not substantially later – more like 9 am than the usual 7/7:30 am. This meant that a number of folks missed the morning internet window (7:30-9 am MT) but no one particularly regretted the choice. We have slightly more communication with Earth than anticipated pre-mission – our evening internet access lasts from 6:30-9:30 pm MT – yet, our communication windows with Earth remain highly limited with crew responsibilities taking up the majority of that time, whether accessing materials to further our research, sharing photos from the day, processing LiDAR, or contending with the all-important 2-hour window of reporting into Mission Support. We love you fam and friends, but if your astronauts are quiet, it is likely because we ate up our time with mission-specific tasks, which definitely includes sleep.
We collected more rock samples and more LiDAR scans, some, in fact, of rocks, during today’s EVA. Typically, we reserve the LiDAR treatment for the type that are too large to fit in our pockets but the team is gaining additional facility with LiDAR after initial experiences with the technology in the field and is thinking up new ways to deploy the tool, including possibly a future scan of one of Rocky’s devil’s toes (her collected oyster fossils, this is not a new nickname for her feet). Today we also rescanned the Habitat in an attempt to improve on the earlier scan now that we have established our technique with Riya’s elevated monopod (phone on a stick). Each member of today’s EVA crew, Adriana (Rocky), Eshaana (Butter), Riya (Pots), and me (Zinger), took turns so the scan would not suffer from overly tired arms.
Upon our return to station from the short drive south to Kissing Camel Ridge, we walked into a pre-prepared feast. Aditya (Michelin), Gabe (Terminator), and Nathan (Shrub) were inspired in the kitchen and cooked up mac & cheese with a side of ground beef for those who desired it, green beans & cauliflower, mashed potatoes, and cheesy biscuits. Out of respect for me and Pots, the crew has been very kindly maintaining a vegetarian diet and only cooking up meat supplements on the side. (It is muchly appreciated, crew!)
Tonight, we will enjoy some fresh lettuce and kale for our dinner which was grown in the Greenhouse by Pots and the preceding GreenHab Officers. Many thanks to all who have provided for us through their labor and careful tending of our green growing friends from seed to sprout to nutrition source. On Earth, gardening is certainly a source of joy but on Mars it is truly a life-giving endeavor and the import does genuinely feel stronger here.
Our Crew Engineer has also been working on a unique side project today. The stair/ladder from the lower deck to the upper deck of the hab is steel with raised ovoid cut outs (basically, imagine mouths with spiky teeth) for traction. While house shoes for wearing around the hab are highly recommended on the packing list, Shrub forgot his. (I think we all forgot something or thought we could do without. My mistake was foregoing the saline nasal spray. Poor, poor life choice.) Shrub has made it through 8 sols without indoor shoes/slippers but his sock soles have suffered and his feet are quite a bit more aerated now than they were early on in mission. His new high-tech Mars shoeware involves a clever repurposing of cardboard, strings, and tape. His prototype maybe leaves something to be desired but the fashion modeling is reasonably on point, or, would be if everyone wasn’t dying of laughter.
In other happy news, the crew is clean again! Woo, for shower 2 of mission. Baby wipes can do a lot but it is not the same level of refreshing as showering. We are eagerly awaiting our navy shower versus bucket shower water usage results though I fear the data may be a bit dubious with so many other water needs also depleting our resources. That’s okay though, it will give us rich fodder for debate tonight over dinner.
GreenHab Report – January 1st
Crew 289 GreenHab Report : 1-1-2024 (Sol 9)
GreenHab Officer: Riya Raj
Environmental Control: Heater on, fan off, door closed.
MORNING
Average Temperatures:
Avg Temp – 9:55 am (69.8 °F)
Relative Humidity – 14 %
**After Watering:
Avg Temp – 10:15 am (69.4°F)
Relative Humidity – 43%
Used 3 ½ gallon & 14 oz to water all the plants (includes misting amount)
AFTERNOON
Avg Temp – 4:30 pm (70 °F)
Relative Humidity – 13%
**After Watering:
Avg Temp – 4:45 pm (68°F)
Relative Humidity – 43%
Used 2.1 gallons & 16 oz to water all the plants (includes more misting)
Hour of supplemental light: 10pm-2am (4 hours)
Daily water usage for crops: Sol 9 – 5.93 gallons
(includes 28 oz of sprayed mist at 10:30 pm on 12/31)
Water in Blue Tank (200-gallon capacity): 163.42 gallons
Times of Watering for Crops: Sol 9 – 10:15 am & 4:45 pm
Changes to Crops: planted some onion seeds and added fertilizer to the spinach and mint plants – hopefully they can start sprouting soon. Changed compost and extra soil pots to keep things organized.
Narrative:
Sol 9:
Today was a little warmer than the day before so I watered all the plants before our 12pm EVA. The humidity was low as usual, but the misting makes it warm and moist. The cucumber plants are doing better with the elevated stakes since they are getting more sunlight. I also checked on Eshaan’s mini solar farm and there are more baby kale sprouts! I’m glad to see her setup working!
I am little worried about the spinach and mint that I planted a few days ago. I added some organic fertilizer to both of those plants to give it more nutrients. The cling wrap is also still on there since the pots are closer to the edge near the higher sunlight concentration. I was able to properly harvest the kale and lettuce for our dinner plans that we have. I still have no idea what we are making lolz. The inventory list is almost done and I will put that in the greenhab soon.
Sol 9 Harvest:
Lettuce: 13 grams
Kale: 53 grams
Support/supplies needed: More potting soil please? Maybe like a tiny bag, doesn’t have to be too big!
EVA Report – January 1st
EVA Report #09
Author: Eshaana Aurora
EVA Date: 1st January 2024
Start time: 1205
End time: 1419
Purpose of EVA:
LiDAR imaging of Kissing Camel Ridge
Taking LiDAR images of Kissing Camel Ridge using an elevated monopod.
Narrative:
The first, entirely female, Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) commenced at 1205, led by Riya (Greenhab Officer) with Sara (Executive Officer/ Crew Journalist), Adriana (Crew Commander), Eshaana (Crew Geologist). The crew embarked on their Martian exploration by making an initial stop in front of the Hab to take an in depth LiDAR scan utilizing the elevated monopod and the Polycam IOS app. The EVA crew took turns and walked around with the elevated monopod taking scans around the RAM, the Hab, Greenhab, Science Dome, Observatory and the Solar Panels. The single scan, which turned out to be quite vivid post processing, took about 40 minutes.
Subsequently, the crew set out for the second stop, Kissing Camel Ridge utilizing the Curiosity and Spirit rovers, navigating from Cow Dung Road to the south until reaching Kissing Camel Ridge. Curiosity and Spirit initiated the mission with full charges – Curiosity at 100% and 262.5 hours, Spirit at 100% and 240.0 hours.
After parking the rovers on the side of the road, at Kissing Camel Ridge Road, the team started scanning yet again but this time instead of a singular LiDAR scan the crew also captured two 360 degree photo scans as well, of the beautiful landscape. The crew also found frozen Martian lakes! The top of the lake surfaces had an interesting chocolate bar texture further escalating the crew’s hunger pangs. With a quick few scans and after collecting a few beautiful rocks around the ridge, especially some colorful petrified wood the team traveled back to the rovers around 1407. The team returned to the Habitat with Curiosity at 56% charge and 262.7 hours, and Spirit at 57% charge and 240.2 hours. The reentry process for the HAB commenced at 1419, concluding the Martian exploration.
This EVA involved meticulous planning, organization and time tracking to ensure the LiDAR scans were efficiently and successfully completed during the limited excursion time. Overall, the EVA was executed with a resounding success with exploration, research and safety properly balanced and prioritized.
Destination: Kissing Camel Ridge
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N 518300, E 4249500
Participants: Adriana Brown (Commander), Eshaana Aurora (Crew Geologist), Riya Raj (Greenhab Officer), Sara Paule (Crew Journalist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: First stop will occur outside the Hab itself after which the crew will take rovers and drive south on Cow Dung Road 0110 until Kissing Camel Ridge
Mode of travel: Driving and Walking (Spirit and Curiosity)
Sol Summary – January 1st
Sol: 8
Summary Title: Sol Eight: Kissing Camel Date
Author’s Name: Adriana Brown
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Status:
The Earth year 2024 began with a toast of sparkling juice in mugs after a midnight countdown. The crew then awoke to a gorgeously sunny morning on the Red Planet. We were treated to Adi’s poha and upma for breakfast which fueled the crew for a day of EVAs and research. Adriana checked on her sediment experiments afterward. The EVA crew set out at noon for a set of LiDAR scans. The first scan took place at our Home Sweet Hab. Under Riya’s careful guidance, Adriana, Eshaana, and Sara helped guide the camera around the MDRS campus to reproduce a high-resolution scan. Then, they boarded the rovers and drove southward to Kissing Camel Ridge to collect more LiDAR data (and some petrified wood).
At the Hab, Gabe, Nathan, and Adi were busy cheffing up a storm. The EVA crew returned to a wonderful carb-rich spread of macaroni and cheese, cheesy biscuits, roasted veggies, and mashed potatoes. Thanks, team! After lunch, the crew began the sequence of showers to kick off the New Year squeaky clean.
This evening, Adriana will be making some sort of dinner that utilizes a lot of kale (thanks, GHO!), Adi will work on E.L.F., Nathan will work on an airlock sensor, and Eshaana will download data from her mini farm. If time allows, we also hope to finish the second half of Lagaan. Here’s to 2024!
Look Ahead Plan: robotics EVA #10 to candor chasma
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Sunny and clear
Operations Report – January 1st
Crew 289 Operations Report 1-1-2024
SOL: 8
Name of person filing report: Nathan Bitner
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: Yes
Hours: 262.5
Beginning Charge: 100%
Ending Charge: 56%
Currently Charging: No
Opportunity Rover used: No
Hours: (Before EVA)
Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)
Ending Charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently Charging:
Curiosity Rover used: Yes
Hours: 240.0
Beginning Charge: 100%
Ending Charge: 57%
Currently Charging: No
Perseverance Rover used: No
Hours: (Before EVA)
Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)
Ending Charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently Charging:
General notes on rovers: Rovers are functioning properly.
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 23
Water (static tank): 337.6
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: We replaced the battery in suit 2 from the cabinet and tested it inside the hab for an hour and a half, it seems to function nominally now, making all suits and radios nominal.
Summary of Greenhab operations:
WATER USE: 5.93
Heater: on
Supplemental light: off
Harvest:
lettuce – 13g
kale – 53g
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Dissolved and catalogued sediment samples using HCL.
Dual split: Heat or AC: On
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done): Soldered wheel back onto robotics project after damage from testing.
Summary of any observatory issues: All systems nominal
Summary of health and safety issues: No health or safety issues
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: None
Crew Photos – December 31st
Sol Summary – December 31st
Sol: 7
Summary Title: Sol Seven: Relaxation Heaven
Author’s Name: Adriana Brown
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Status:
Crew 289 ended 2023 with a rest day on Mars. With no alarms set, the crew enjoyed a brunch of crepes with various toppings. Soon after, some crew members returned for an early afternoon nap, or played Jenga, with some emerging victorious, and some not (sorry Riya and Eshaana). Then, the crew worked for a bit on research. Riya checked on her hydroponics set up, added more stakes to cucumber leaves, trimmed carrot plants, and treated the plants to some EDM. Adriana relabelled all of the sediment samples catalogued yesterday with the correct stratigraphic heights, Nathan worked on the air quality and air lock sensors and figured out a battery problem with one of the suits. Besides research, the crew also worked on jamming to some music, a Martian themed puzzle, and a special New Years Eve dinner: layered biryani courtesy of Eshaana and Adi. Tonight, the crew is also planning to make some brownies as a treat to usher in the New Year and watch Lagaan, a Bollywood movie downloaded by Adi. Happy New Years from Crew 289 to all our friends at Mission Support and on Earth!
Look Ahead Plan: LiDAR scanning EVA #9 to Kissing Camel Ridge
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: sunny and clear
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA: none
Reports to be filed: Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Sol Summary, Astronomy Report, Photos
Support Requested: None
Operations Report – December 31st
SOL: 7
Name of person filing report: Nathan Bitner
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: No
Hours: (Before EVA)
Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)
Ending Charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently Charging:
Opportunity Rover used: No
Hours: (Before EVA)
Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)
Ending Charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently Charging:
Curiosity Rover used: No
Hours: (Before EVA)
Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)
Ending Charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently Charging:
Perseverance Rover used: No
Hours: (Before EVA)
Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)
Ending Charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently Charging:
General notes on rovers: Rovers are functioning properly.
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 27.5
Water (static tank): 360.5
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: Suit 2 has had slight fogging issues during previous EVAs but voltages seemed alright when checked. After running for an hour inside the hab we found the battery discharged as normal for about an hour, then it rapidly dropped to about 5.4 V and the fan speed slowed down.
Summary of Greenhab operations:
WATER USE: 5.5
Heater: on
Supplemental light: off
Harvest: None
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Dissolved and cataloged sediment samples using HCL.
Dual split: Heat or AC: On
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done): Used and then returned allen wrench pack for adjusting a bedroom stool.
Summary of any observatory issues: All systems nominal
Summary of health and safety issues: No health or safety issues
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: None
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