GreenHab Officer: Scott Dorrington
Environmental control: heater off (space heater on overnight), fan on in afternoon, door closed
Average temperatures:
08:01: 47.8 F, 62%
09:30: 57.0 F, 56% heater off
11:00: 85.6 F, 36% fan on
12:48: 83.8 F, 24%
12:56: 79.5 F, 27%
14:12: 63.3 F, 34% fan off
14:43: 67.8 F, 37%
15:16: 67.8 F, 45%
16:00: 65.3 F, 49%
18:36: 48.6 F, 66% heater on
19:11: 48.9 F, 67%
Hours of supplemental light: 24 hrs (lights on all)
Daily water usage for crops: 5 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0 gallons
Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 142.5 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 9:30 mist, 12:45pm mist, 2:43pm water + mist, 4pm mist
Changes to crops: None
Narrative:
This morning I woke to a commotion in the hab. Apparently Clare had faced her arachnophobia, capturing another spider from the hab and relocating it to the greenhab (along with another one captured the night before). I headed over to the greenhab to get a temperature reading. I returned to the greenhab at 9:30am just prior to our EVA to turn off the heater and give the plants a nice misting. Following yestersol’s high midday temperatures, I asked Rob to check in on the plants while we were out on EVA. The temperature was picking up through the day, so the fan was turned on for an hour or so. Following the EVA, I returned to check in on the plants, give them a watering, and perform a rotation of the tomatoes. The tunes for the afternoon watering consisted of Spiderbait (for the greenhab spiders) and David Bowie. I also noticed a fly in the greenhab. Hoping the greenhab spiders will sort it out to earn their keep. Over the last few sols, I’ve been experimenting with collecting and re-using some of the water that drains from the tomatoes onto the floor during watering. I figured water conservation would be very important on Mars. I experimented with using the dustpan and broom to scoop up some water – this was working, but not practical to use to collect a good amount of it. Today, I experimented with positioning some empty food cans from the hab kitchen underneath the pallet to catch some dripping water. This was effective, and I was able to pour the collected water back onto the tomatoes. Although, I’m not sure how practical this solution will be applying to all tomatoes towards the back of the pallet. I will keep experimenting. I returned a few times in the afternoon to check temperatures and mist. I also noticed a few tomato leaves that were wilting (likely from the cold), which I pruned. The tomatoes on #9 are looking red and juicy. I think they may be ready for harvesting in a day or two. The challenge will be dividing two baby tomatoes between 6 crew members. Space heater turned on at 6:36. Hopeful that the greenhab heater will be getting repairs sometime soon.