Day: February 2, 2024

Nicole Chan <nicolec081204>
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8:54 PM (1 minute ago)
to mdrs-mission-support

Journalist Report

Nicole Chan, Crew 290 Journalist

01.16.2024

Sol 9

A bit of a later start to the workday today as the crew got up one by one. We had interesting conversations while Ben (Funk) and Anja (Freebee) took turns making chocolate chips and blueberries pancakes. With our EVA #9 scheduled for 1230, Madelyn (Melon) briefed the EVA crew, which included Rebecca (Chopper), Freebee, and myself (PODO), on the geological sites of interest that we should be targeting today. We soon began to suit up and head out to the airlock for depressurization.

We headed off in our rovers to the area before Kissing Camel Ridge, where there are hills displaying layers of multi-color deposits. Our goal was to get a sample that will contain that color gradient. Chopper and I scouted out multiple sites at the foot of the hill with this gradient of white, green, then deep red soil. I took plenty of pictures of the surrounding areas as we explored for post-EVA analysis and debrief. Since we budgeted extra time for the EVA, we took our time weighing our options before selecting the best site. Similar to yesterday, we began taking temperature, salinity, ATP measurements and collected some soil for loading onto microfluidic devices. This took up most of the EVA time while Freebee led REMI through various terrains and collected more ground-penetrating radar data. When we reconvened at the rovers to perform the pH measurements, Freebee joined our efforts and it was great synergy. We headed back to the Hab on time and shared our findings with the rest of the crew. Overall, we had a pretty good time in the field today, woohoo!

The sol’s work continued! Freebee, Chopper and I headed to the ScienceDome to perform the daily pH measurements of the soil samples in different reagents and to process the microfluidic devices from today’s sample collection. Although it sounds like a lot of work, the crew always make time to advance the MADMEN science objectives. We make it fun too, with music playing in the background and fun chatter as we watch the Martian sunset. Time passes quickly when we settle into a routine, which can be said about our mission as well. As we are planning out our last few EVAs on Mars, we plan to maximize our time here at the station. Concurrently, we are also making plans for our first day back on Earth, where we’ll be celebrating our collective endeavors on Mars and bidding our farewells. I’m sure it’ll be a bittersweet goodbye when the time comes.

Photo of the Day: 290-01_16_2024 awesome views on the drive.JPG

Journalist Report

Nicole Chan, Crew 290 Journalist

01.18.2024

Sol 11

The Sol began with sunny and clear skies, which was a great sign to carry out EVA 11 which had been postponed from yesterday. With the smell of cinnamon rolls warming up in the oven, the crew got ready for the day around the dining table. Madelyn (Melon) sat down with the crew to go over the EVA logistics before Anja (Freebee), Ben (Funk), and Anna (Roots) began to suit up. After strapping in REMI at the back of the rover, the crew headed out to the region around White Rock Canyon and Aonia Terra. The goal is to perform a final sample collection for MADMEN goals while REMI explores the new terrain at Aonia Terra. Melon served as CAPCOM and gave the crew support in the site search and targeting process.

Learning from previous EVAs, the crew brought a hammer and chisel to handle the harder rock terrain that was expected. These tools came in handy and saved the crew a lot of trouble when collecting the subsurface samples at three- and six-inches depth. From the CAPCOM interactions, it sounded like the preliminary field tests produced results that correspond to the geological studies that Melon had talked about in the EVA briefing. The crew took many awesome photos of the site and had fun scaling the hills as they scouted the area. It seems like a running theme on our mission so far: no matter how tiring EVAs are or how much work we have to do, we do what is needed to stay on schedule and have fun at the same time. I often found myself inspired by the crew’s ingenuity and perseverance to find solutions whenever unexpected issues arose.

In the late afternoon, the crew, led by Rebecca (Chopper) worked on imaging the incubated soil samples and measuring their pH. We planned to maximize the science output we can get before leaving for Earth on Sol 13. With our last soil sample collection completed today, we’ll be spending today and tomorrow checking for changes in the samples’ pH measurements. There have already been some interesting things happening in the microfluidic devices captured under the microscope!
Photo of the Day: 290-01_18_2024 martian explorers.jpeg