Day: February 27, 2024

SOL 2: Slowly settling down

“The boy understood intuitively what he meant, even without ever having set foot in the desert before. Whenever he saw the sea, or a fire, he fell silent, impressed by their elemental force.” – The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

This morning, during our daily workout, we turned our eyes towards the round window of the Hab Upper Deck. In the distance, the rounded Martian hill of Phobos Peak was like a cutout printed against a perfectly red sky. We let ourselves get temporarily lost in this empty vastness of Mars, and we realized the landscape’s beauty. We are far away from Earth, but we are so lucky that our eyes can gaze upon such an incredible and unique sight. Happy to be together and peaceful thanks to this view, our sports session was beneficial for all of us, and the Sol could start!

This morning, I assisted Yves and Marie in the Science Dome in performing the first session of the EchoFinder experiment. In this experiment from CNES, the French Space Agency, we perform ultrasounds with the help of an AI and virtual reality. The objective is to capture good quality images of pre-defined organs, to see if untrained astronauts could use ultrasound imaging to keep track of their health. That way, during a space mission, astronauts can be autonomous in recording images, and doctors on Earth can analyze them correctly. For our mission, Marie is the subject on which we can perform ultrasounds. Yves, who is the Crew member responsible for this experiment, is the first operator. He set up the software and hardware; it always takes more time when it’s the first try! He managed to ultrasound our commander’s carotid, guided by QR Cubes and the AI in identifying the right position for the ultrasound probe. Meanwhile, all the Crew members continued working to set up the other experiments, and especially the deployment of environmental sensors and “anchors” so our position in the station is known throughout the day. Several of them must be in each module, so it is very precise! We are also very proud to announce that the building of the atmospheric instruments is now completed! It was one of the big challenges of the first days of the mission. They will be deployed outside the station tomorrow during an EVA!

For lunch, Léa and Lise cooked for us! They tried to tame the Hab’s bread making machine by preparing the first bread of our mission! In the end, the bread is almost cubic, but very tasty! For the meal, they concocted a couscous with vegetables. It has a marvelous smell, very pleasant for the rest of us working in the Hab! Hard to believe that this food was dehydrated in a tin can a few hours before!

Following yesterday’s EVA, during which we gathered samples of Mars’ soil, we planted the seeds for the Seeds of Mars outreach experiment. There is one pot of Martian soil, and one of regular earthly soil, in which cress seeds will grow during the next four weeks. The objective of the experiment, entirely designed by high school students, is to compare how plants grow in different types of soil. We are very excited to see the results!

Tonight, the Martian winds are blowing… The sky is getting darker, and all Crew members are hoping for better weather tomorrow for the atmospheric instruments deployment EVA!

SOL 1: Crew 293 first steps on Mars, welcome to the magnificent Red Planet!

"I wonder," he said, "whether the stars are set alight in heaven so that one day each one of us may find his own again . . . Look at my planet. It is right there above us. But how far away it is!" – The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

First wake-up, very early, for Crew 293! We immediately started to take our daily health measurements (tension, temperature…), and then had our very first sports session, specially designed for us by our HSO Lise. It will be our morning routine from now on! Now comes the very solemn and long-awaited moment… the closing of the airlock door! After taking our last crew photos, we entered the air lock, and officially entered this station that is now our only safe livable home on Mars!

No time to lose: we have two EVAs to conduct so that every Crew member is well trained! I equipped myself to go out first with Leo, Léa and Mathurin. We discovered all the sensations of an extra-vehicular activity: wearing a spacesuit, having a helmet, communicating by radio… We are delighted to see the Red Planet through the glass of our helmets. Leo and Léa were on the lookout for the place they want to place the atmospheric instruments, which will be deployed during a future EVA. These instruments will collect data about air particles and the electric field during the entire mission. During this time, with Mathurin, we did some sample collection for one of our outreach experiments. Some high school students near Toulouse in France gave us the responsibility to answer the question: is it possible to grow plants in Martian soil, like in the movie The Martian? The first step of this experiment is now completed, we will plant the seeds tomorrow and see the results at the end of the mission! This afternoon, during their own training EVA, Marie, Lise, and Yves tested their equipment and trained for movements we’ll have to do during EVAs. They even had a little time to explore the landscape surrounding us.

We all took time to set up the experiments we’ll perform during the next four weeks. Lise was installing all the required elements for Orbital Architecture; for example, we are all wearing sensors, and she’s scattering different electronic “anchors” around the station to be able to know our location in the different modules of the station. Mathurin, with Léa’s help, took care and made inventory in the GreenHab. We also started to build the atmospheric instruments, to make it easier during the deployment EVA. Everyone is very busy, the excitement of the beginning of the mission and the deployment of all our equipment create a joyful and stimulating atmosphere within the station!

We already understand that we’ll have to get used to our new life on Mars. Here, we must respect new rules, such as waiting for pressure equalization in the air locks when we move from one module to another. We must also get used to our dehydrated food (even though some of us already shown some impressive talent to make everything taste really good!). We also must live in tiny space without hurting each other … Simulation will give us interesting challenges, but at dusk on this first Sol, I think I can say that our Crew is more ready and motivated than ever to make life on this planet pleasant and productive!