Month: February 2024

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GreenHab Report – February 9th

GreenHab Officer: Mehnaz Jabeen
Environmental control: heater on , fan off , door close
Average temperature
8:25: 75.3F, 40%
13:56: 75 F, 40%
17:25: 73.8 F, 32%

Hours of supplemental light: 22:00 – 02:00
Daily water usage for crops: 7 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0.031 gallons
Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 152.9 69 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 17:30
Changes to crops: More ripe tomatoes, radishes, grown kale and lettuce
Narrative: I started sol 5 having a treat to my eyes in the morning when I opened the airlock to go to the GreenHab. The red mountains were covered with snow. I cherished the moment, took a photograph and headed to the GreenHab. The GreenHab still looked very green and fresh. The moisture levels for all the crops looked pretty much the same i.e. 75-90%. After taking the readings I headed back to the hab and worked on my research project. Aditiya, our crew astronomer, helped in finding some parameters to derive the equations of PET and ET . We obtained daily climate data from the Loa climate center in Utah as we found out it is the nearest climate center that has data for all the parameters we needed. Around afternoon we came up with an experiment that we can try to validate my research which is impact assessment of the GreenHab Hydrology. In the evening I went to the GreenHab to do my usual duties. Clare, our crew journalist and Rajvi, our crew engineer, joined and helped me harvest some ripe radishes, fully grown lettuce, kale and leaves of red cabbage and water the crops. By the end of the day I went to the science dorm to check on the pots that I left in the growth tent for my experiment, water ½ cup in the pots ( 4 in number), noted down the temperature (80.6 F) and called it a day.
Harvest:
Radish: 172g
Kale: 96g
Red Cabbage: 73g
Lettuce: 33g

Support/supplies needed: None

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EVA Report – February 9th

Crew 292 EVA Report 09-02-2024
EVA #005
Author: BHARTI SHARMA
Purpose of EVA: To draw the geological structure for space art and measure the dip angle of the outcrop.
Start time: NA – the EVA got cancelled
End time: NA – the EVA got cancelled
Narrative: The EVA was cancelled because of snow outside as roads were inaccessible and the weather was not clear at all for the EVA fieldwork. We will aim for this spot when the weather is clear, as this spot is of utmost importance for our research.
Destination: South of Cowboy Corner – 518681, 4252888
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 518681, 4252888
Participants: Annalea, Bharti and Clare (the ABC)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: NA – the EVA got cancelled.
Mode of travel: NA – the EVA got cancelled.

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Journalist Report – February 8th

Sol 4: Rocks + Stars = Rockstars!
The Mangalyatri crew woke up to a cool day with a hint of sun peeking through the clouds, and, mercifully, very little wind. Perfect EVA conditions! Our Marstronauts had a quick breakfast of blueberry pancakes to fuel their journey, and then it was off for a 1000 start.
Everyone got into their EVA suits quickly, with a minor hitch along the way. One of the suits hadn’t charged (which we later realised was our fault as the fan hadn’t been switched off), meaning a change of suit for one of the crew. The crew were still out the door relatively on time (in the airlock at 1002), and were off to try and find some gypsum, concretions, and any possible evidence of microbial life. This was a fairly long EVA for our fresh Marstronauts, and they managed their time and energy extremely well, and even brought back some great samples of lichens, soil, and rocks for testing by our crew biologist, Daniel.
The rest of the crew at home were focused on more domestic tasks like sweeping, how to bathe using the least amount of water possible, and cooking lunch so that the EVA crew had a hot meal as soon as they got home. Great successes on all three fronts, I’m pleased to say!
The crew was spread out this afternoon with some people in the Hab, some in the Science Dome, and some in the GreenHab, all focusing on different tasks. Mehnaz took care of the plants and began planting some more radish seeds for both us and her experiments, Annalea continued her drawing and painting, Bharti and I had a lengthy geology and geoconservation discussion, Daniel helped in the GreenHab and baked a banana bread, and Rajvi continued doing her stellar work as crew engineer.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, Aditya was quietly working away in his room, processing data from the robotic observatory leading to one of Sol 4’s biggest successes – a beautiful image of NGC5904 (a globular cluster 24,500 light years away from Earth)! Aditya even showed us a publicly searchable image of NGC5904 for comparison, and his was extremely similar. His image of NGC5904 was met with a chorus of oohs and aahs from the rest of the crew. We were (and still are) incredibly impressed with the quality of his image. The crew can’t wait to see what you image next. Well done, Aditya!
Mangalyatri truly is a crew of rockstars, both metaphorically, and in terms of actual rocks and stars (well globular clusters, really).
Keeping our head in the stars,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

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Sol Summary – February 8th

Sol: Sol #4
Summary Title: What a remarkable day – a significant capture of NGC5904!
Author’s name: Annalea Beattie
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary: On this morning’s EVA to Cowboy Corner our away team was Bharti, Daniel, Rajvi and Aditya. Our science lead Bharti collected images of geomorphology and saw for the first time the paleo-channels and cross-bedding. She will return to do the slope analysis. Daniel navigated everyone to the EVA site, initially following the GPS then using old school methods – a map and compass. He looked for gypsum but couldn’t find the needed samples. Engineer Rajvi kept the time. Her objective was also to find gypsum and to understand the geological context for gypsum bearing sites since they are water carrying minerals and water will be an essential thing for the astronauts and as well it could be utilized for the propellant production on Mars. Aditya saw two large life forms (deer simultaneously jumping, we think) as well as many different kinds of lichens. Back at the hab, Mehnaz and I cleaned the floors, upstairs and downstairs and then we cooked lunch. I did yoga. Clare lent a hand to everyone. Her experience here is an asset. This afternoon we planned science directions, talked about gypsum, Jezero and discussed future EVAS and the inclement weather. Later, I continued with my gypsum sample watercolours in the science dome and Mehnaz and Daniel planted new seeds for her research. Daniel also cooked chocolate chip banana bread.
After the EVA this afternoon, Aditya continued his analysis of NGC5904, a globular cluster of stars twenty-four thousand light years away. And then, amazingly, he captured the image of the star cluster using the robotic telescope at MDRS. Congratulations Aditya Karigiri Krishna Madhusudhan! We are all thrilled with your work (see photos).
Look Ahead Plan: Two EVAS tomorrow weather permitting.
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Cold but dry in the morning and only a small amount of rain this afternoon. Cloud cover was high all day with minor wind SSW with gusts up to 11mph. Average temperature 38F. Now pouring.
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA: EVA to Cowboy Corner to search for gypsum samples and to examine igneous intrusions in sedimentary bedding, onion skin weathering the stratigraphy of the area. Crew consisted of Bharti, Daniel, Rajvi and Aditya.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, EVA report, Astronomy Report, EVA request.
Support Requested: None

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Operations Report – February 8th

SOL: #4
Name of person filing report: Rajvi Patel
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: Not used
Opportunity rover used: Yes
Hours: 160.7
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 47%
Currently charging: No because of the cloudy weather
Curiosity rover used: Yes
Hours: 265.8
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 45%
Currently charging: No because of the cloudy weather
Perseverance rover used: Not used
General notes on rovers:
Summary of Hab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 25.73 gallons (12.2 inches)
Water (static tank): 390.48 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): ON
Static tank heater (On or off): ON
Toilet tank emptied: No
Summary of internet: Nominal
Summary of suits and radios:
EVA# 3 crew intended to use Space suits #2, #3, #4, and #6 but ended up using #1, #2, #4, and #6 due to less charge on #3 (5.7V). We figured it was due to the fan being kept ON at low mode after use last time which was consuming the battery. I have made a note of this and will make sure to check for the suits post-EVA and make sure such a mistake does not happen in the future.
No issues with the radios used for EVA #3.
Summary of GreenHab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 8 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: 22:00 – 02:00
Harvest: 153 g of cherry tomatoes
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Crew Artist used it to paint and draw for their project. Green Hab Officer used the measuring scale and the growth tent for their research project in the Science Dome.
Dual split: Heat On
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done) None
Summary of any observatory issues: None
Summary of health and safety issues: None
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
EVA #003 crew exited through the engineering airlock as the main airlock had malfunctioned while opening it. The main airlock was tightly closed due to the windy conditions observed the day before which led to the harness hook being stuck on the inner door handle. The crew tried opening it but it did not open in time and hence the EVA crew had to use the engineering airlock to exit the Hab. The Hab crew had to cut the harness (running through the inner door) because the crew couldn’t open it at all and the main airlock access is needed for the EVAs in the future.
After returning from the EVA, I accessed the situation and thought of two options to address it but I would need your advice on it:
– Harness going around both the outer door handles, pulling in through the inner door, and securing using the hammer as the length of the harness is not enough for the harness hook to lock on the inner door handle (as shown in the pictures attached) OR
– Change the harness to a new one and have a sufficient length for the harness so that the harness hook locks on the handle as before.

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GreenHab Report – February 8th

GreenHab Officer: Mehnaz Jabeen
Environmental control: heater on , fan off , door close
Average temperature
9:30: 68.4 F, 27%
8:25: 73.9F, 20%
13:55: 72.9 F, 30%
17:43: 72 F, 32%
17:59: 73.2 F, 32%

Hours of supplemental light: 22:00 – 02:00
Daily water usage for crops: 7 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 1 gallon
Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 160 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 17:43
Changes to crops: More ripe tomatoes, radishes
Narrative: Today is sol 4 and I have been going to the GreenHab several times, spending more time there than usual. Last night I went to the hab after we finished dinner. It was the first time I was going to the GreenHab at night. Outside temperature was chilly but it was not windy like during the day. When I entered the GreenHab I felt so warm, the heater was on. I noticed the temperature was down to 68.4 F. Afterwards I checked the moisture levels for each crop and they were almost the same as last evening. The purple light turned on while I was working on my laptop, jotting down some notes. It looked really beautiful. It gave me a strong vibe of how it must feel like being in an artificial habitat (the GreenHab) on mars and taking care of one of the most essential support for living (The Crops). So I played a soundtrack from the Martian movie and finished up the notes and went back to the hab. Later in the morning I woke up and felt spiritually connected with the GreenHab and went straight there to water the crops. After taking the readings for temperature and humidity I noticed the moisture levels were good enough so I did not choose to water them. In the afternoon I went to check the moisture and to sow new seeds for my experiment. Daniel, our crew biologist, came along to help me sow seeds. We transferred the onion and kale from the small pots to the bigger pots and watered them. In the small pots we sowed some soaked radish seeds in 4 parts equally and sowed the rest of the seeds in the big blue container which had no crops planted. We also harvested a good amount of great looking cherry tomatoes which we are going to use for dinner. We took the small pots (4 in number) to the science dorm and kept it in the growth tent after weighing them. In the evening I watered the crops around 17:43 and returned to the hab.
Harvest: Tomatoes : 153g
Support/supplies needed: None

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EVA Report – February 8th

EVA #004
Author: BHARTI SHARMA
Purpose of EVA: To collect samples for the biology experiment and conduct field research for geology.
Start time: 10:00 AM
End time: 12:30 PM
Narrative: Long EVA but worth it. It was good fieldwork within the vicinity of a 500m radius. We started our EVA on time at 10 AM, and reached our destination in 20 minutes via the Cow Dung Road 0110, parked our rovers and started our exploration for gypsum and geology structures. Daniel collected the endolith samples he wanted for his experiment. Unfortunately, we missed the gypsum spots and couldn’t collect the sample. I was able to draw out the geomorphology of the area as we wandered in and around the chasm. See the cross-bedding and bird’s eye view of the desert. I was not able to collect the dip angle because of the suit, it takes time to get habitual of the suit and do the fieldwork. Aditya and Rajvi had a great time exploring the field with a biologist and a geologist. Learning never stops. We were back in the airlock at 12:30 PM.
Destination: Cowboy Corner – 518547, 4253056
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 518547, 4253056
Participants: Bharti, Daniel, Aditya and Rajvi
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Exited the Hab through the Air Lock, drove the driveway to Cow Dung Road 0110 to the north and reached the Cowboy corner. The crew conducted the field within a radius of 500 m.
Mode of travel: Curiosity Rover and Opportunity Rover, and walked a little bit within a radius of 500m only.

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Journalist Report – February 9th

Sol 5: Snow Worries
We had two EVAs planned for today (pending good weather), so when my alarm went off at 0700, I hurried out of bed to start preparing breakfast and getting ready. When I walked out of my room, I was sad to see a very grey sky, but that quickly turned to delight when I went over to the window and saw a blanket of snow covering everything in sight. I knew it would mean no EVAs, but a childlike glee took over and I spent the next half hour taking photos until others began to wake up. One by one the Mangalyatri crew started to get up, each to be told in turn “go look out the window” until all the crew members had woken up, seen the snow, and had their turn gasping “Wow, is that snow!?”, only for it to be followed by “so no EVAs?”.
The crew was definitely disappointed with not being able to go on our EVAs today (as confirmed by Mission Support an hour prior to our planned start time). Instead, we all turned our hands to whatever research we could conduct indoors. Our GreenHab still needed attending to, and our plants are coming along nicely, including a big harvest this afternoon! Mehnaz continued her research work in the GreenHab, as well as starting to work on calculations and data analysis with the help of Aditya.
Our Science Dome had a workout today, with Daniel beginning DNA extractions, Bharti getting lots of geology reading done, and Annalea continuing her art project and research. Thank goodness we have enough research to be going on with while we can’t go outside. The rest of our crew spent the day at our computers, planning and writing, as well as discussing geology, study targets, and how to go about our EVAs to ensure we meet all our goals in the limited time we have left here (and pending more bad weather).
On the non-work side of things, we made two loaves of bread, though only one of the chefs ended up covered in flour. We also spent much of the day peeking out the windows to watch the snow melt away from the east side of the hills through to the west side as the sun went overhead. The crew also spent a few minutes this evening laughing at snow puns, wishing that all reports could be funny.
Feeling glad that most reports don’t contain puns,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

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GreenHab Report – February 5th

GreenHab Officer: Mehnaz Jabeen
Environmental control: heater on, fan off, door closed,
Average temperatures:
5:42 : 73.2F, 25%
Hours of supplemental light: None
Daily water usage for crops: 8 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0 gallons
Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 192 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 5:44
Changes to crops: None
Narrative: Today was the first official sol as greenhab officer. Right after the training, which got over around 17:30, I went to the hab with Clare, our crew journalist who helped me water the plants and briefed about the crops and activities from the previous crew as she took part in the previous expedition. As soon as we got inside the heater turned on. All the plants looked good except for the cucumbers, the leaves were drying out. Therefore I’m aiming to water them a bit more ( 1 gallon) than the previous crew did daily. I also found one of the big blue containers with no growing seed so I would like to plant some new crops. Many tomatoes were ripening and were red, almost on the last stage so after one or two days they shall be ready for harvest.

Harvest: None
Support/supplies needed: Seeds : zucchini , cauliflower, cabbage

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