Day: March 23, 2024

On Mars, crew 294 embarked on a day filled with scientific exploration and collaboration. Venturing into the rugged Martian terrain, we diligently tested a range of sensors designed for noninvasive neuroimaging and peripheral physiological monitoring, braving the heat of the sun. Our efforts aimed to enhance understanding of human physiology in extraterrestrial environments, crucial for long-duration space missions. After a productive day of fieldwork, the crew rendezvoused with visiting colleagues for a communal dinner, sharing insights and camaraderie beneath the Martian sky, fostering a spirit of cooperation in their shared quest for knowledge and exploration.

Emily Doherty

EVA # 3
Author: Leanne Hirshfield
Purpose of EVA: 1) A short EVA to Marble Ritual with Commander equipped with neurophysiological and behavioral sensors to assess range of sensors and data quality during EVA-related movement (e.g.,walking, riding in rover, standing still on Mars). The Health and Safety Officer supported the Commander throughout the EVA. The task included travel to Marble Ritual and then walking to find one waypoint within 300 meters of Marble Ritual. Commander reported observations from waypoint and collected one biological sample to bring back to the Hab.
Start time: 10:30
End time: 11:45
Narrative: Suits (2 and 7) and Radios (1-2) fully charged before leaving and plugged in upon return. Arrived to Marble Ritual around 10:40 AM, and ran sensor testing study outlined below. Arrived back on site around 11:45 AM. Both depressurized before entering the Hab. Perseverance Hours (before EVA): 169. Beginning charge: 100%Perseverance ending charge: 82%. Perseverance plugged in upon return. EVA #3 was a huge success! We learned a lot about the process of collecting eyetracking and fNIRS data out on EVA. We brought the data acquisition laptops with us and ran through our study protocols pretty seamlessly. Things we learned: everything is harder to do on EVA: from sensor troubleshooting to simple breath holding studies (breath holding results in a lovely hemodynamic response in the brain that we can measure with fNIRS). Very little room for experimenter error if we want to collect actual field data in the future. Emily was able to quickly convert our walkie talkie communications into transcripts with WhisperAI, and our review of the discourse suggests that this would be a rich source of team cohesion and team processes data that we could apply NLP techniques to in future collections. Good stuff and very much a learning experience!
Destination: One location: between the HAB and Marble Ritual.
Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84): 518250,4251000
Participants: Leanne Hirshfield (Commander) and James Crum (Health & Safety)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road, North direction, and then walking within a 300 meter radius around Marble Ritual.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking

EVA # 4
Author: Emily Doherty
Purpose of EVA: 1) A farther EVA to Pooh’s Corner with Crew Engineer equipped with neurophysiological and behavioral sensors to assess range of sensors and data quality data quality during EVA-related movement (e.g.,walking, riding in rover, standing still on Mars).. The Journalist will support the Crew Engineer throughout the EVA. The task will include travel to Pooh’s Corner and then walking to find one waypoint within 300 meters of Pooh’s Corner. Flight Engineer will report observations from waypoint and collect one biological sample to bring back to the Hab.
Start time: 14:15
End time: 15:45
Narrative: Decided to venture to Marble Ritual instead of the original planned Pooh’s Corner due to a delayed start. Upon arrival to Marble Ritual, we spent about 30 minutes troubleshooting our sensor equipment. We then spent about an hour testing the range and feasibility of the sensors in high sunlight conditions. We arrived back at the Hab around 15:45 and depressurized before entering.
Destination: One location: between the HAB and Marble Ritual.
Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84): 518250,4251000
Participants: Marta Čeko (Engineer) and Emily Doherty (Journalist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road, North direction, and then walking within a 300 meter radius around Marble Ritual.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking