Sol: 4
Summary Title: Surviving windy Mars
Author’s name: Alba Sánchez Montalvo
Mission Status: Advancing well
Sol Activity Summary:
We started the day early today because it was planned to be a very busy one! In the morning, the whole team were on EVA (in two turns) for Romain’s experiment about manipulating the drone. We did it all during the morning because the wind was expected to be too strong in the afternoon. They were two fast EVAs. Back at the station, a delicious meal cooked by Imane was waiting for us, so we all had lunch before doing anything else. Later, Alba, Arnaud and Imane collected their samples for their biomedical research: blood, saliva and inflammatory cell count in blood. To continue with our experiments, we followed Romain’s instructions for the TapStrap on how to order the drone to perform a certain action; we had a consultation with our psychologist Loriane to discuss our personality profiles; last, we had a meeting with Hippolyte for his AI crew mate experiment. But that’s not all. The team also worked on doing some content in the form of videos for our collaborations and visibility of the project, showing around the different modules and their function in the station.
Look Ahead Plan: No EVAs planned for tomorrow, the crew will focus on the mission plan and in a big cleaning of the station
Anomalies in work: Perseverance’s handbrake seems to be a little loose. The rover is still going backwards even if the handbrake is on. Suit 2 (stuck valve) and Suit 5 (battery) are going to be checked.
Weather: cloudy in the morning, very windy from the afternoon on
Crew Physical Status: everyone feels quite good, some people feel a little bit tired
EVA: During the sixth EVA on Sol 6, led by Romain Maddox, the crew focused on continuing Romain Maddox’s experiment, which had begun with a baseline measurement on Sol 1. This session was dedicated to the first actual data collection, to be followed by additional sessions on Sols 8, 11, and 12. Utilizing a Parrot Anafi drone, the four crew members each conducted 8 maneuvers lasting approximately 7 minutes, within a 60-meter radius around their rover at Marble Ritual—the same location as their previous EVA. They were prepared to extend up to 60 meters from the rover if necessary, though protocol required them to stay within 20 meters and to notify the Main Hab should they need to exceed this distance due to potential drone malfunctions.
The EVA began at 9am and concluded at 9:51am. After a preparatory period that included a suit change and time in the airlock, the team reached the Marble Ritual site, where Arnaud refreshed everyone on the experiment’s objectives. The tests commenced with Romain, followed by Arnaud, Louis, and Imane. Despite a brief increase in wind speed during Imane’s turn, conditions quickly improved, allowing the experiments to proceed smoothly. The crew also captured several photographs of the surrounding landscape before returning to the hab.
To end up data collection, the crew repeated this EVA later the same day, conducting an identical session at 11AM with the remaining crew members, ensuring consistency in their experimental approach and data quality
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Report
Support Requested: NA