Crew 297 Sol Summary Report 19-04-2024
Sol: 06
Summary Title: Live Another Sol
Author’s name: Pawel Sawicki
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
Our Sol 6 went quite a bit smoother than the infamous Sol 6 of Ares III and Mark Watney.
The crew started the sol feeling rejuvenated after some great sleep, induced by indulging on the delicious late-night apple pie made by Matt Lynch. Shortly after waking up in the morning, the crew started getting ready for their 4-hour EVA. They were provided coordinates of the desired landing spot for the NPS, though strong winds last night increased the NPS search radius to 400 meters. Fortunately for the crew, it took only several minutes to find the NPS and carry it back to the rovers. This left more than three hours for the crew to pursue objectives for their respective research projects. Sarah utilized the additional time to log gamma-ray spectral data of samples within the beautiful landscape. The Case robot unfortunately was quite shy today, and did not want to communicate with the rest of the crew, consequently shelving his objective for another day. "I guess you could call it a failure," but I prefer the term "learning experience" (Watney, in The Martian, Weir). With an additional crewmate available for excavating, a hole adequate for the NPS was dug in 67 minutes, even through a challenging surface.
The crew came back from their EVA to freshly-made scones, prepared by Dave. The rest of the afternoon was spent performing nominal duties, conducting and preparing research, and writing reports. Dinner was made by Chef Marquez, a refined shoyu ramen recipe exquisitely composed of a dashi-base crafted with kombu seaweed, shiitake mushroom, and tare. The ramen was then brought together with an egg-based ramen, kanpyo, flavored tomato, onion, and GreenHab-harvested red cabbage and green onion. The umami-packed, harmonious mixture came together to bring us all closer together in the later hours of the evening.
Look Ahead Plan:
Tomorrow will be a rest day of sorts for the crew with a late wake-up and less work planned than usual. Nevertheless, there are two low-activity EVAs planned tomorrow. The first EVA will involve Team Matt picking a suitable location for the NPS and hiding it for a second team to recover. The second EVA will be more focused around the station, specifically at the RAM. Given Case’s difficulties today, the robot will be tested right outside of the Hab. Dave will manually drive the robot from a ground station in the RAM while Pawel monitors closeby.
Anomalies in work:
Suit 11 (fan power significantly decreased mid-EVA): In work
GreenHab automated fan: Work-around has been implemented to power on the fan manually. In case of power outage or inoperable fan, the GHO will open the door for cooling.
ScienceDome: We have noticed a foul chemical smell the last few days which has made the ScienceDome unsuitable for any work.
EVA headset #2 not receiving comms when connected with two way radio: R&R with spare headset.
Weather:
Morning (data from 0900): calm winds (2 mph), chilly (57F), and sunny with clear skies
Noon: calm winds (2 mph), warm (68F), and few clouds in the sky
Afternoon (1800): moderate winds (19 mph), warm (74F), and sunny with clear skies
Crew Physical Status: EVA Crew members are physically tired from the EVA today, but recovering well. Overall crew health is nominal.
EVA: Today’s EVA was nominal and an overall success. The crew of 4 (Sawicki, Storch, Lynch, Lamm) was able to locate the hidden NPS quickly today, within 10 minutes of parking the rovers and taking off on foot. The crew continued with their secondary mission objectives. Gamma-ray spectral data was collected from samples in the area and the crew was able to dig (and fill) a hole suitable for the NPS. Unfortunately, Case had network issues and was not utilized today.
Reports to be filed:
Sol Summary
Journalist Report
GreenHab Report
Operations Report
EVA report (1 EVA)
EVA request (2 EVAs)
Mid-Mission Report
Support Requested: None requested.