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
Operations Report – April 4th
SOL: 4
Name of person filing report: Louis Joseph
Non-nominal systems: Suit 2 (ventilation valve), Suit 5 (battery) and Suit 9 (visor)
Notes on non-nominal systems: Louis and Hippolyte are going to have a look at Suit 5 battery on Sol 5 (tomorrow). One of the ventilation valves of Suit 2 is stuck. Arnaud and Louis tried to work on it but were unsuccessful. They are going to look more into it on Sol 5 as they are both not planned for an EVA.
ROVERS
Spirit rover used:
Hours: (before EVA) 250.1
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 82%
Currently charging: Yes (10:00 am)
Opportunity rover used:
Hours: (before EVA) 176.6
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 87%
Currently charging: On return from EVA, we didn’t plugged it as requested because of cloudy skies
Curiosity rover used:
Hours: (before EVA) 275
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 87%
Currently charging: On return from EVA, we didn’t plugged it as requested because of cloudy skies
Perseverance rover used:
EVA#6
Hours: 289.5
Beginning charge: 93%
Ending charge: 84%
Currently charging: We plugged it at 9:51
EVA#7
Hours: 289.5
Beginning charge: 84%
Ending charge: 78%
Currently charging: na
General notes on rovers: Perseverance’s handbrake seems to be a little loose. The rover is still going backwards even if the handbrake is on.
Summary of Hab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 24.51 gallons
Water (static tank): 432.37 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off):
Static tank heater (On or off)
Toilet tank emptied: no or yes
Summary of internet: Used for music playing, mails, research for experiments, learning languages, watching science videos.
Summary of suits and radios:
For the morning EVA:
Radios 1,3,4,6 were used.
Light Suits 1,3,4,6 were used.
For the afternoon EVA:
Radios 1,2,3,4,6 were used.
Light Suits 1,2,3,4,6 were used.
Summary of GreenHab operations: I watered the crops with 4.5 gallons of water and harvested some tomatoes for the evening meal and mint to make tea.
WATER USE: 4.5 Gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: N/A
Harvest:
Tomatoes (18 pcs) : 63 g
Mint (~40 leaves) : 3 g
Summary of ScienceDome operations:
During the afternoon (2pm to 3pm), Imane, Alba and Arnaud used the science dome for blood and saliva collection to assess stress and immunity markers as well as processing the blood samples after their collection. We have frozen the saliva samples for further analysis to come when the crew will be back to Belgium.
Between 3pm to 4pm, Hippolyte asked each of us to complete a questionnaire about our experience in evaluating an artificial voice intelligence system.
Dual split: Off
Summary of RAM operations: First of all, we used the RAM to work on a stuck valve for the suit number 2 using WD40. We also used the RAM for the second part of Romain’s experiment as in the first day. He conducted part of his TapStrap experiment.
Summary of any observatory issues: NA
Summary of health and safety issues: One person cut his finger a little while working with a pair of scissors. This was disinfected and a plaster applied. 1 person had a headache and one paracetamol 1g was given. He is now better.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: how is our water consumption looking?
Astronomy Report – April 7th
[category
astronomy-report]
Name: Maxime Foucart
Crew: 296
Date: 07-04-2024
MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested
Objects to be Imaged this Evening: M100
Images submitted with this report: None
Problems Encountered: The skynet website is reporting a camera error for MDRS WF, and it seems I can’t access the telescope RCOS-16 from the Skynet website
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: There were a lot of prominences and sunspots, I did multiple captures and created a composite image of mostly the entire Sun by using Photoshop.
Images submitted with this report: Sun 240207 Prominences and sunspots, composite.png
Problems Encountered: None
Crew Photos – April 6th
Sol Summary – April 6th
Sol: 6
Summary Title: Discovering the martian history below our feet
Author’s name: Alba Sánchez Montalvo
Mission Status: In progress
Sol Activity Summary:
This sol was expected to be windy in the afternoon, so half of the team (Maxime, Romain, Hippolyte and Loriane) went on an EVA early in the morning. The main goal was to repair Maxime’s weather station because of the strong wind we had in SOL 5 and to explore and discover some fossils. Meanwhile, the rest of the team worked on their projects at the station. The expedition returned to the station with some interesting stones and minerals to have a look at them under the microscope. Imane cooked a delicious ‘chilli con carne’ and later, some crew members took a nap and some others played board games. The crew members that were left had psychological consultations with Loriane today. The rest of the evening was chill, it was very windy and we stayed in the main hab and different modules working on our project.
Look Ahead Plan: there’s an exploratory EVA planned for tomorrow for the biomedical team, psychological consultations will finish tomorrow
Anomalies in work: we found the freezer in the science dome not completely closed even though last night we checked that is was ok
Weather: light wind in the morning, stronger in the afternoon and evening
Crew Physical Status: a little bit tired but very excited about the simulation
EVA: The EVA crew successfully reached the station after their rover parked at Pooh’s Corner sustained some damage from high winds, including a torn wind indicator. They repaired it using duct tape and confirmed the wind’s impact through camera recordings. After station maintenance, they conducted a geological survey near the intersection of Cow Dung Road 0110 and Brahe Hwy 1572. They found gypsum and collected samples but did not discover any fossils despite thorough searching. They returned to the hab with the gypsum samples for later analysis.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Report, EVA Request(s), Mid-mission research report.
Support Requested: NA
Mid-mission Research Report – April 6th
[category science-report]
Mid mission report – Crew 296
Living on Mars
Crew 296 landed on March 31, 2024, at midnight Earth time on the surface of Mars. We quickly acquainted ourselves with our home and, after a good sleep, immediately started working on our experiments and going on EVAs. The first two days were jam-packed with reports, EVAs, the beginning of experiments, tasks to do in the MDRS, and getting used to the new lifestyle required for Mars. Then, the following three days were also really busy, but we managed our tasks better to take the time to enjoy the fact that we are on Mars, the magnificent landscape, and the presence of each other with team building, card games, and cooking all together.
Experiments:
Regarding the advancement of everybody’s experiment, here is a quick summary:
Biomedical team (Alba, Arnaud, Imane, Loriane):
Up to today, the biomedical team has collected half of the blood serum and saliva samples planned for the mission, reaching 2/4 sampling time points at the station. The TAP micro device works very well, which is not the case for the HemoCue, giving many errors and making its use time-consuming. Concerning the salivary tests to study aMMP-8 using the ORALyzer, 1/3 of the tests planned are done and if compared to the values prior to the mission, there are reduced levels for the majority of the crew members. However, it’s too early to draw any conclusions; results will be fully analyzed once back in the lab in Belgium when the rest of the measurements in the samples will be performed. Moreover, some physiological data has been collected through the usage of the Oura ring, which can record sleep quality and quantity, heart rate, heart rate variability, oxygen saturation, and body temperature. To avoid any bias, these data will be analyzed at the end of the experiment. Fecal samples have been collected from all crew members, as well as 12-hour period urine collection, thus completing 2/3 of our plan, since the baseline collection was already done in Belgium prior to the mission. On top of that, subjective sleep quality and stress levels have been analyzed via questionnaires (Perceived Stress Scale-4 and -10 items, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and PROMIS sleep disturbance) to further verify the correlation between physiological and behavioral scores. Together, the biomedical team solved the logistical problems concerning the shipment of the samples back to Belgium, which meant a considerable relief, given the level of stress it implied. A self-assessment questionnaire assessing mood states and their fluctuations (POMS-f) was also administered at the beginning of the simulation to assess these emotions over the week before the simulation. The questionnaire will be completed again at the end of the simulation in order to compare whether the effects of confinement (confined space and cut-off social networks) have an impact on mood states. Finally, prior to the mission, the crew members completed the Golden Personality Profiler, and to date, the characteristics of their personality profiles have been discussed with the group psychologist and received personalized consultation. These results will help determine whether it is possible to predict the mood states experienced (using the POMS-F) during the group confinement.
Maxime:
Maxime’s experiment to understand the movement of dust in the Martian atmosphere is on track, despite having suffered some setbacks. The station, nicknamed “Dusty,” is composed of a tripod and three sensitive trap cameras, and a Vantage Vue Weather station has been installed on Sol 2 but did not transmit because of low battery and the wind indicator was broken. On the morning of Sol 3, a maintenance EVA was done to fix the station and change the battery, and it has been successfully transmitting precious data ever since. The current windy weather is perfect for the experiment as we can see from the hab that some dust is being picked up by the wind in the area of the Dusty Station. We are monitoring its status from the Hab; the sturdy metal tripod looks like it is enduring the harsh weather conditions; a recent EVA revealed the wind indicator was damaged again, it was quickly fixed. A quick check of the cameras showed that the station indeed recorded some dust activity, that means the experiment is very successful.
Hippolyte:
Hippolyte’s experiment examines crew interactions with an artificial intelligence (AI) system to support decision-making and task execution. By capturing verbal communications with the AI in individual sessions, the goal is to assess the effectiveness of human-AI dialogue. Hippolyte intends to broaden this investigation by incorporating AI interaction tests during Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), aiming to enrich the dataset with varied results that reflect different operational contexts.
Louis:
Louis’s experiment aims to explore how UAV technology can enhance future crew efficiency in Martian exploration by mapping the planet’s landscape using drones and automatic flights. In the initial phase, Louis focused on trial and error, dedicating three EVAs to his experiment. His efforts began with familiarizing himself with flying a drone in a spacesuit, followed by executing his first automatic flight to capture images of a specific area, validating the feasibility of automated flights. With the successful completion of the initial automatic flight, Louis shifted his focus to more complex landscapes and experimented with various flight parameters. Now, the attention turns to processing the data acquired during these flights to identify potential enhancements for the next phase of the experiment. In the upcoming second phase, Louis aims to refine his data collection methods by optimizing flight parameters. One proposed improvement involves incorporating Ground Control Points (GCP) into the mapping process. By placing markers on the ground and recording their GPS positions, Louis seeks to enhance the precision of data processing. Success in implementing this technique would signify the achievement of all mission objectives.
Romain:
The collection of data has been going smoothly. Those collections, which happened on Sol 1 and 4, for the drone and the TapStrap, a device constituted of 5 rings that you wear on the basis of your fingers to communicate and send messages by moving your hand, occurred with no trouble whatsoever despite the quick winds on Sol 4. All the data from these experiments will be analyzed once we go back to Earth with the help of fellow scientists and university professors. I also have been working on a scientific letter trying to verify the veracity and precision of data we have from the black owl in the middle of our Milky Way. It is to be finished before the end of the simulation.
Operations Report – April 6th
Sol: 6
Summary Title: Discovering the martian history below our feet
Author’s name: Alba Sánchez Montalvo
Mission Status: In progress
Sol Activity Summary:
This sol was expected to be windy in the afternoon, so half of the team (Maxime, Romain, Hippolyte and Loriane) went on an EVA early in the morning. The main goal was to repair Maxime’s weather station because of the strong wind we had in SOL 5 and to explore and discover some fossils. Meanwhile, the rest of the team worked on their projects at the station. The expedition returned to the station with some interesting stones and minerals to have a look at them under the microscope. Imane cooked a delicious ‘chilli con carne’ and later, some crew members took a nap and some others played board games. The crew members that were left had psychological consultations with Loriane today. The rest of the evening was chill, it was very windy and we stayed in the main hab and different modules working on our project.
Look Ahead Plan: there’s an exploratory EVA planned for tomorrow for the biomedical team, psychological consultations will finish tomorrow
Anomalies in work: we found the freezer in the science dome not completely closed even though last night we checked that is was ok
Weather: light wind in the morning, stronger in the afternoon and evening
Crew Physical Status: a little bit tired but very excited about the simulation
EVA: The EVA crew successfully reached the station after their rover parked at Pooh’s Corner sustained some damage from high winds, including a torn wind indicator. They repaired it using duct tape and confirmed the wind’s impact through camera recordings. After station maintenance, they conducted a geological survey near the intersection of Cow Dung Road 0110 and Brahe Hwy 1572. They found gypsum and collected samples but did not discover any fossils despite thorough searching. They returned to the hab with the gypsum samples for later analysis.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Report, EVA Request(s), Mid-mission research report.
Support Requested: NA
Operations Report – April 6th
SOL: 6
Name of person filing report: Louis Joseph
Non-nominal systems: Suit 2 (stuck valve) and Suit 9 (broken visor)
Notes on non-nominal systems: No solutions found for Suit 2 yet.
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: N/A
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Opportunity rover used:
Hours: 176.6
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 26%
Currently charging:
Curiosity rover used:
Hours: 275.6
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 29%
Currently charging:
Perseverance rover used: N/A
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
General notes on rovers:
Summary of Hab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 16.34 gallons
Water (static tank): 401.33 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off):
Static tank heater (On or off)
Toilet tank emptied: yes
Summary of internet: put notes here
Summary of suits and radios: put notes here
Summary of GreenHab operations: The tomatoes are looking happier now, but I continued to cherish them. I watered all the crops, and harvested some mint to make tea today.
WATER USE: 7.5 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: N/A
Harvest:
Mint (~20 leaves) : 1g
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Working on reports and some research for our experiments during morning (10 to 11:30am)
Dual split: Off
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done) NA
Summary of any observatory issues: NA
Summary of health and safety issues: Everybody is feeling great
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: NA
Journalist Report – April 6th
Crew 296 Journalist – Alba Sánchez Montalvo
This sol was expected to be windy in the afternoon, so half of the team (Maxime, Romain, Hippolyte and Loriane) went on an EVA early in the morning. The main goal was to repair Maxime’s weather station because of the strong wind we had in SOL 5 and to explore and discover some fossils. Meanwhile, the rest of the team worked on their projects at the station. The expedition returned to the station with some interesting stones and minerals to have a look at them under the microscope. Maxime could spot some water trapped in some of the minerals, looking cool! Imane cooked a delicious ‘chilli con carne’ and later, some crew members took a nap and some others played board games. We are getting better (not Alba) and more competitive at Shadow hunters. Arnaud, Loriane herself and Alba had their psychological consultations today, so only Hippolyte is missing and will attend to it tomorrow. The rest of the evening was chill, it was very windy and we stayed in the main hab and different modules working on our project.
GreenHab Report – April 6th
GreenHab Officer: Hippolyte Hilgers
Environmental control:
Heater on (setup temperature = 75°F)
Fan on (to keep temperature below 94°F)
Average temperatures: 73.8
Hours of supplemental light: N/A
Daily water usage for crops: 7.5 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0 gallons
Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 142.5 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 7:00 PM
Changes to crops: None
Narrative: The tomatoes are looking happier now, but I continued to cherish them. I watered all the crops, and harvested some mint to make tea today.
Harvest:
Mint (~20 leaves) : 1g
Support/supplies needed: None
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