EVA #8
Author: Arnaud de Wergifosse (Scientist)
Purpose of EVA:
The first part of the EVA is going to be maintenance for the weather station located at 4251250,518500. They will take the rovers towards Pooh’s corner and park them there, then walk 100 meters west towards the weather station. The high winds of today may have caused some damage and the cameras have probably recorded interesting dust formations, we would also like to know if it properly recorded it.
Then, the EVA crew will go back to the rovers parked at Pooh’s Corner and continue towards the North to reach the intersection between Cow Dung Road 0110 and Brahe Hwy 1572. Geological maps indicate this region to be interesting for the discovery of fossils. We will park the rovers there and then perform a geological survey in a radius of a maximum of 1 km around the rovers. We will be very careful of the charge of the rovers and not let it reach below 50% during the trip towards the destination.
Start time: 9:10am
End time: 11:50am
Narrative:
The EVA crew successfully reached the station after having parked their rover at Pooh’s Corner, and it indeed suffered some damage from the high winds that occurred during the last days: the Wind indicator that was replaced during the EVA #4 was ripped off by the high winds. Luckily, it did not fly far from the station and with the use of duct tape, has been successfully repaired for a second time. A quick check of the recording of the cameras showed very good results; the high winds indeed were recorded. After the maintenance on the station was completed, we went back to the rover and drove until the intersection between Cow Dung Road 0110 and Brahe Hwy 1572 for a geological survey of the area. The team first found a big amount of gypsum and collected some samples, and then went out in the search of some fossils. The EVA team searched thoroughly the area and walked approximately 500 meters south-east from the intersection but sadly did not find any fossils. After looping back to the road, the team drove back the rovers to the hab with the samples of Gypsum to analyze later.
Destination: Weather Station and Intersection between Cow Dung Road 0110 and Brahe Hwy 1572
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84):
Weather Station : 4251250,518500
Intersection between Cow Dung Road 0110 and Brahe Hwy 1572: 4254750, 517750
Participants: Romain Maddox (Commander), Loriane Baes (Executive Officer), Maxime Foucart (Astronomer), Hippolyte Hilgers (Green Hab Officer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road 0110, Brahe Hwy 1572 (intersection)
Mode of travel: Driving and walking (Curiosity and Opportunity)
Supplemental Operations Report – April 7th
Date: 4/7/2024
Name of person filing report: Sergii Iakymov
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-Nominal Systems: Hab wall heater, solar observatory, perseverance parking brake & charger. EVA suit 2 & 9. Hab toilet level sensors.
Power system:
Solar: Nominal.
SOC Last 24 hours: Max 100%; Min 74%; Avg 85.1%.
VDC Last 24 hours: Max 59.59V; Min 39.83V; Avg 51.96V.
Generator run time: 5616.1 hours. Oil changed and air filter replaced."
Propane Readings:
Station Tank: 70%
Director Tank: 63%
Intern Tank: 80%
Generator Tank: 68%"
Water:
Hab Static Tank – 400 gallons
GreenHab – 142 gallons
Outpost tank – 250 gallons
Science Dome – 0 gallons
Septic Tanks emptied: No"
Rovers:
Sojourner rover used: No
Hours: 199.8
Beginning Charge: 100 %
Ending Charge: 53 %
Currently Charging: yes
Notes on Rovers: Perseverance is charging only up to about 90%. Charging error appears from time to time."
ATV: ATV’s Used: None. Nothing to report.
Cars:
Hab Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies.
Crew Car used and why, where: From Grand Junction by crew.
General notes and comments: Hab car needs its gas cap replaced.
Summary of Internet:All nominal.
EVA suits and radios:
Suits: Suit 2 has twisted airway coupling, spare parts are in order. Suit 9 has damaged visor and is put aside until the end of the season.
Comms: All nominal.
Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why: All nominal
Summary of Hab Operations:Wall heater is not functioning, diagnostic is pending. Toiled level indicator is not working, diagnostic is in progress.
Summary of GreenHab Operations: All nominal
Summary of SciDome Operations:All nominal. "Keep this area clear" sign put up next to the power wall.
Summary of Observatories Operations:Solar observatory telescope diagonal is awaiting new part for replacement. Lower shutter is decoupled and fastened by bungee cord.
Summary of RAM Operations: All nominal
Summary of Outpost Operations:All nominal
Summary of Health and Safety Issues:All nominal
Crew Photos – April 5th
Sol Summary – April 5th
Sol: 5
Summary Title: Time to shine on Mars
Author’s name: Alba Sánchez Montalvo
Mission Status: In progress
Sol Activity Summary:
Weather forecast was horrible for today. During the morning, through the window, we could see a huge dust storm on the horizon! The girls managed to wash their hair with less than 5L of water for the 3 of them. Since the conditions were not ideal, we did not plan any EVAs for today. During the morning, we cleaned every module and worked on a mid-mission summary, to report how our experiments are advancing.
Early in the afternoon, we spent some time making different videos for our social media, our collaborations and for promoting space exploration and science. We laughed a lot behind the scenes, we are definitely not made for the camera but for drones, microscopes and research.
To finish the day, as usual, we worked on our daily reports and appreciated having more time to be relaxed and together as a team. We discussed our next steps for the weekend and had dinner together, looking forward to one more sol on Mars!
Look Ahead Plan: The EVA mission scheduled for tomorrow entails a maintenance check at the weather station to evaluate wind damage and dust formations. Following this, the crew will head north for a geological survey near Cow Dung Road 0110 and Brahe Hwy 1572, prioritizing fossil discovery while monitoring rover battery levels to stay above 50%.
Anomalies in work: none
Weather: windy during the entire day
Crew Physical Status: everyone is feeling in shape
EVA: N/A
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Request(s)
Support Requested: N/A
Operations Report – April 5th
SOL 5
Name of person filing report: Louis Joseph
Non-nominal systems: Suit 2 (stuck valve) and Suit 9 (broken visor)
Notes on non-nominal systems: Suit 5’s battery has (normally) been repaired. The issue was only a disconnected internal cable. We are going to check its voltage a few times before using it on future EVAs. No solutions found for Suit 2 yet.
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: n/a
Hours: (before EVA)
Beginning charge: (Before EVA)
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently charging:
Opportunity rover used: n/a
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Curiosity rover used: n/a
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Perseverance rover used: n/a
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
General notes on rovers: n/a
Summary of Hab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 14.70 gallons
Water (static tank): 417.67 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off):
Static tank heater (On or off)
Toilet tank emptied: yes
Summary of internet: Used for music playing, mails, research for experiments, learning languages, and sending videos to sponsors.
Summary of suits and radios: n/a
Summary of GreenHab operations: I watered the crops as usual, but added some more water to the tomatoes today because they looked a bit sad, I also harvested some parsley
WATER USE: 9 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: N/A
Harvest:
Parsley (~20 leaves) : < 1g
Summary of ScienceDome operations:
No science activities in the science dome today.
We just recorded a short video for our sponsors to explain our work.
Dual split: Off
Summary of RAM operations:
The RAM was used to fix Suit 5’s faulty battery. After inspection, we noticed that an internal cable was disconnected from the battery. Everything should be good now, but we are still going to check its voltage a few times before considering using it on future EVAs. Regarding Suit 2’s stuck valve, no solution has been found yet. We also recorded a short video inside the RAM for our sponsors
Summary of any observatory issues:
Too much and clouds, observations impossible.
Summary of health and safety issues:
Everybody feels super great today.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: N/A
Journalist Report – April 5th
Crew 296 Journalist – Alba Sánchez Montalvo
Weather forecast was looking horrible today. During the morning, through the window, we could see a huge dust storm on the horizon! Maxime’s weather station survived (we still wonder how). The girls managed to wash their hair with less than 5L of water for the 3 of them. Washing hair never felt so good! Since the conditions were not ideal, we did not plan any EVAs for today. During the morning, we cleaned every module and worked on the mid-mission summary, to report how our experiments are advancing.
We had lunch together and after that, some crew members had some Spanish lessons, learning the basics of the language. They are already planning their future trip to Granada and cannot wait to practice their Spanish in the warm south of the country.
Early in the afternoon, we spent some time making different videos for our social media, our collaborations and for promoting space exploration and science. We laughed a lot behind the scenes, discovering our non-acting skills after needing 23 takes to get a ten seconds video. We are definitely not made for the camera but for drones, microscopes and research.
To finish the day, as usual, we worked on our daily reports and appreciated having more time to be relaxed and together as a team. We discussed our next steps for the weekend and had dinner together, looking forward to one more sol on Mars!
GreenHab Report – April 7th
GreenHab Officer: Hippolyte Hilgers
Environmental control:
Heater on (setup temperature = 75°F)
Fan on (to keep temperature below 94°F)
Average temperatures: 75.2
Hours of supplemental light: N/A
Daily water usage for crops: 9 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0 gallons
Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 133.5 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 7:30 PM
Changes to crops: None
Narrative: I watered all the crops, and harvested some parsley and tomatoes for the pizzas tonight
Harvest:
Tomatoes (13 pcs) : 49 g
Parsley (~20 leaves) : 3 g
Harvest: Support/supplies needed: None
EVA Report – April 7th
EVA #9
Author: Arnaud de Wergifosse (Scientist)
Purpose of EVA: Discovery of new landscapes for future EVAs and taking pictures
Start time: 9:31am
End time: 11:30am
Narrative: We headed for the compass rock where we parked the rovers. We took some photos at this rock and then descended into the Candor Chasma to visit the area and take some photos and videos in order to carry out reconnaissance for future EVAs.
Destination: Candor Chasma
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 425200 520000
Participants: Loriane Baes (Executive Officer), Imane El Bakkali (Health and safety Officer), Alba Sánchez Montalvo (Journalist) and Arnaud de Wergifosse (Scientist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road 0110 and Galileo Road 1104 (We’ve parked the rovers near compass rock and walked to Candor Chasma)
Mode of travel: Rovers (Perseverance and Opportunity) and Walking
EVA Report – April 3rd
EVA #4
Author: Arnaud de Wergifosse (Scientist)
Purpose of EVA: The group will check the status of Maxime’s weather station positioned during EVA 3 in the area between the MDRS, the Hab Ridge and the North Ridge. We will be walking toward the station to save time as it is not near a road. Weather station and fixing the wind indicator. We will be replacing the battery while the weather station is being checked, Louis will perform his first automatic flight of the day to study the area between the MDRS, the Hab Ridge and the North Ridge..
After the station is fixed, the group will head to Amazonis Planitia by climbing to the top of the Hab Ridge using the 1103 footpath. Upon reaching Sagan Street 1103, the group will traverse a maximum of 400m westward along the road. This route aims to gain insights into the Amazonis Planitia area for potential future weather station placement. We will also take pictures along Hab Ridge. After that, the group will use the same pathways and roads to head back to the station. On their way back, they will check the status of the weather station for a second time. The entire trip will be performed on foot and the total walking distance will be around 2 Miles round trip.
Start time: 9:01am
End time: 10:31am
Narrative: The astronauts have successfully completed their mission, by first locating the weather station using the GPS coordinates that were collected in yesterday’s EVA. Using duct tape, the wind indicator has been successfully fixed and the battery changed to a new one. During this time, the trap cameras were checked to see if they worked properly, and they did. They did not capture any dust activity, but that was expected because of the low wind speed. After the repairs on the weather station were completed, the astronauts set out west towards Hab Ridge. After joining the 1103 footpath, the EVA team saw very interesting geological formations : very small sinkholes in the wash of the small valley just south of the footpath. The astronauts then arrived at the top of Hab Ridge and took pictures of the breathtaking scenery. The EVA team decided to not go further east as they were starting to feel tired and hot in the suits. The EVA team then went down the ridge towards the hab by walking down in a wash. They then came back safely to the hab at 10:31, a little tired after walking 1,24 Miles approximately.
Destination: North of the Hab to North Ridge, beginning of the Amazonis Planitia
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84):
First stop (weather station): 4251250,518500
Second stop (beginning of Sagan Street): 4251500, 518000
Participants: Maxime Foucart (Astronomer) and Alba Sánchez Montalvo (Journalist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: 1103 (Footpath), Hab Ridge Rd N, Sagan Street 1103
Mode of travel: Walking
Astronomy Report – April 3rd
[category
astronomy-report]
Name: Maxime Foucart
Crew: 296
Date: 03-04-2024
MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested (choose one) None
Objects to be Imaged this Evening: None
Images submitted with this report: None
Problems Encountered: None
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: Multiple prominences and sunspot, imaged at 4:50PM.
Images submitted with this report: Sun 240403 Prominence and sunspot.png
Problems Encountered: I could not find the GAMMA slider in Sharp Cap, so I made the picture without modifying the GAMMA.
You must be logged in to post a comment.