GreenHab Report – March 9th

GreenHab Officer: Adrien Tison

Environmental control: Heater, (open door)

Average Temperature: 86.5°F

Average humidity: 18%

Hours of supplemental light: 0 hour

Daily water usage for crops: 15.50 gallons

Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0 gallons

Water in the blue tank: 46.87 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: 9:30 & 14:30

Changes to crops: N/A

Narrative: This morning it was our HSO who went to water plants as I was on an EVA.

It was already pretty hot in there; he then warned me about it.

I went to check on everything in the afternoon and I confirm that it was really hot. I saw that some plants, particularly tomatoes needed water (considering their dirt was quite dry).

I watered well plants and crops, this explains why there is more water used than usual.

I opened the door briefly for the temperature to drop down from 97°F to 86°F.

Apart from that, plants are looking good, the cucumber plant still amazes me.

And finally, I waited for the end of this narrative to talk about the fish because they are doing well.

These are good news, and a glimpse of hope for the end of this mission!

Harvest: N/A

Support/supplies needed: Even though the fish are doing well in their new habitat, I keep my proposition for Donald to retrieve them because it is not ideal to keep them in a small bucket.

Operations Report – March 9th

Crew 275 Operations Report 09Mar2023
SOL: 25

Name of person filing report: Quentin Royer
Non-nominal systems:
• Toilet
• Spacesuit n°9
• Robotic observatory

Notes on non-nominal systems: None.

ROVERS
Spirit rover used: Yes
• Hours: 210.1
• Beginning charge: 100%
• Ending charge: 53%
• Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No
• Hours: 114.0
• Beginning charge: 100%
• Ending charge: 60%
• Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: No
• Hours: 221.8
• Beginning charge: 100%
• Ending charge: N/A
• Currently charging: Yes

Perseverance rover used: No
• Hours: 255.9
• Beginning charge: 100%
• Ending charge: N/A
• Currently charging: Yes

General notes on rovers: Nothing to report.

Summary of Hab operations: The Crew conducted routine operations. An emergency depressurization protocol was simulated, and an emergency EVA was conducted, with Mission Support’s approval.
• WATER USE: 11.84
• Water: 330.11 gallons
• Static tank pipe heater: On
• Static tank heater: On
• Toilet tank emptied: Yes

Summary of internet: Starlink (MDRSCampus-Guest) is used during COMMS and during the day for emails and to handle the medical emergency. MDRScampus is used for experimental purpose.

Summary of suits and radios: Radio n°5 seems to be non-nominal. During today’s EVA, the crewmember with this radio had difficulties to be heard by the other crewmembers. The wire had to be unplugged, then plugged again and pushed very firmly, repeatedly, and much more than usual.

Summary of GreenHab operations: The Crew botanist conducted routine operations.
• WATER USE: 15.50 gallons
• Heater: On
• Supplemental light: No
• Harvest: No

Summary of ScienceDome operations: The Commander conducted experimental protocols.
• Dual split: Heat / From 10 pm to 7 am

Summary of RAM operations: No operations were conducted in the RAM today.

Summary of any observatory issues: The robotic observatory is non-nominal.

Summary of health and safety issues: None.

Questions, concerns, and requests to Mission Support:
• The lamp located on the right when entering the ScienceDome is missing a light bulb.

Sol Summary Report – March 9th

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 09Mar2023

Sol: 25

Summary Title: Let’s (pretend to) save the station!

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

We were very excited with today’s EVA, as we were planning to explore the Special Region and the weather was very good (which we are not used to!). Our routine operations on the atmospheric instruments went perfectly and we headed North towards the Special Region, leaving the rovers before the battery level was too low. About 45 minutes of walking later, we finally had a visual on the Special Region, however, we saw a pick-up truck parked just in front of it. We thus decided not to take the risk of meeting anyone and started our way back. Rather than exploration, it was more a kind of hike with spacesuits, but we enjoyed it very much anyway!

Back at the Hab, we continued yesterday’s training about the emergency protocols assisted by AI4U, our artificial intelligence tool. An alarm was set to ring at a random time during the afternoon and we all went on with our respective tasks. It was 15:05 when the alarm rang. The Crew Journalist took the lead of the operations and, as everyone was already in the Hab, we directly formed three teams. The Crew Scientist and the Crew Engineer explored all the buildings of the campus and restarted the environmental instruments to check where the simulated hole was located. In the meantime, the Crew Botanist and the Health & Safety Officer put on their spacesuits to get ready to fix the hole, while the other crewmembers kept an eye on the procedure and communicated the instructions to the other teams. After identifying a fictive hole in the tunnel leading to the Science Dome, a call was made to Mission support to request an emergency EVA. After being authorized to exit the airlock, the EVA crew successfully identified and fixed the fictive hole in the tunnel. The overall process took about 30 minutes, which is exactly the target time.

No bad news with the fish today. It looks like they are doing fine, but they are still in the very small bucket where they were placed yesterday. We would like to reiterate our suggestion for Donald to retrieve them whenever he wants so that they can be placed in a larger aquarium.

Look Ahead Plan:

We would like to perform an EVA dedicated to the disassembling of our atmospheric instruments tomorrow morning (Sol 26).

Then, in the early afternoon, we plan to perform another test of the emergency protocols with AI4U, our numerical assistant based on artificial intelligence. An emergency EVA may thus be requested to go to the immediate vicinity of the Hab at any time between 14:00 and 16:30.

We would like to exit the simulation at 17:30 and start the checkout procedure as well as the food inventory. Is there a crew coming to the MDRS directly after us? Do you confirm that we should arrive at the Day’s Inn in Grand Junction in the early afternoon on Saturday (Sol 27)?

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny, low -2°C/28°F, high 9°C/48°F.

Crew Physical Status: One crewmember recovering from surgery after a broken collarbone.

EVA: None.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: None.

Journalist Report – March 8th

Sol 24 – Panic at the Aquaponics

“A toast to all of you; it’s good to be with friends again.”

– Chapter 24 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

The shuttle landed in the night, not far from the Mars Desert Research Station. Alice, Corentin and I stepped out, treading lightly as the gentle Martian gravity welcomed us back. Light burst from the main airlock window; our crew was waiting for us! Waving hands and smiling faces were gathered behind the second airlock door, waiting for the pressure to equalize. When Jérémy let us in, I felt like I was home. I would have hugged them all, if I had had two functioning arms! The crew was reunited once and for all, ready to finish our mission together.

This morning, like every morning, at the beginning of the daily workout, the song Cheerleader came on, and though I desperately wanted to join in, I simply tapped my feet, and smiled at the thought that for the rest of the mission, I could be my team’s very own cheerleader!

Almost everything feels like it is going back to normal: after a few strange and chaotic Sols, we are all managing to ease back into our routine: taking our tests, handling data for our experiments, writing our reports. This makes me think that I have not yet mentioned what has been taking up most of Alice’s time these past few Sols. As crew Scientist, she is responsible for centralizing all the data our experiments produce, from images captured during EchoFinder sessions, to the many daily surveys each crewmember takes. To put it her way: “I don’t do data handling. I do big data handling!”
Throughout the day, we continued testing AI4U, prompting it with an emergency protocol written by Alexandre and Quentin which we aim to start simulating tomorrow: at a random time during the day, an alarm will go off, indicating the depressurization of one of the station’s modules. We will then test whether the AI is useful in getting us organized and helping us execute the emergency procedure!

Yesterday, Jérémy wrote that despite the circumstances, routine operations that keep the station up and running have never ceased taking place. Most notably, Adrien has continuously taken good care of the GreenHab. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, a second fish has ascended to fish-heaven today. Out of the eight fishes originally brought to the MDRS by Adrien, we have lost both Mercury and Jupiter. Our botanist’s hypotheses range from a sudden increase in pH, to the possible emergence of bacteria, to the increasing temperatures in the GreenHab. The investigation is ongoing…

Although accumulated stress, our lack of sleep, and general state of fatigue are starting to take their toll on the crew after more than three weeks on Mars, surprisingly, one thing comes up more and more often in conversations: not wanting to leave…

GreenHab Report – March 8th

GreenHab Officer: Adrien Tison

Environmental control: Heater

Average Temperature: 74.4°F

Average humidity: 20%

Hours of supplemental light: 0 hour

Daily water usage for crops: 9.51 gallons

Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 2.11gallons

Water in the blue tank: 62.37 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: 9:30

Changes to crops: N/A

Narrative: I start feeling like this week really is testing us right now…

Today morning another fish was found dead in the fish tank. I immediately started to transfer them to a white ‘bucket’ with clear water (taking my time nonetheless because they needed to get used to this new water).

Then I conducted water tests to understand, and the values obtained were quite usual, apart from the pH which went a little bit high too quickly. It means that the kH is high, and it may be the reason.

From now on I will not put them back in the aquaponics system. Indeed, if it isn’t due to the pH, the water may be infected. Not being able to treat the water or change the entirety of it considering the amount of time left, I’d rather keep them safe and finish the mission and my experiment with a hydroponics system.

Apart from that, I watered and maintained plants and crops. According to what I see I think the next crews will be able to harvest and eat well.

I really love seeing how cucumber plants are thriving and growing more and more.

Harvest: 427 g of tomatoes, 5 g of sage, 2 g of thyme

Support/supplies needed: Donald, considering how the fish are doing right now, you can come to take the fish if you want. I do not know if it is possible, but I mean, Safety first for them. As I will not reintegrate them into the aquaponics system I thought it wouldn’t be a problem for you to take them if you want to.

Operations Report – March 8th

Crew 275 Operations Report 08Mar2023
SOL: 24

Name of person filing report: Quentin Royer
Non-nominal systems:
• Toilet
• Spacesuit n°9
• Robotic observatory

Notes on non-nominal systems: None.

ROVERS
Spirit rover used: No
• Hours: 209.9
• Beginning charge: 100%
• Ending charge: N/A
• Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No
• Hours: 113.9
• Beginning charge: 100%
• Ending charge: N/A
• Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used: No
• Hours: 221.8
• Beginning charge: 100%
• Ending charge: N/A
• Currently charging: Yes

Perseverance rover used: No
• Hours: 255.9
• Beginning charge: 100%
• Ending charge: N/A
• Currently charging: Yes

General notes on rovers: Nothing to report.

Summary of Hab operations: The Crew conducted routine operations.
• WATER USE: 13.39
• Water: 341.96 gallons
• Static tank pipe heater: On
• Static tank heater: On
• Toilet tank emptied: No

Summary of internet: Starlink (MDRSCampus-Guest) is used during COMMS and during the day for emails and to handle the medical emergency. MDRScampus is used for experimental purpose.

Summary of suits and radios: None.

Summary of GreenHab operations: The Crew botanist conducted routine operations. He transferred the fish to a new tank.
• WATER USE: 11.62 gallons
• Heater: On
• Supplemental light: No
• Harvest: 427 g of tomatoes – 5 g of sage – 2 g of thyme

Summary of ScienceDome operations: The Commander conducted experimental protocols.
• Dual split: Heat / From 10 pm to 7 am

Summary of RAM operations: No operations were conducted in the RAM today.

Summary of any observatory issues: The robotic observatory is non-nominal.

Summary of health and safety issues: None.

Questions, concerns, and requests to Mission Support:
• The lamp located on the right when entering the ScienceDome is missing a light bulb.

Sol Summary Report – March 8th

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 08Mar2023

Sol: 24

Summary Title: Panic at the aquaponics

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Yesterday, we were very lucky that the surgery of the injured crewmember could take place so quickly. Everyone was back at the Hab before midnight, and we spent some time debriefing our respective days. Even if we are happy to all be back in simulation. We can all feel that we are exhausted by the 24 days of the mission and all the events that have happened in the meantime.

To make matters worse, another fish has been found floating dead in the aquarium today. The indices of water quality are still normal, except for a slightly high pH, so we do not really understand what happened. The remaining fish have been placed in another bucket, with new water and separated from the hydroponics system. We all hope that this will solve the problem. Since the fishes are no longer used to grow the plants and they are now in a relatively small bucket, maybe Donald would like to retrieve them before the end of the mission. The situation is far from ideal for them at the moment.

As the end of the mission is close, we have trained for one of our last experiments: the emergency protocols assisted by AI. In particular, we have rehearsed a protocol aimed at repairing a fictive hole causing a depressurization. Starting now, an alarm may ring anytime and any day between 14:00 and 18:00. When the alarm rings, we will have to proceed with the rehearsed protocol.

Look Ahead Plan:

We would like to perform an exploration EVA to the Special Region tomorrow (Sol 25), and another EVA dedicated to the disassembling of the atmospheric instruments on Friday (Sol 26).

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Cloudy, low -3°C/27°F, high 9°C/49°F.

Crew Physical Status: One crewmember recovering from surgery after a broken collarbone.

EVA: None.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: None.

Journalist Report – March 7th

Sol 23 – Keeping the (space)ship afloat!

“I have good news,” he said. “I have looked at the sky. A rocket is coming to take us all home. It will be here in the early morning.”

– Chapter 23 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Today Jérémy is writing to you, as Marie must focus on her health. Hopefully, she will be back very soon, and in perfect shape, to narrate our chronicles here much better than I will ever do. In the meantime, Alice and Corentin have accompanied her on her way to the Earth, where she can have surgery.

I must say that it was a solemn moment to see them leave, early in the morning, all equipped with their luggage and their determination. As there were only four of us left at the Mars Desert Research Station, I could not help but think about the pioneers of space exploration. Those who ventured into space alone, or on the surface of the Moon with only one fellow crewmember. Alone in front of the Universe, far away from home.

Quentin and Alexandre mentioned how big the station now seemed, as the four of us were gathered on the Upper Deck. Only then did I fully realize that the operations would become slightly more difficult. Indeed, for safety’s sake, we make sure that at least two of us remain in the Hab at all times. Everyone thus had to change their habits, like Adrien who watered the crops earlier than usual so that he could be at the Hab during this morning’s EVA. It was supposed to be a routine activity, as Quentin and I simply had to change the batteries and retrieve the data of our atmospheric instruments. However, even the easiest tasks feel more complex in this context.

This being said, it was also very interesting for everyone to get the opportunity to experience different roles: As both the Commander (myself) and the Executive Officer (Quentin) were in EVA, we gave the responsibility of the station to Alexandre. With the Health & Safety Officer away from the campus, his duties have been handed over to me. And we all gathered our energy to write the requested daily reports.

Replacing some time dedicated to scientific activities with other tasks often feels a bit frustrating, but that’s how it is: we need to keep all the systems running, while ensuring that no useless risk is taken. Onboard the International Space Station, only half of the schedule is dedicated to science, while the rest consists of operational tasks!

When there is already more than enough to keep a crew of seven people busy, one may think that it must be difficult to share this workload between only four crewmembers. However, I think that we have all learnt a lot from each other and ensured that there were enough redundancies so that any subset of four crewmembers would have managed to keep our basic operations up and running. I must say that I feel very proud about this: it is not a success of some individual crewmembers, but a success of the whole team!

During the past few weeks, we often talked about the fact that, when all gathered around the table, we always had the feeling that there were not enough people and that someone was missing. It is a very strange feeling, but we had to count to make sure that the seven of us were actually there. Now I let you imagine how it feels with only four crewmembers left! As it was already dark and I was climbing the stairs towards the Upper Deck, I almost felt the isolation of the old lighthouse keeper. It is quite romantic to see it this way, but it is only one out of many parallels that you can draw between space and the sea, and it is no coincidence that the European module of the International Space Station is called Columbus.

Like sailors at sea, far from the daily stimuli that the world has to offer, we also feel a bit more affected by some events. For instance, in the afternoon we noticed with pain that the leaves of the tomato crops were starting to turn yellow, as the temperature within the GreenHab was reaching about 40°C/100°F. Even worse: the lifeless body of one of our eight fishes was found in the aquaponics system. In such a restricted group, we quickly get attached to the simplest things. I am not sure whether this event would have had such an effect on the Earth. Here, I can ensure you that we will mourn the passing of this poor creature for quite a while! Adrien has tested the water quality to investigate the potential reason behind this unfortunate event. Nothing seems wrong so far, we will keep you posted.

But please let me finish this report on a positive note. As I am writing this, one of our two moons is magnificently rising in the sky, and I just learnt that the surgery of Marie went smoothly. She woke up from anesthesia and will soon take the shuttle back to the station with the two other crewmembers. Only when you lose something important, you truly understand how valuable it is to you. And God knows we missed all of them during this very long day!

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