Crew Photos – November 5th
EVA Report – November 5th
EVA # 9
Author: Cristina Vazquez Reynel, Crew Exec Officer and HSO
Purpose of EVA: Test Dronomy robot, experiment 3
Start time: 10am
End time: 12pm
Narrative: The crew took the robot Lazarus for a third trial behind MDRS station where the orography is very different from the previous test. The crew did 3 trials in a straight line and 3 trials in a square ending at the starting position. Cristina’s EVA suit ventilation stopped working and the crew had to come back to the station to change it.
Destination: Around MDRS station
Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 4251000-218000
Participants: Cristina Vazquez and Marta Ferran
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: N/A
Mode of travel: Walking
Commander Report – November 5th
Operations Report
SOL: 6
Name of person filing report: Laurène Delsupexhe
Non-nominal systems: EVA suits – fan not working properly
Notes on non-nominal systems: EVA suits – fan not working properly / Very low airflow
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: No
Hours: (before EVA)
Beginning charge: (Before EVA)
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently charging:
Opportunity rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Curiosity rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Perseverance rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
General notes and comments: N/A
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE:
Water (static tank): 312.1 gallons
Water (loft tank): N/A
Water Meter: N/A
Static to Loft Pump used – no
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): On
Static tank heater (On or off): On
Toilet tank emptied: no
Summary of internet: Nothing to report
Summary of suits and radios: EVA suits -> Fans very low
Summary of GreenHab operations:
WATER USE: 7.2 gallons
Heater: Off
Supplemental light: Off
Harvest: No
Summary of Science Dome operations:
Dual split: Heat or AC, Off
Summary of RAM operations: Welder
Summary of any observatory issues: N/A
Summary of health and safety issues: Two crew members have repetitive nose bleeding
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: N/A
Commander Report – November 25th
GreenHub Report
GreenHub Officer: Paula Peixoto Moledo
Environmental control: 18% Humidity
Average temperatures: 27ºC/36ºC /25ºC
Hours of supplemental light: N/A
Daily water usage for crops: 27,5L ≈ 7,2 Gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: None
Water in Blue Tank 72 gallons (it was wrong yesterday)
Time(s) of watering for crops: 9:30am – 8 pm
Changes to crops: None
Narrative: I watered the plants 2 times today as everyday since the beginning of the mission. Today I am going to harvest Microgreens to have a nice dinner with them!
Harvest: Microgreens
Support/supplies needed: None
Commander Report – November 5th
Commander Report
Sol: 6
Summary Title: Everything’s gonna be alright
Author’s name: Marta Ferran-Marqués, Commander and Crew Scientist
Mission Status: Nominal
Commander Report: Our crew woke up this morning at 8.30 am, one hour later than usual, as it is Saturday. For breakfast the crew had some handmade chocolate chip cookies and coffee. Later in the morning, Cristina and Marta went for an EVA around the MDRS Ridge. The purpose of the EVA was to continue the experiments with Lazarus, the visual odometry robot designed by Dronomy – a spin-off from Madrid, Spain. The crew compiled valuable data, making it a successful EVA. The views from the top of the Ridge were spectacular!
While Cristina and Marta were outside, Laurene had her Braided Communication session with her loved one and then helped Paula cleaning the Hab – good job girls! The Hab smells really good now!
In the afternoon, the crew repaired some connections from Lazarus’ robot in the RAM and then they went to the Science Dom to inspect some of the rocks picked at The Overlook during yesterday’s EVA. The crew will prepare a Mars’ map indicating the salinity of the soil in all the areas explored until now. The map will help understand the probability of growing plants in specific areas.
After a busy and stressful day writing all the reports, the crew relaxed and had dinner together – pizza night!
Sol Summary – November 5th
Sol Summary Report
Sol: 6
Summary Title: Stendhal Syndrome views on Mars!
Author’s name: Paula Peixoto Moledo, Crew Biologist and Crew Journalist
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary: Our crew woke up this morning at 8.30 am. We had some good coffee and some cookies prepared by the crew yesterday! Later in the morning Cristina and Marta went in their first on-foot EVA! They explore the surroundings of the station, a beautiful spot! And they also performed two different experiments with Lazarus, the robot by Dronomy. Both experiments were successful, and the EVA Crew took some amazing pics! Meanwhile, Laurene and Paula cleaned a little bit of the Hab.
Early in the afternoon, the crew fixed some issues with Lazarus in the RAM. Afterward, they went to the Science Building to explore some samples that the crew took from the 2 last EVAs. They came up with an idea to explore the soil around the station.
Later, the crew had a lot of reports to fill so they put themselves hands-on to finish by 7 pm!
Then Paula went to the Green Hab to maintain the plants and to harvest the crew’s first plants! Microgreens!
After a nice day in Mars, the crew cooked together a special dinner – PIZZA with our newly harvested microgreens!
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow Paula and Laurene are planning to explore the spot that Cristina and Marta explored today (Should be amazing). And the Crew is going to have a peaceful day – It is also Sunday on Mars!
Anomalies at work: Some of the fans from the EVA suits are not working properly (Very low airflow).
Weather: Sunny, 13 °C
Crew Physical Status: Good
EVA: 1
Reports to be filed:
· Sol Summary Report from 5Nov2022
· Commander Report
· GreenHab Report
· Operations Report
· EVAs Reports
· HSO Report
· EVA Request
· Weekly Research Report
Support Requested: Thank you Mission Support !
Supplemental Operations Report June 16th
Supplemental Operations Report 16 June 2022
Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert
Reason for Report: Routine/Astronomy Team visit
Non-nominal systems: None
Action taken for non-nominal systems: N/A
Generator: Offline and locked for the summer
ScienceDome Dual Split: On. AC at 76 degrees F to cool power system.
Solar— Operating 24/7
Solar— Nominal
Notes on power system: Balanced for summer.
Propane Reading, station tank – 76 %
Propane Reading, director tank— 64 %
Propane Reading, intern tank— 76 %
Propane Reading, generator— 78 %
Ethanol Free Gasoline – 0 gallons.
Water (Outpost tank) – 75 gallons
Notes on rovers: All rovers have been moved to town for the summer.
Notes on ATVs: All atvs have been stored onsite for summer
HabCar used and why, where? Yes, to town for water. Shifting column sometimes need to be pushed and held in an upward position in order for car to start. This has just happened and will need to be repaired before crew use in the fall. Also, the two passenger doors are not unlocking all the time.
CrewCar used and why, where? Yes, to Grand Junction to transport Martian Bio crew to return home. I am seeing increased instances when the power steering is not working when you first start moving. In addition, the fan in the heat/AC unit is extremely loud and part of the dash, including the radio has no power. The power switch for the glitchy window has broken and once I got the window to roll up, I left it that way for the summer. These things need to be repaired before crew use in the fall.
Luna used and why, where? No. Luna is not on campus until fall.
Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why? Everything is secure except the Hab which the Astronomy Team will secure when they leave.
General notes and comments: Summer is hot!
Summary of general operations: We had a school visit on Tuesday and the astronomy team arrived on Wednesday and leaves on Saturday. This will be the last of our field season’s official schedule.
Summary of internet: Starlink currently operational at the Hab. The Astronomy Team will unplug it and move the dish inside for the summer.
Summary of suits and radios: Radios stored for the summer. Batteries are in the ScienceDome. Spacesuits with NorCal Chapter for summer.
Summary of Hab operations: All food has been removed for the summer. Rodenticide to be placed on upper and lower decks when the Astronomy Team leaves. They will be at the Hab until Saturday and I have given them a list of the remaining things they need to do to shut down the Hab when they leave. A new lock will be installed.
Summary of Outpost operations: Intern trailer windows have been covered inside with reflective bubble wrap. Rodenticide placed under kitchen sink and in storage compartment. Locked. My trailer will be shut down and locked when I leave. Rodenticide has been placed under my kitchen counter. Both toilet tanks emptied.
Summary of GreenHab operations: Shutdown for the summer. No rodenticide is in this building.
Summary of ScienceDome operations: AC on to 76 degrees F. Window covered and building shut down for the summer. New lock installed. Rodenticide placed under the sink just in case any rodents are in there.
Summary of RAM operations: Shut down for summer. New lock installed. All power has been turned off. Rodenticide placed in an open plastic container by the roll up door.
Summary of any observatory issues: Operational once again!
Summary of health and safety issues: Rodenticide has been placed in all buildings for the summer. In most cases it is safe from domestic animals, but should be checked and any remaining material removed at the beginning of the field season in October.
Supplemental Operations Report June 11th
Supplemental Operations Report 11 June 2022
Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert
Reason for Report: Routine, but one day early/Martian Bio crew’s last day
Non-nominal systems: None
Action taken for non-nominal systems: N/A
Generator: Offline (for the most part.)
ScienceDome Dual Split: On AC at 74 degrees F during the heat of the day. Off at night. Will change to on 24/7 Sunday, June 12th
Solar— Operating 24/7
Solar— Nominal
Notes on power system: Nothing to report.
Propane Reading, station tank – not noted %
Propane Reading, director tank— not noted %
Propane Reading, intern tank— not noted %
Propane Reading, generator—not noted %
Ethanol Free Gasoline – 0 gallons.
Water (Outpost tank) – 300 gallons
Sojourner rover used: yes
Hours: 172.2
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 80
Currently charging: yes
Curiosity rover is at 195.3 hours, charge is 93%.
Spirit rover is at 185.9, charge is 91%.
Percy is at 243.2 hours, charge is 82%.
Oppy overheated on the way to town, hours unknown but still under 100, charge is 94%.
Notes on rovers: All rovers have been moved to town for the summer.
ATV’s Used: (Honda, 350.1, 350.2, 300): Nothing to report
Reason for use: n/a
Oil Added? No.
ATV Fuel Used: 0 gallons
# Hours the ATVs were Used: 0 hours
Notes on ATVs: nothing to report
HabCar used and why, where? Yes, to town and Martian Bio study sites.
CrewCar used and why, where? Yes, to study sites for Martian Bio crew
Luna used and why, where? No. Luna is not on campus until fall.
Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why? Not done
General notes and comments: nothing to report
Summary of general operations: Winding down the season and getting things ready for the shutdown.
Summary of internet: Nothing to report
Summary of suits and radios: Radios and chargers have been stored on the lower deck in a cabinet. Batteries are in the lab so they will not overheat in the summer.
Summary of Hab operations: Crew food has been removed for the summer and all remaining food will be removed on Sunday.
Summary of Outpost operations: Intern trailer windows have been covered inside with reflective bubble wrap.
Summary of GreenHab operations: Nothing to report.
Summary of ScienceDome operations: AC on to 74 degrees F. Almost ready for shutdown.
Summary of RAM operations: Ready for shutdown
Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report
Summary of health and safety issues: It’s very hot.
Supplemental Operations Report May 11th
(Sent to the webteam for posting as well)
Supplemental Operations Report 11 May 2022
Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-nominal systems: The wind. It is broken. It will not stop.
Action taken for non-nominal systems: Even I know better than to try to stop the wind. I ain’t no Marvel superhero. Sadly.
Generator: Offline
ScienceDome Dual Split: Off
Solar— Operating 24/7
Solar— Nominal
Notes on power system: nothing to report
Propane Reading, station tank – 79 %
Propane Reading, director tank— 78 %
Propane Reading, intern tank— 68 %
Propane Reading, generator—55 %
Ethanol Free Gasoline – 0 gallons.
Water (Outpost tank) – 500 gallons
Sojourner rover used: no
Hours: not noted
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 100
Currently charging: yes
Notes on rovers: I am using Percy to hold down some of the tarps I removed. I just piled them up and rolled the rover on top of them. They are staying put.
ATV’s Used: (Honda, 350.1, 350.2, 300): 350.1 reinstalled as an additional sign for no trespassing at the entrance to the station
Reason for use: Hoping to stop trespassing
Oil Added? No.
ATV Fuel Used: 0 gallons
# Hours the ATVs were Used: 0 hours
Notes on ATVs: Nothing to report
HabCar used and why, where? Yes, to town
CrewCar used and why, where? no
Luna used and why, where? no
Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why? Nothing to report
General notes and comments: Removing the tarps continues when the wind allows, hoping to complete this on Thursday, as we have been promised no wind.
Summary of general operations: Outside work has been seriously hindered by wind.
Summary of internet: Nothing to report
Summary of suits and radios: If we have no wind tomorrow, I will be packing the suits in the van for delivery to Scott and the Norcal chapter.
Summary of Hab operations: Nothing to report
Summary of Outpost operations: Most of the interior lights in my trailer were switched out from the old school dangerous lightbulbs to wonderfully bright LED lights today. We were unable to determine where the electrical issue is in the east tipout and will continue with that when the remainder (4) of the lights arrive. In addition, a new hardwired propane alarm was installed, making my trailer just a little bit safer. I will deploy the plug-in propane alarm on the upper deck of the Hab, since I no longer need it over here. The mattress took out even more of the fence.
Summary of GreenHab operations: The door has been damaged on the side that has the handle and you need to push in the door edge trim before it fits properly. At some point, it was left open and the wind has damaged it.
Summary of ScienceDome operations: I installed the reflective insulation in the window today. I will stay using the dual split for AC starting tomorrow. Then I will check it for balance when I return from my trip to deliver the suits.
Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report
Summary of any observatory issues: Removed the cameras from both telescopes and located the filter rings. Cameras are packed and ready to be sent in the mail tomorrow. I tried to add the power system monitor to the observatory internet but all the ethernet ports are being used so I need to get a splitter to install it. This needs to be done before summer, so I can monitor the power while we are not operational.
Summary of health and safety issues: I’m currently nursing an ankle from a fall that happened well over a month ago, a shoulder from installing the fence and a wrist from the wind trying to kill me with the rear airlock door.
[end]
Final Mission Summary – Crew 265
Crew 265 – Mars Society
Crew Commander/Cartographer: Marc Levesque (United States)
Executive Officer/Crew Engineer: David Laude (United States)
Crew Engineer/Health and Safety Officer: Sergii Iakymov (Ukraine)
Crew Journalist: Sarah Treadwell (United States)
Mapping Technician: Benino Blanco (Mexico)
Mapping Technician: Isai Licea (United States)
The overall objectives of Crew 265 projects were to assess potential improvements to Mars Desert Research Station operations, increase its media awareness, and assess the quality of station batteries. Projects included testing a new radio communications system, updating the EVA planning map, tracking energy consumption, analyzing equipment device batteries, and increasing social media presence. The crew’s daily priority was to maintain and operate MDRS facilities, vehicles, and equipment in a safe manner. Below is a summary of accomplishments during the mission.
Radio Communications Project
Marc Levesque, Commander/Cartographer
Communications between the Hab and EVA teams normally use small handheld radios on a UHF channel of the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). These radios rely upon line-of-sight, radio-to-radio communications, also known as simplex. Previous MDRS crews have noted a loss of communications between the Hab and EVA teams when the latter have traveled into areas beyond hills that block transmissions and reception, a common issue with UHF frequencies and line-of-sight communications in such terrain. The focus of this project was to test a radio system using handheld VHF radios and a cross-band (VHF/UHF) repeater established on North Ridge. This allowed the Hab to continue using the same UHF radios and channel as they normally would, while EVA teams used more powerful VHF handheld radios to transmit and receive through the repeater.
During MDRS 265, the project radio system was tested during 10 EVAs, collecting 60 data points to record voice transmission quality at the Hab on both the VHF radios through the repeater and a UHF GRMS channel via simplex. A simple coding system was developed for quantifying the clarity of radio reception: 3 = Clear and readable, little or no background noise; 2 = Readable with some background noise; 1 = Unreadable; and 0 = No contact. Using GIS, these points were plotted on a digital map for review and analysis. From the preliminary data collected, it was clearly demonstrated that the handheld VHF radios operating through the repeater allowed EVA teams to maintain clear radio communications with the Hab in all areas normally visited by MDRS crews. Additionally, when using high-gain antennas, the VHF radios continued to do so in more remote or deeper areas where there has been poor or no contact with previous EVA teams using UHF radios. A full report with analysis, maps, and recommendations will be provided to the MDRS Station Director once all the data has been further organized and reviewed.
EVA Planning Map
Marc Levesque, Benino Blanco and Isai Licea, Mapping Technicians
The purpose of this project was to update and improve the MDRS EVA planning map to reflect current road conditions, points of interest, and cartographic elements to aid future crews in their EVA planning. During MDRS 265, all major roads and areas were reached by rover or on foot to capture this information. At the end of the mission, the mapping team met with the Station Director to review the information and to plan post-mission cartographic updating. This work builds upon the GIS files initially developed by Henrik Hargitai and others from 2006 to 2016 to create the current EVA map. To leverage time in the field, the mapping project EVAs ran run concurrently with radio communications testing. After a review of the collected data by the Station Director, a map will be generated post-mission for final evaluation.
Smart Home Technologies for an Analog Mars Habitat.
Sergii Iakymov, Crew Engineer
The project goal was to implement Smart Home technologies during a Mars analog simulation at MDRS. We studied how automated technologies could improve daily life at the station, how much time it would free up for the crew, and how it would help ground control to collect data from the station. To conduct this study, we used a Smart Home server, control terminal, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, air pressure sensors, door sensors, smart plugs, smart light control, and remote controls.
During the first phase of two days duration, we observed crew dynamics and how they used the station systems. During the second phase, we installed the following:
- Upper Deck, one crew quarters: Smart light with multiply remote switches
- Upper deck, living area: one Smart bulb, with remote switch
- Upper deck, living area: Smart Home server with its own Wi-Fi, access terminal
- Lower deck: door sensors on each airlock door
- Lower deck: Smart bulbs with remote switches and motion sensors
During phase two, crew training was conducted on how to use Smart Home systems. Feedback from the crew was received and implemented, if possible. At the end of the mission, all devices were removed from the station. An extensive report will be provided after all the data have been reviewed.
Battery Testing
Dave Laude, Executive Officer/Engineer
The many portable devices at MDRS use batteries, all with finite life and various ages, resulting in some device failures for nearly every crew. For this project a battery analyzer was used to test all suspect failed EVA suits and all operating radio batteries. All batteries installed in EVA suits were tested in parallel by charging to full and then running the fans continuously, checking battery voltage at time intervals for up to four hours. Following the tests, labels were attached to each radio battery and suspect EVA suit batteries, indicating a date of test, battery capacity, and “good”, “fair” or “failed”. All results were sent to mission support.
The following tasks were accomplished:
- Tested all suspect failed EVA suit batteries. All failed.
- Tested all in-situ EVA suit batteries. Two failed.
- Tested all radio batteries for capacity and attached result labels. None were in failed condition.
- Full results published in Ops Report.
Additional engineering accomplishments:
- Made Hab furnace operational on Sol 0.
- Guided co-engineer on repairing a suit battery charger and EVA suit charger ports.
- Submitted EVA suit design recommendations.
- Developed method of accurate non-water contact measurement of static tank remaining water volume.
Social Media Presence
Sarah Treadwell, Crew Journalist
Over the course of the mission, I captured videos and photos of the crew. Some of this content was released during the mission, others are still in the finishing stages of editing and will be released post mission. As part of my crew responsibilities, I also wrote a daily journalist report and submitted official photos gathered from myself and fellow crew members.
I was able to obtain and post a video of a layman’s explanation of our crew’s mission by the Commander Levesque. I didn’t gather quite as many crew interviews as I had originally hoped, particularly from him, but I anticipate following up post sim to add to my project and possibly do a feature piece on our commander.
In terms of writing, I will be submitting some pieces to both Blue Marble Space Institute of Science and to the Mars Society. I hope to particularly focus on the psychological experience of being here, as I don’t know if it’s possible to fully articulate and encapsulate thoughts while in sim, especially for me. I had some unique mental challenges I didn’t expect, and I’m eager to process and write about them.
As of Wednesday, May 4th, these are the analytics I could pull from my socials:
- Twitter – Unfortunately I do not have professional analytics yet available to me there, but I estimate approximately 500+ interactions/impressions from posts there. The Mars Society also shared my posts on this platform, which I cannot track.
- Instagram – 1,115 impressions, an 83.8% interaction increase since arriving here.
- YouTube – 175 views since arrival on videos, with total watching time equating to 5 hours, a 994% increase. (I don’t post there often.)
- Facebook – Approximately 1,600 direct impressions. This does not include shares by both individuals and the MDRS Facebook page and the Mars Society social media outlets.
- TikTok – over 22,000 video views and nearly 500 new followers since arrival.
There will undoubtedly be more follows/shares/likes as time goes on. I will continue to post videos and pictures post mission. I also have not taken into consideration interactions with my website in these metrics. My hope is to compile post mission a summary written piece, with an emphasis on Marc’s story, to submit to a major publication (ex: Scientific American, National Geographic, Discovery, etc.) with the assistance of Blue Marble Space.
Finally, Crew 265 wishes to express its deep appreciation to The Mars Society for being selected to serve in a mission at MDRS and for the support it received from CapComs and especially Station Director Rupert. It is our hope that we performed well and helped to improve future MDRS operations and media presence.
Submitted by:
Marc Levesque
Crew 265 Commander
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