Operations Report – February 12th

MDRS Supplemental Operations Report 12-FEB-2020 (Updated)

Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert

Reason for Report: Routine Update/Return to campus

Non-nominal systems: Generator

Action is taken for non-nominal systems: Currently on a rental generator.

We determined that the generating unit has failed in the generator.
Because it has been replaced before (and it about half the price of a
new generator) and the engine has over 18K hours, we will be replacing the generator. The plan is to keep the rental for another month while finding a 10K replacement generator that is extended use and is compatible with the power system’s autostart. The power system itself is nominal.

Generator check, note if oil and coolant added: Checked levels on the
rental, all are nominal at this time.

ScienceDome AC unit, on and operational: Still not operational.

Solar— running nominally, solar throughout the day and generator
backup usually on 12 hours a night

Diesel Reading – not checked
Propane Reading – not checked
Ethanol Free Gasoline – not checked

Water (director’s tank) – not checked
Water (static tank) – not checked
Water (GreenHab) – not checked
Water (loft) – not checked
Static to Loft Pump used – n/a
Water Meter: n/a

Toilet tank emptied: n/a

Deimos rover used: Yes. Repairs completed. This rover has new
batteries which need to be used 30 times before they are fully
charged. This rover can now be used by crews as long as:

1. Rover is not taken out as the only rover
2. Rovers still return to station when the first one reaches 60 %
3. Keep an eye on the charge throughout the EVA. If you see a quick drop in the charge (say from 70 to 40 % in a few seconds) come home immediately.
4. You can take the rover out with just one person in each rover
while this rover is fully charging its batteries.

Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: yes

Sojourner rover used: nominal
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: yes

Spirit rover used: nominal
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:

Currently charging: yes. This rover now has the metal parts that
ripped the spacesuits covered. It is a good plan and we will cover
the others as soon as possible.

Opportunity rover used: Still has the brake issue and should not be
used until I work things out with the repair shop who failed to make
the repair. Other than the brake issue, it is nominal.

Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: nominal.
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: yes

Notes and action took on rovers: I changed the power cord that was
being used to charge Opportunity. It was missing its grounding prong.
In addition, I secured both charging ports at the RAM so the plug is
protected.

Monthly check and fill of rover batteries: Not done at this time.
ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3): 350.1 is the only ATV
operating nominally. The 300 is still in town. 350.2 has a safety
issue with the damaged handlebars and currently does not have a
battery. 350.2 and the Honda have low batteries

Reason for use: Started and checked for operations
Oil Added? No
ATV Fuel Used: 0 Gals
# Hours the ATVs were Used: n/a

Notes and action took on ATVs: I have the jumper cables from the Hab and will work on them tomorrow. I’m also going to try to adjust the handlebars on the damaged rover.

HabCar running? If used, why, where? Yes, used for trips to town. It
has the wrong battery in it (it’s the battery is currently on the
generator) and it is filthy. Needs new jumper cables and its plastic
shovel for mud

CrewCar running, If used why, where? Currently in GJ. Needs to be
returned to complete repairs that were not completed last time it was
in the shop (Atila, please confirm)

Campus-wide inspection, if an action is taken, what and why? Mostly nominal.
Small diesel spill at the tank has gotten larger and will need
remediation. The leak has been stopped. Rockpile in front of Hab has
been removed. Looks great. Someone has created a new and incorrect route to deliver water than goes between the Hab and the observatory and solar array. In the future, the correct route needs to be used.

Evidence of rodents, where and action is taken: Two rodents caught in Hab and released. Crews need to make sure all food is in cupboards and the kitchen is clean every night. There is evidence that a rodent was in my trailer, but apparently they have moved out.

Summary of internet: All three accounts nominal. Suggest replacement of wifi box in Hab (I can never remember which is the router and which is the modem)

Summary of suits and radios: Four yellow radios were added to the
crew supply. Two were from the ScienceDome originally so only two new ones were added. Radios are the most replaced item on campus. Did not check the suits.

Summary of Hab operations: Nothing to report at this time as the crew is in sim

Summary of Outpost operations: The discharge plumbing to the intern
trailer has been installed. However, the replacement of dirt is still a
work in progress and needs to be completed.

Summary of GreenHab operations: New seed bank can and additional seeds
were added to the GreenHab. Nothing else to report as the crew is in
sim at this time.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Dual split still not completed.
The incubator is non-functional due to a failure in its digital chip.
Crews will need to use the oven for an incubator. Additional soil
needs to be banked up and over the cement foundation outside to
protect the interior floor from water damage.

Summary of RAM operations: The wiring issue at the charging stations has been completed. There is new damage to the top of the outer airlock door and no one seems to know how it happened.

Summary of any observatory issues: A cord was replaced by Atila and
Peter and both observatories are in good shape.

Summary of health and safety issues: The stove was installed with part of the changeover from natural gas to propane not completely done.

The crew identified the problem and it has been corrected. Stove
operations are now nominal.

List and summary of projects: Now that I am back on campus, I will be
working with Marc and Mike from Crew 216 to rework the MDRS map.
I’m excited about this project!

Questions, concerns, supplies needed and requests: Nothing at this time.

Journalist Report – February 13th

Crew 221 Journalist Report 13Feb2020

Author: Hemani Kalucha, Crew Journalist

Sol 11

Title: Almost at the End

This morning, we got the program of the rover to function! In the afternoon, the all-girl (Maria, Hemani, Jess) EVA team headed out to test the rover at Candor Chasma. We got some adorable pictures of the rover picking up samples under overhang rocks. After celebrating our last EVA, the crew plans to spend one of our last evenings together with games and good conversation.

EVA Report – February 12th

Crew 221 EVA Report 12Feb 2020
EVA # 11

Author: Maria Grulich (Commander)

Purpose of EVA: We will be performing the deployment of a dipole antenna and document the whole process. The antenna will be deployed near to the habitat with radio instruction from the team that performed the procedure in the previous day.

Start time: 10:40 am
End time: 12:30 pm

Narrative:

Crew commander M. Grulich, Crew Journalist H. Kalucha, and Crew Greenhab Officer J. Todd went out to see how easy it is for an untrained crew to install the antenna of Crew Engineer L. Monge. The weather was great, and the team found a metal pool for the first installation site, which was still in communication range to the hab where L. Monge was crew support.

The installation went smoothly within a record time of 15 min so the team decided to go for another site where there was no support structure. The location was a rock formation where the pole could be locked to install the antenna, showing that such a concept could be done on Mars.

On the way back, the team of three carried all the equipment back and lost “Fuzz” our mascot that we took out for outreach videos. This resulted in a rescue walk back as Fuzz feels like a real crew member now and was actually found. Everyone was relieved.

The team is preparing an MDRS dance video and the EVA team spent 15 min on shooting some parts of it so stay tuned. The EVA crew was back at 12:30, meeting some Martians fixing the diesel leak.

Destination: close to the habitat

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): close to the habitat

Participants: Maria Grulich (Commander), Hemani Kalucha (Crew Journalist), Jessica Todd (GreenHab Officer)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: None

Mode of travel: Walking

Vehicles used: N/A

Sol Summary – February 12th

Crew 221 Sol Summary Report 12Feb-2020

Sol:10

Summary Title: Robot vs Human

Author’s name: Maria Grulich, M.Sc.

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Update since last Sol summary: The crew finally managed to have one games night which made everyone happy. Still in the wish list – movie night and dance night.

Today we reconvened for breakfast, enjoying good conversations before preparing for our only EVA of the day!

Crew commander M. Grulich, Crew Journalist H. Kalucha and Crew Greenhab Officer J. Todd went out for an EVA to install the antenna of the crew engineer.

The antenna was installed in two different places without an issue showing that such an antenna could be deployed on Mars! On the way back, the EVA team lost Fuzz, our mascot, and had to go back and rescue him! He feels like a real team member right now and the crew was scared for a second and was glad when he was found again. The team also recorded some shoots for a dance video on the EVA that was also continued in the hab: stay tuned!

After the EVA the team took a little break before heading into the robot project which needed an operation on its heart, since the raspberry pi seemed to not have been configured appropriately. The robot had to be disassembled partially to reach the LAN cable which tested the patience of Crew Journalist, the crew commander and Crew Greenhab officer. After almost giving up and letting the robot win, Crew Engineer L. Monge came to the rescue with his external monitor and keyboard as the issue was that the country and wifi was not configured.

Finally, the team saw some progress. The second batch of the microbiology samples also showed sign of microbes.

Tonight, we will have the last cultural night, Germany, and the crew commander prepared “Knödel mit Soße” and brought the most famous drink of Germany… “Apfelsaftschorle” which is apple juice with gas, a much-loved drink in Germany besides beer! Also, the crew will experience the Cologne Catherdal with VR glasses.

Anomalies in work: None

Update mouse in hab: no new mouse caught

Weather: sunny light winds

Crew Physical Status: Crew with knee issues is feeling better, some crew members experience worsened sore throats

Reports to be filed:

Sol Summary

Photo Report

Operations Report

Journalist Report

GreenHab Report

EVA Request

EVA Report 11

Journalist Report

Support Requested: None

GreenHab Report – February 12th

Crew 221 GreenHab Report 12FEB2020

GreenHab Officer: Jessica Todd

Environmental control: Heating. GreenHab door shade cloth (40%) (30%) on. Door opened today from 1:20 pm to 5:20 pm.

Average temperatures: 26°C

Hours of supplemental light: 19:30 to 00:00

Daily water usage for crops: 8.98 gallons

Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0.53 gallon

Water in Blue Tank: 169.3 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: 1

Changes to crops: We planted some fresh lettuce, chamomile and mint! A new cucumber is growing on one of the plants. Also, the avocado seed has sprouted but there’s a prickly leafy plant also growing in the pot. Do I have permission to remove it? It’s definitely not avocado.

Narrative: Today we planted some more lettuce, since we’ve harvested quite a bit this mission. We also planted some chamomile and mint so the next crew can make some lovely fresh tea! Our corn is growing nicely, we now have corn growing out of purely Martian soil. Unfortunately no progress for our mungbeans, apparently they don’t like Mars.

Harvest: 21g Rosemary, 26g Butter lettuce, 2g Oregano, 1g Basil, 2g Chives.

Support/supplies needed: NA

Other Notes: Still a bit worried about the water level in the GreenHab tank (see previous GreenHab report). Please advise.

Journalist Report – February 12th

Crew 221 Journalist Report 12Feb2020

Author: Hemani Kalucha, Crew Journalist

Sol 10

Title: Hilarious Heads Up

This morning, the all girl (Maria, Hemani, Jess) EVA team headed out to complete radio assembly. The team successfully built the radio tower without help from HabCom in two different locations. After the mission objective was complete, the team made some pit stops on the way back to film their dance video, set to the music of “We Are Not Alone” from the move, the Breakfast Club. This will be used for outreach. The music fit perfectly, because we are trying to survive as life on Mars, and we are in a remarkably similar situation to the characters of the breakfast club – six strangers getting to know each other in a confined space.

After a yummy lunch, the girls got back into programming the robot, and with the help of Crew Engineer Luis, solved the software issue! This was such encouraging news, and we are hoping to test it out in the field tomorrow! Then GHO Jess and Hemani planted new crops in the Greenhab – Chamomile, Spearmint, and Lettuce. Before dinner, the crew played a little Heads Up, which lead to some hilarious charades. We are about to sit down to a dinner of delicious German cuisine and cultural night by our very own Commander!

Operations Report – February 12th

Crew 221 Operations Report 12Feb2020

SOL: 10

Name of person filing report: Luis D. Monge

Non-nominal systems:

Notes on non-nominal systems:

Generator: on (at 7:40 pm)

Hours run: 13:00

From what time last night: 7:40pm

To what time this morning: 7:00am

List any additional daytime hours when the generator was run : 0

Solar— SOC % (Before generator is run at night) 79%

Diesel Reading – 85%

Station Propane Reading – 50%

Ethanol Free Gasoline – N/A

Water (loft tank): 35 gallons

Water Meter: 148 units

Water (static tank) – 215 gals

Static to Loft Pump used – no

Water in GreenHab – 169.3 gals (water is probably lower than estimated, please refer to greenhab report)

Water in ScienceDome: 0 gallons

Toilet tank emptied: no

Deimos rover used: no

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging:

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR

Hours:

Beginning charge:

Ending charge:

Currently charging: yes

Spirit rover used: no

Hours: (before EVA) : 130.4

Beginning charge: (Before EVA) 100%

Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)

Currently charging: yes

Opportunity rover used: no

Hours: n/a

Beginning charge: n/a

Ending charge: n/a

Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: no

Hours: 136.6

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge:

Currently charging: yes

Notes on rovers:

ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3) not used

Reason for use: not used

Oil Added? not used

ATV Fuel Used: Gals not used

# Hours the ATVs were Used today: not used

Notes on ATVs:

HabCar used and why, where? not used

CrewCar used and why, where? not used

General notes and comments: not used

Summary of internet: operational

Summary of suits and radios: operational; 4 blue radios and

Summary of Hab operations: nominal.

Summary of GreenHab operations: operational, black corn experiment continues, now watered with 2l/day. watering of the plants carried out as per procedure

Summary of ScienceDome operations: one oven is operating in the lab, the incubator is non-functional, microbiology experiments going on and cultures are bieng grown in agar plates.

Summary of RAM operations: robot assembly almost completed and expected to continue, radio comunication experiment continued expected to finish tomorrow.

Summary of any observatory issues: nominal

Summary of health and safety issues: crew memeber with flu continues recovery.

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: nothing to report

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