Mission support is signing off.
Please see below received reports status:
| Sol Summary | Received |
| Journalist Report | Received |
| GreenHab Report | Received |
| Operations Report | Received |
| EVA Report | Received (2) |
| Photos (6-8 pics) | Received |
| EVA Request | Approved |
________________________
Ben Stanley – Site ManagerMars Desert Research Station
435.229.3475
[category science-report]
Mid-Mission Research Report – Crew 297
Progress of Crew Research Projects:
Title: Simulated Deployment of a Nuclear Power System: Logistics and Operational Challenges
Principal Investigator: Matthew Lynch
Current Progress: After some initial challenges with coordinating our "hide and seek" strategy of the NPS due to technical errors in converting between GPS datums, the remaining work for this project has had repeated success. Both Teams A & B have each had a successful "seek" EVA twice, using numerous search strategies. So far the most successful strategy has been the "High-point" method, in which seekers ascend local high elevation points and observe their immediate vicinity, repeating until the NPS is found. The second most successful strategy has been the "sweep method" in which EVA members stand a good distance apart (100-200 feet) and sweep through the search area together. Hiding the NPS has also been successful as it has given ample opportunity to study the Martian environment for interesting geological sites, as well as possible excavation sites for the NPS. There also has been two success instances of burying the NPS. Both attempts used the same tools and general method, but had significantly different terrain. Our initial results have shown that the actual excavation rate varies from 30 cubic feet an hour in challenging terrain, to 53 cubic feet an hour in near-ideal terrain. Digging crew’s have utilized a 1-on/X-off work strategy, where 1 crew member works at a time at a rigorous pace, while the remaining crew members rest, frequently switching positions. This has been done with 2 and 4 person crews, a normalization study may be done later to help account for digging rates between crews of different sizes.
Title: Advancing Planetary Mineralogical Analysis: Evaluating the Usability of Portable Gamma Ray Spectroscopy during Martian Operations
Principal Investigator: Sarah Lamm
Current Progress: This research is testing the practicality and feasibility of a portable Gamma-Ray Spectrometer in the field. For this study we are using a RS-125 Gamma-Ray Spectrometer, which is 25.9x 8.1x 9.1cm at 2 kg, with a rubberized grip, and dust protected, one button operation, and sound loud enough to be heard in a helmet over a fan. The assay was set at the standard 120 seconds, reading wt% of radioactive potassium (K), and ppm of uranium (U) and thorium (Th).
Stop 1: At 12S 518065 4250003 we ran initial Gamma-Ray Spectrometer readings of the tan and red regolith. The mounds of this region are unconsolidated fine grain clay minerals with desiccation cracks. The potassium amount in the red regolith was about double of the potassium in the tan region. Based on the Th/U ratio, it shows that the red regolith was oxidized, which makes sense based on the other observations and the red coloring is likely from iron oxides-stained clay minerals. The Th/K ratio indicates that the clay minerals inside both regolith are likely smectite.
Stop 2: At Robert’s Rock Garden (12S 518278 4249467), further south than Stop 1, we observed conglomerates that were from a higher layer, that had fallen due to lower layers being eroded away. The conglomerates are poorly sorted from gravel to sand size, clast supported, and likely a silica matrix (Figure 1). The K, U, and Th amounts were significantly below the average amount in the previous region.
Stop 3: Further south from Robert’s Rock Garden at 12S 518819 4248714, we found an area that’s regolith looked redder from orbit than the surrounding region. Here we found red and white regolith. The red regolith (Figure 2- left side) had larger desiccation cracks than the white regolith (Figure 2- right side). The K in the red regolith was more than double the white, indicating that the K was likely leached out. The red regolith in this region did have a slightly higher Th/U ratio than the red regolith at Stop #1 indicating that this area likely had higher Redox change.
Gamma-Ray spectrometers seem to be practical as they can be small and durable enough to be used in the field with gloves and a space suit. Furthermore, they can give rapid assays of radioactive material in the field which can be used for determining lithology and past aqueous events but also things like risk of Radon gas for astronauts.
Title: A Toolset for Shared and Long-term Document Management and IT Operations
Principal Investigators: Sean Marquez & Matthew Storch
Current Progress: The WIDGIT project got off to a fast start, as Matt S & Sean were able to accomplish all of the following during our first day at MDRS:
Set up a local WiFi network 100% independent of the Internet
Get the WIDGIT server configured on that independent network, and accessible via NoMachine (as the monitor and keyboard we have available are only useful for rudimentary work)
Finish the configuration of 3 workspace sessions for crewmembers that did not have adequate hardware to run the workspace locally on their own laptops
Clone the notes repo for each of the server-based workspaces
At that point WIDGIT was in a usable state. However, as the mission got into full swing, the crew focused on EVAs and various other required tasks, and were also dealing with several power outages per day. Therefore we could not find enough time to conduct the crew’s WIDGIT training until Sol 4. Even then, only two crew members fully participated in the training while a third participated partially.
As of Sol 5, the two PIs and two other crew members are using the system. In particular, the GreenHab Officer has been pushing GreenHab reports into Dendron. The MDRS Handbook has also been incorporated into Dendron except for the Appendix. An additional use case is to use WIDGIT to write this Mid-mission Summary Report, thereby demonstrating that collaborative workflows can be accomplished on a purely local network.
Use cases for the remainder of the mission include crew members using WIDGIT for research notes and writing the final report. The PIs had originally envisioned additional use cases, such as running the FPrime data collection system for monitoring environmental conditions in the GreenHab on the same fully local network.
However, the reality is that WIDGIT has more overhead in terms of both learning and operations than conventional internet-based tools, and the crew already has an ambitious schedule for EVAs and other research projects. In addition, many other activities (cooking, cleaning, etc. while dealing with power outages) are taking more time than anticipated.
Title: MDRS IOT-Assisted Data Collection Using OSHW & OSS
Principal Investigator: Sean Marquez
Current Progress: Setting up the initial localized IT infrastructure (codename, WIDGIT) was successful as of Sol 1. However, due to the EVA schedule, cooking duties, GreenHab duties, and recurring power outages, there’s been little to no time to set up and configure the environmental sensors needed to collect environmental data from the GreenHab using FPrime. The plan is to continue to attempt to configure the sensors as the mission continues, if time permits.
Title: Use of Sonar for Measuring Water Tank Depth
Principal Investigator: David Laude
Current Progress: This research project would replace acquiring the distance of the static tank opening to the water surface with a ruler, for determining the remaining volume of water, to acquiring via an electronic sonar range finder device, specifically an LV-MaxSonar. The volume can subsequently be determined by the sensor’s output signal measured with a digital voltmeter (DVM) and then entered into a spreadsheet formula that calculates daily water usage and water remaining.
Initial testing on a nearly full tank did expose a problem. Inside the tank, near the top opening, there is a wide hose that spans across much of the top area. This hose interferes with measurement as one would expect. However, the hose lays mostly in the tank half closest to the Hab and placement of the device near the opposite side is all that’s needed for an accurate reading. As the tank lowers, more measurements will be needed to determine if accurate to near empty. Initially I had thought to further develop it, for a subsequent crew assignment, to indicate gallons remaining in a three digit display. However, now seeing the water usage spreadsheet with its input in units of inches, and output in gallons and average use, I believe it best for the final device to output in inches. This would also make it possibly usable with other different sized tanks, assuming different formula parameters.
Title: Robot Competency Self-Assessment at MDRS
Principal Investigator: Nicholas Conlon (at CU Boulder, on Earth – Pawel Sawicki supervising project at MDRS)
Current Progress: Despite suffering a couple of setbacks, the Robot Competency Self-Assessment study, involving Case, is still on track for a successful completion. The primary goal of this study is to understand how future astronauts involved with robotic applications rely on telemetry, map data, and intuition in order to infer how competent a robot will be within a given environment. Thus, fundamentally the goal here is to understand how the crew will utilize the rover, whether or not it is as fully functional as initially intended. One such nonconformance occurred prior to mission start, when the first-person view camera (not used to meet any of this research’s objectives) was not working due to a ssh public key authentication error on the connected Raspberry Pi. This issue persisted through the first set of EVAs. There have been two EVAs involved with Case so far: EVA #5 and EVA #8. EVA #5, occurring on Sol 4, involved fairly nominal operation of the rover. Although the rover would occasionally not reach Points of Interest (POI), this was easily overcome with manual override driving. Using synchronized manual and automated driving sequence, an adequate portion of the EVA area was captured on Case’s GoPro which will be post-processed post-mission to develop "Street view"-like imagery. EVA #8 on the other-hand did not have the same amount of luck, as Case was not able to connect to the local network. Troubleshooting efforts were futile.
Both anomalies of Case are being investigated and have a path forward to resolution. Since Case requires transporting a noteworthy amount of ground support equipment (GSE), local tests around the Hab will be first utilized until trust can be established in the reliability of Case. These local EVAs will allow for more efficient troubleshooting and off-set the missed time of EVA #8. Further, the crew has incorporated the available space on Case’s chassis, attaching a Geiger-Muller Counter which will be used to simulate an approach of the [inert] NPS, and ascertain the radioactivity around the Hab.
Mission support is signing off.
Please see below received reports status:
| Sol Summary | Received |
| Journalist Report | Received |
| GreenHab Report | Received |
| Operations Report | Received |
| EVA Report | Received |
| Photos (6-8 pics) | Received |
| EVA Request | Approved (2) |
________________________
Ben Stanley – Site ManagerMars Desert Research Station
435.229.3475
[category science-report]
Living on Mars
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 all the blood serum and saliva samples planned for the mission. The TAP micro device and the HemoCue worked very well. Concerning the salivary tests to study aMMP-8 using the ORALyzer, all 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. Additionally, we’ve gathered physiological data using the Oura ring, which tracks sleep quality and quantity, heart rate, heart rate variability, oxygen saturation, and body temperature. To ensure impartiality, we’ll analyze this data after the experiment concludes. We’ve also collected fecal samples and conducted 12-hour urine collections from all crew members, before and during the simulation and will collect a last one once back in Belgium. Furthermore, subjective sleep quality and stress levels were assessed through questionnaires (Perceived Stress Scale-4 and -10 items, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and PROMIS sleep disturbance) to further examine the relationship between physiological and behavioral measures. A self-assessment questionnaire assessing mood states and their fluctuations (POMS-f) was also administered at the beginning and the end of the simulation to assess these emotions over the experience. The questionnaire will be analyzed by our psychologist to know whether the effects of confinement (confined space and cut-off social networks) had an impact on mood states of the crew members. 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 a success, despite having suffered some setbacks. The station, nicknamed “Dusty,” was composed of a tripod and three sensitive trap cameras, and a Vantage Vue Weather station was 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 was very successful.The station transmitted data for 10 Sols, and was recovered after the end of the simulation on Sol 12.
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 and aim to improve this communication. 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. All the collection of data went smoothly. There was no problem with the AI and it was promptly accepted by the crew as the data collection went on. The results will be examined once back to Earth and in Belgium.
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. Despite a first non conclusive flight, all the others were a success. He then shifted his attention to processing the data acquired during these flights to identify potential enhancements for the next phase of the experiment, a second and precise data collection.
With refined data by optimizing the fight parameters and putting Ground Control Points (GCP) into the mapping process, Louis enhanced the different 3D models produced by the software. This last step corresponds to a major success for Louis’ experiment.
Romain:
Romain’s data collection for his experiment went smoothly. Those collections, which happened on Sol 1, 4, 8 and 12 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 hole in the middle of our Milky Way, SrgA*. I am going to determine if the approximation of a Schwartzsheild Black hole is precise enough or if we shouldn’t do that approximation and consider it as a Kerr Black hole.
[category
astronomy-report]
Name: Maxime Foucart
Crew: 296
Date: 08-04-2024
MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested (choose one) MDRS-WF
Objects to be Imaged this Evening: M100
Images submitted with this report: None
Problems Encountered: The website still shows Camera error
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: Eclipse, Prominences, Filament, Granules, Sunspots.
Images submitted with this report: Sun 240408 Eclipse and Sunspot,
Problems Encountered: A lot of clouds during the eclipse, so it was tricky to select the correct exposure as it was always changing. More pictures to come once I will have the time to process them all.
[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.
[category science-report]
Name of person filing report: Yves Bejach
Crew293 has completed their one-month-long rotation in the MDRS, conducting experiments while simulating life on Mars. We have done everything we could to make this simulation as accurate and relevant as possible. The current report aims to give the reader an understanding of what has been achieved.
This report is organized as follows:
– Overview of all the experiments conducted during our mission, as found in the Mission Plan sent on Sol1, reminded here for clarity, and updated with the experiments’ final status.
Physics
Two experiments from the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) have been performed at the MDRS for several years already. We are planning to gather additional data for this season as well. These activities will require EVAs.
· LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter): LOAC is an optical aerosol counter, measuring the concentrations of different particles in the air and classifying them by size.
Related EVAs: Two EVAs planned for the first week to install the device. Then, every two days, the batteries will have to be changed and the data will have to be collected. The latter procedures can be part of other EVAs. One final EVA conducted SOL26 to retrieve all the instruments.
External points of contact: Jean-Pierre Lebreton and Jean-Baptiste Renard, CNRS.
Point of contact within the crew: Lea Bourgély, Leo Tokaryev.
· Mega-Ares: Mega-Ares is a sensor precisely measuring the electric field and the conductivity of the air. It is the little brother of Micro-Ares, the only payload of the Schiaparelli lander (ExoMars 2016). This year we also installed a wind-mill that will give us aditionnal data.
Related EVAs: Same as LOAC.
External points of contact: Jean-Pierre Lebreton and Jean-Baptiste Renard, CNRS.
Point of contact within the crew: Lea Bourgely, Leo Tokaryev.
Status: The instruments have been installed north of the Station, between the Hab and Marble Ritual. They have been collecting data since then. These data are retrieved every two days or so, when we change the batteries that power them. Data samples were regularly sent to the PI for reviewing. The instruments worked properly for most of the mission, gathering atmospheric information that will be sent to the PI when we return to Earth.
Technology
Technology demonstrations are planned, one of them being the continuation of the two last missions of ISAE-Supaero (Crew 263 and 275). They are based on technologies developed by the French Space Agency (CNES) and its health subsidiary (MEDES).
· AI4U: AI4U is an AI tool designed to help and assist astronauts in their daily tasks (environmental measurements, voice recognition). The aim is to test this AI assistant in real or close-to-real scenarios.
Related EVAs: None.
External points of contact: Gregory Navarro and Laure Boyer, CNES.
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck.
Status: The first week was dedicated to the setup and troubleshoot of the software. Crew293 tested it out during Week2 and Week3. All raw data has been sent to the PI at the end of Week3 and a more detailed report will be sent after the mission.
· Echofinder: Onboard the ISS, ultrasound scanners are teleoperated by trained specialists. As we travel further away from Earth, communication delays will increase and teleoperated devices will no longer be usable. The goal of Echofinder is to enable autonomous ultrasound acquisition sessions without any knowledge in medicine and any communication link with an experienced sonographer. The Echofinder tool uses augmented reality and an AI to help the operator capture usable imagery of the subject’s organs.
Related EVAs: None.
External point of contact: Aristée Thévenon, MEDES.
Point of contact within the crew: Yves Bejach.
Status: Acquisition sessions have started on Sol 2 and have been conducted approximately every two Sols. The crew member conducting the session is taking notes on everything that goes well or not with the software, and the setup and is taking ultrasound images that are to be analyzed to see if Echofinder is efficient. Although there were more and more technical difficulties, sessions continued to take place until Sol25. Data will be sent to the PI after our return with a detailed report and we’ll meet with them to discuss the results.
· Photogrammetry: Re-conducting an experiment started by last year’s crew (Crew 275) which aims to determine how a 3D map created thanks to drone photogrammetry could improve an EVA crew’s performance during an outing.
Related EVAs: Three EVAs per week, starting the second week. The first one’s goal is to create the 3D map and decide where to position checkpoints on a designated area (one area per week). For the 2nd and 3rd ones, the EVA team will go to each checkpoint, having prepared the EVA using the standard 2D and 3D map respectively.
External point of contact: Alice Chapiron, ISAE Supaero student (Crew275)
Point of contact within the crew: Yves Bejach
Status: Started on Sol8 with an EVA aiming to create a 3D map of the East flank of North Ridge. Once the map was successfully created, two teams went out on different EVAs to go through designated checkpoints as efficiently as possible, having prepared with the 3D map and a classic 2D map respectively. The same procedure has been done Week2 in Candor Chasma and Week4 in Kissing Camel Ridge. Data has started to be processed; they will be discussed with the PI when we return to Earth. A detailed report is also in preparation to be sent to SpaceshipFR and Parrot, that lend us the drone we used.
· Neuroergonomy: Experiment aiming to evaluate the importance of vision compared to other senses in our perception of space.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Maelis Lefebvre, ISAE-Supaero
Point of contact within the crew: Leo Tokaryev
Status: Tests have been conducted every Thursday and Friday since the beginning of the mission. Data will be sent to the PI after our return to Earth.
Human factors
Human factors experiments are arguably the ones that benefit the more from taking place during an analog mission.
· Orbital Architecture: Measure of the stress of analog astronauts and of the influence of environmental parameters on the stress using Polar bands bracelets, sleep monitoring using Dreem headbands, questionnaires, evaluation of the position of the analog astronauts in the station, and environmental measurement (temperature, humidity, etc.).
Related EVAs: None.
External point of contact: Michail Magkos, KTH.
Point of contact within the crew: Lise Lefauconnier.
Status: The Crew has been conducting cognitive assessments regularly since the beginning of the mission. In parallel, we were carrying Polar bands that monitored our heart rate, and location tracking chips. All data will be sent to the PI after our return, with our daily activities performed and a sample of our Core Data (weight, oximetry, blood pressure…).
· MELiSSA:The MELiSSA project (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) is a European projected led by the European Space Agency (ESA) aiming at developing a highly circular and regenerative life support system for space missions. The ALiSSE methodology (Advanced Life Support System Alternative) was developed as part of the project to provide an impartial evaluation tool of each technology system, including mass, energy and power, efficiency, crew time, crew risk, reliability, and durability. The proposed activity within the MELiSSA project focuses on the operational aspects of preparing recipes from higher plants and aims for a preliminary evaluation of the "crew time" criterion.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Blandine Gorce, ESA
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck
Status: The Crew could try every planned recipe, with only the last one not possible because the resupply couldn’t provide everything that was needed. A detailed report has been written about every downfall and great things of each recipe as well as a global report. They will be sent to the PI after the mission.
· Trace Lab: The purpose of this research is to better understand the role that emotion and coping strategies have on team dynamics within ICE (Isolated, Confined, Extreme) teams. The findings from this study will aid in the understanding of the role of affect within teams operating in ICE conditions – something that has been highlighted as being important by researchers, Antarctic expeditioners, and astronauts. Experiment conducted in collaboration with Trace Lab, University of Florida.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Andres Kaosaar
Point of contact within the crew: Marie Delaroche
Status: The Crew has been filling out daily and weekly questionnaires since the beginning of the mission and until the end. All questionnaires will be sent to the PI after the mission.
· AMI – Anomalies Monitoring Interface: Software allowing random anomalies to occur within the station to simulate problems that could happen in a real environment and see how we could react. The main goal is to improve the simulation.
Related EVAs: Potential emergency EVAs in case of depressurization. It is worth noting that such emergencies cannot be mistaken for real ones, as it is not problem that can occur within our earthly MDRS.
External point of contact: Quentin Royer, ISAE Supaero student (Crew275)
Point of contact within the crew: Marie Delaroche
Status: The beta version of AMI has been running since Week2, enabling the Crew to monitor the power distribution of the station and handle alarms and malfunctions. An emergency EVA occurred on Sol24 to repair the tunnel to the Science Dome that had been damaged by the wind, enabling us to test the interface all the while performing a meaningful action outside the station. The PI was in contact with the Crew by email throughout the mission, exchanging back and forth on upgrades. A detail report will be written and discussed to improve the software for future missions.
· Timepercept: Subjective time perception in confined environments, such as isolation or imprisonment, often leads to a distortion of time experience. The phenomenon is significant in understanding the psychological effects of confinement and has implications for mental health management in isolated or controlled settings like space missions or solitary confinement. Experiment conducted with the University of Krakow.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Mateusz Daniol
Point of contact within the crew: Erin Pougheon
Status: The Crew has been conducting tests twice a day – in the morning and in the afternoon – since the first morning to the last evening of the rotation. Data will be sent to the PI, as well as the baseline data collected during the two weeks prior to the mission and the two weeks following the end of our rotation.
· Miss U: Technology demonstration aiming to see the impact on moral. Subjects will see videos of their close ones while facilitators stimulate their other senses to immerge the subject as most as possible in the situation.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Cathline Smooth
Point of contact within the crew: Lea Bourgely
Status: Weekly questionnaires were filled since Week1. Beginning Week3, the subjects watched the videos recorded by their closed ones, filling questionnaires after each sessions as well. Data will be sent to the PI after the mission.
Outreach
· Media: Several articles and interviews in French newspaper and on radio
· Scientific mediation: We, like all Supaero Crews that came before us, try to share our passion for space and science in general by engaging in intervention in middle and high school. This year, we developed with high-schoolers a 3-step project around growing food on Mars.
Related EVAs: One as early as possible to retrieve some martian soil in which to plant radish seeds.
External point of contact: None
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck
Status: The plantation of cress has been made early on; it grew for a while but then it died out. We tried again in the Science Dome this time, where it’s not as hot but it didn’t grow as well. Results were regularly shared with the students.
Mission support is signing off.Please see below received reports status:
| Journalist Report | Received |
| Operations Report | Received |
| EVA Report | Received |
| Photos (6-8 pics) | Received |
| EVA Request | Approved |
________________________
Sergii Iakymov – Director Mars Desert Research Station
[category science-report]
Crew 293 Mid Rotation Science Report 02Mar2024
Name of person filing report: Yves Bejach
Crew293 has been in the MDRS for two weeks now, conducting experiments while simulating life on Mars. We have done everything we could to make this simulation as accurate and relevant as possible. The current report aims to give the reader an understanding of what has been achieved and what is yet to come.
This report is organized as follows:
– Overview of all the experiments conducted during our mission, as found in the Mission Plan sent on Sol1, reminded here for clarity, and updated with the experiments’ current status.
Physics
Two experiments from the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) have been performed at the MDRS for several years already. We are planning to gather additional data for this season as well. These activities will require EVAs.
· LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter): LOAC is an optical aerosol counter, measuring the concentrations of different particles in the air and classifying them by size.
Related EVAs: Two EVAs planned for the first week to install the device. Every two days, the batteries will have to be changed and the data will have to be collected. The latter procedures can be part of other EVAs.
External points of contact: Jean-Pierre Lebreton and Jean-Baptiste Renard, CNRS.
Point of contact within the crew: Lea Bourgély.
· Mega-Ares: Mega-Ares is a sensor precisely measuring the electric field and the conductivity of the air. It is the little brother of Micro-Ares, the only payload of the Schiaparelli lander (ExoMars 2016). This year we also installed a wind-mill that will give us additional data.
Related EVAs: Performed simultaneously with the EVAs planned for LOAC. Two EVAs were planned for the first week to install the device. Every two days, the batteries will have to be changed and the data will have to be collected. The latter procedures can be part of other EVAs.
External points of contact: Jean-Pierre Lebreton and Jean-Baptiste Renard, CNRS.
Point of contact within the crew: Lea Bourgely.
Status: The instruments have been installed north of the Station, between the Hab and Marble Ritual. They have been collecting data since then. These data are retrieved every two days or so, when we change the batteries that power them. This will go on until Sol 26, when the instruments should be brought back to the station.
Technology
Technology demonstrations are planned, one of them being the continuation of the two last missions of ISAE-Supaero (Crew 263 and 275). They are based on technologies developed by the French Space Agency (CNES) and its health subsidiary (MEDES).
· AI4U: AI4U is an AI tool designed to help and assist astronauts in their daily tasks (environmental measurements, voice recognition). The aim is to test this AI assistant in real or close-to-real scenarios.
Related EVAs: None.
External points of contact: Gregory Navarro and Laure Boyer, CNES.
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck.
Status: The first week was dedicated to the setup and troubleshoot of the software. Crew293 has been able to test it daily since Sol8. We’ll continue running these daily tests next week, and the fourth week will be dedicated to data handling.
· Echofinder: Onboard the ISS, ultrasound scanners are teleoperated by trained specialists. As we travel further away from Earth, communication delays will increase and teleoperated devices will no longer be usable. The goal of Echofinder is to enable autonomous ultrasound acquisition sessions without any knowledge in medicine and any communication link with an experienced sonographer. The Echofinder tool uses augmented reality and an AI to help the operator capture usable imagery of the subject’s organs.
Related EVAs: None.
External point of contact: Aristée Thévenon, MEDES.
Point of contact within the crew: Yves Bejach.
Status: Acquisition sessions have started on Sol 2 and have been conducted approximately every two Sols. The crew member conducting the session is taking notes on everything that goes well or not with the software, and the setup and is taking ultrasound images that are to be analyzed to see if Echofinder is efficient.
· Photogrammetry: Re-conducting an experiment started by last year’s crew (Crew 275) which aims to determine how a 3D map created thanks to drone photogrammetry could improve an EVA crew’s performance during an outing.
Related EVAs: Three EVAs per week, starting the second week. The first one’s goal is to create the 3D map and decide where to position checkpoints on a designated area (one area per week). For the 2nd and 3rd ones, the EVA team will go to each checkpoint, having prepared the EVA using the standard 2D and 3D map respectively.
External point of contact: Alice Chapiron, ISAE Supaero student (Crew275)
Point of contact within the crew: Yves Bejach
Status: Started on Sol8 with an EVA aiming to create a 3D map of the East flank of North Ridge. Once the map was successfully created, two teams went out on different EVAs to go through designated checkpoints as efficiently as possible, having prepared with the 3D map and a classic 2D map respectively. Data collected has started to be processed. The same process will be iterated again on Week3 and Week4 of our mission.
Human factors
Human factors experiments are arguably the ones that benefit the most from taking place during an analog mission.
· Orbital Architecture: Measure of the stress of analog astronauts and of the influence of environmental parameters on the stress using Polar bands bracelets, sleep monitoring using Dreem headbands, questionnaires, evaluation of the position of the analog astronauts in the station, and environmental measurement (temperature, humidity, etc.).
Related EVAs: None.
External point of contact: Michail Magkos, KTH.
Point of contact within the crew: Lise Lefauconnier.
Status: The Crew has conducted cognitive assessments regularly since the beginning of the mission. In parallel, we are carrying Polar bands that monitor our heart rate, and location tracking chips that have been successfully installed early on during the first week. This will continue until the end of our rotation.
· MELiSSA: The MELiSSA project (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) is a European project led by the European Space Agency (ESA) aiming at developing a highly circular and regenerative life support system for space missions. The ALiSSE methodology (Advanced Life Support System Alternative) was developed as part of the project to provide an impartial evaluation tool of each technology system, including mass, energy and power, efficiency, crew time, crew risk, reliability, and durability. The proposed activity within the MELiSSA project focuses on the operational aspects of preparing recipes from higher plants and aims for a preliminary evaluation of the "crew time" criterion.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Blandine Gorce, ESA
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck
Status: Every recipe that was planned for the first two weeks has been prepared. Resupply should allow us to continue as planned.
· Trace Lab: The purpose of this research is to better understand the role that emotion and coping strategies have on team dynamics within ICE (Isolated, Confined, Extreme) teams. The findings from this study will aid in the understanding of the role of affect within teams operating in ICE conditions – something that has been highlighted as being important by researchers, Antarctic expeditioners, and astronauts. Experiment conducted in collaboration with Trace Lab, University of Florida.
Related EVAs: None
External point of contact: Andres Kaosaar
Point of contact within the crew: Marie Delaroche
Status: The Crew has been filling out daily and weekly questionnaires since the beginning of the mission and will continue to do so until the end of the rotation.
· AMI – Anomalies Monitoring Interface: Software allowing random anomalies to occur within the station to simulate problems that could happen in a real environment and see how we could react. The main goal is to improve the simulation.
Related EVAs: Potentially emergency EVAs in case of depressurization of ammoniac leak. It is worth noting that such emergencies cannot be mistaken for real ones as it is not a problem that can occur within our earthly MDRS.
External point of contact: Quentin Royer, ISAE Supaero student (Crew275)
Point of contact within the crew: Marie Delaroche
Status: After some troubleshooting and last-minute adjustments during the first week, the beta version of AMI is now running. The Crew can now monitor the power distribution of the station and training anomalies have already occurred, enabling a deeper immersion. The interface is a work in progress; it will continue to run as we test new functions. We are expecting a new iteration of the software to be sent to the Crew as of tonight.
Outreach
· Media: Several articles and interviews in French newspaper and on radio
· Scientific mediation: We, like all Supaero Crews that came before us, try to share our passion for space and science in general by engaging in intervention in middle and high school. This year, we developed with high-schoolers a 3-step project around growing food on Mars.
Related EVAs: One as early as possible to retrieve some martian soil in which to plant radish seeds.
External point of contact: None
Point of contact within the crew: Mathurin Franck
Status: The plantation has been made early on; it is steadily growing under the advised care of our GreenHab Officer. Updates are regularly sent to the students that helped us create this experiment.
NB: In an effort to feel as immersed as possible, we asked Mission Support to play along with the simulation when communicating with us, which they did. For that Crew293 says thank you.
[title Mid–mission Research Report – January 13th]
[category science-report]
Mars Desert Research Station
Mid-Mission Report
Crew 290 – Project MADMEN
Jan 7th – Jan 20th, 2024
Crew Members:
Commander and Health and Safety Officer: Madelyn Hoying
Executive Officer and Health and Safety Officer: Rebecca McCallin
Crew Scientist: Anja Sheppard
Green Hab Officer: Benjamin Kazimer
Crew Engineer: Anna Tretiakova
Crew Journalist: Wing Lam (Nicole) Chan
Crew Projects:
Title: Project MADMEN
Author(s): Madelyn Hoying and Rebecca McCallin, with full-crew participation
Objectives: Our mission objective is to identify and characterize microbial life via metabolic assays based on the sulfur cycle.
Current Status: Soil samples have been collected from 5 field sites with diverse geologic profiles that indicate potential for microbial activity. Measurements in the field include salinity, temperature, and ATP readings at surface level, 3-inch depth, and 6-inch depth at each site. Starting on EVA 07, pH measurements are also conducted in the field at surface and 6-inch depth. In the Science Dome, these samples are diluted and incubated in our novel microfluidic device to promote microbial growth for detection, then flushed after 24 hours to investigate through microscopy, with our first set of samples showing growth. pH measurements are taken of the soil samples in a dilution with various salts found on Mars that could also promote metabolic activity of extremophiles. The crew is targeting evaluation of at least 6 sample sites. Collected samples are compared for further analysis in the Science Dome based on depth profiles of the geology (uncovered while digging) and quality of field measurements obtained, driving collection from more than the 6 sites required for full analysis.
EVAs: 3 (EVA 04, 06, 07). One field site (EVA 04) was collected from a member of the Curtis foundation, where gypsum and sandstone were prominent under a smectite bed indicating a depositional environment with water followed by a period of dry climate. EVA 06 resulted in 2 field sites: one from a valley between two Brushy Basin members with evidence of anhydrite, to contrast with another collection site in a dried riverbed with conglomerate oyster reefs. EVA 07 saw sample collection in alternating siltstone and mudstone bands with gypsum deposits, with field pH measurements introduced into the procedure. An additional 3-4 EVAs are currently anticipated to select the best sites for further investigation.
Title: Evaluating Psychosocial Impacts of Mars Mission Architectures
Author: Madelyn Hoying
Objectives: This project seeks to compare psychosocial interactions among crew and emergency response capabilities between Mars mission architectures. Results from this single-site architecture test will be compared to previous dual-site architecture experiments developed and tested by MIT.
Current Status: The on-site investigator does not read questionnaire results while participating in the analog mission; as such, a “current status” check can only show the number of completed surveys. All participants have been submitting daily surveys, with one participant having missed one survey.
EVAs: None (although EVA inputs from other projects are valuable to the study).
Title: Ground Penetrating Radar for Martian Rovers
Author: Anja Sheppard
Objectives: This project is focused on collecting Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and stereoscopic camera imagery data in a Martian analog environment. Post-analog data processing will focus on using this data for machine learning applications.
Current Status: After some reconstruction and problem solving from shipping, REMI the robot is at a nominal status for data collection. REMI has collected data at 16 field sites around the MDRS Hab and at Tharsis Montes, making for over 200 GB of camera, radar, and GPS data. Anja (Crew Scientist) has been perfecting the field protocols for running REMI during EVAs, including characterizing the battery performance during cold temperatures. REMI is primarily focused on data collection, as data processing will occur post-analog.
EVAs: 4
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