Category: EVA Report

Crew 290 EVA Report 12-01-2024

EVA # 06

Author: Madelyn Hoying

Purpose of EVA:

Start time: 1230

End time: 1630

Narrative: After a late start to finish piecing together the necessary science equipment, the EVA crew ventured out for the furthest expedition yet with an ambitious goal to reach Lith Canyon. Unfortunately, the rover batteries reached their limit at about halfway, necessitating a turn-around point near Tharsis Montes. Two diverse sample sites were investigated, with one in a valley between two Morrison Formation hills and another in a dried riverbed heading east into the Tharsis Montes region. Field tests gave clear indications of microbial life at the riverbed site, so the crew is excited to begin lab testing and compare those results to the smectite regions! We successfully used our new method of loading and transporting REMI in the rovers which reduces time spent prepping the robot at our field sites. REMI collected data at 10 different sites, focusing mostly on very aerated red soil and hard sandy riverbeds. REMI burned through both of her batteries during the 4-hour EVA.

Destination: Intended for the southern edge of Lith Canyon; the rover batteries reached 55% (the cutoff) when we were approximately halfway there, so we reached approximately the Tharsis Montes region.

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N517653, E4256169

Participants: Madelyn Hoying (Commander), Anja Sheppard (Crew Scientist), Anna Tretiakova (Crew Engineer)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drive north on Cow Dung Rd until reaching 55% battery on rovers, here at the dried riverbed of Tharsis Montes. Park rovers and walk east in the riverbed.

Mode of travel: Driving and walking

Vehicles to be used (If applicable): Spirit and Opportunity

Crew 290 EVA Report 08-01-2024

EVA # 01

Author: Madelyn Hoying

Purpose of EVA: training EVA with half of crew

Start time: 14:15

End time: 15:35

Narrative: Training EVA to familiarize crew members with rover operation and navigation. At around 13:30, the crew officially entered sim and began prepping for EVA 01. Madelyn, Anna, and Anja completed suit and comms checks ahead of schedule. On entering the airlock for depressurization, some comms issues caused a delay leading to re-pressurization and suit adjustments. The EVA then proceeded successfully, with the crew noting important changes that need to be made for future EVA success in scientific expeditions (including glove selection and headset placement).

Destination: Marble Ritual

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518700, E4250800

Participants: Madelyn Hoying (Commander), Anja Sheppard (Crew Scientist), Anna Tretiakova (Crew Engineer)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drive on Cow Dung Road and walk east until Marble Ritual

Mode of travel: Driving and walking

Vehicles to be used (If applicable): Opportunity, Spirit

Crew 290 EVA Report 09-01-2024

EVA # 02

Author: Madelyn Hoying

Purpose of EVA: training EVA with second half of crew

Start time: 08:58

End time: 10:26

Narrative: Second training EVA to familiarize crew members with rover operation and navigation. At around 0815, the crew began prepping for EVA 02. Becka, Ben, and Nicole completed suit and comms checks right on schedule, with Becka trying on the one-piece suit and noting no airflow. All EVA members selected the two-piece suit option, with Anna (Crew Engineer) investigating the suit malfunction of the one-piece during EVA. The EVA then proceeded successfully, with the crew noting important changes that need to be made for future EVA success in scientific expeditions (including glove selection and headset placement). Of note, Becka’s headset fell completely off but stayed inside the helmet, with comms unaffected; CAPCOM (Madelyn) instructed the crew to proceed with EVA while monitoring for potential loss of comms, which would be an abort scenario. Crew found sites of interest for future science EVAs and loved the rocks. EVA successfully concluded on schedule at 1026.

Destination: Marble Ritual

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518700, E4250800

Participants: Rebecca McCallin (XO), Ben Kazimer (GreenHab), Nicole Chan (Crew Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drive on Cow Dung Road and walk east until Marble Ritual

Mode of travel: Driving and walking

Vehicles to be used (If applicable): Opportunity, Spirit

Crew 290 EVA Report 09-01-2024

EVA # 03

Author: Madelyn Hoying

Purpose of EVA: Confirm all systems on REMI robot are nominal after shipping and reconstruction, and to begin collecting initial data from at least 2 different terrain types.

Start time: 1426

End time: 1600

Narrative: The EVA crew had some last-minute technical difficulties arise with REMI that delayed entry into the airlock. Unfortunately, technical difficulties continued into the EVA and made data collection infeasible. This error was resolved shortly after the EVA concluded, and REMI should be operational for a repeat EVA trial tomorrow. After trying to correct the error in the field for approximately the first hour, the crew decided to walk around the site and determine collection areas for future tests and subsequently concluded the EVA.

Destination: within 200m of MDRS

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518169, E4250939

Participants: Anja Sheppard (Crew Scientist), Madelyn Hoying (Commander)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Exit the RAM airlock with REMI and walk to sites of interest within a 200m radius

Mode of travel: Walking

Vehicles to be used (If applicable): None

EVA Report #11
Author: Eshaana Aurora
EVA Date: 3rd January 2024
Start time: 1109
End time: 1322
Purpose of EVA:
Investigating the Extent of Gryphaea Fossils in White Rock Canyon
Evaluate the presence or absence of the gryphaea fossils which will provide information about the extent of the Western Interior Seaway Shelf Deposit
Narrative:
The Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) commenced at 1109, led by Adriana (Crew Commander) with Gabe (Health and Safety Officer), Riya (Greenhab Officer) and Eshaana (Crew Geologist) as participants. The crew started with Opportunity and Curiosity at full charges – Opportunity at 100% and 153.4 hours, Curiosity at 100% and 262.7 hours. The crew embarked on their Martian exploration by driving their rovers southward along Cow Dung Road and parking near the entrance of Watney Road intersection after which the crew proceeded on foot.
Upon reaching White Rock Canyon the crew commander scouted around in search of oyster fossils while the other took in the interesting shrub filled landscape. Gabe was the first one to spot the rather extensive oyster swarm about 0.8 km away from the rovers. Adriana remarked that while these samples may have been displaced from further north, as we mainly found them in the topsoil layer of the region, they were impeccably preserved which would allow for more accurate results post processing. The crew then moved further into the Canyon, taking in the beautiful rock facies and arches created by the forces of nature. They also came across some interesting red shrubs and circular, hive textured hollows within the riverbed faces that had been eroded over time.
After a brief break on a satisfyingly textured red powdery mound, the crew headed back collecting even more oyster samples on the way back. In total the crew collected 54 gorgeous oyster samples and headed back to the rovers around 1301, with the utmost satisfaction in their hearts.
This EVA involved meticulous navigation, organization and time tracking to ensure the gryphaea fossil exploration objectives were efficiently and successfully completed during the limited excursion time. The crew reached the Hab with Opportunity at 36% and 153.9 hrs and Curiosity at 25% and 263.2 hrs. Overall, the EVA was executed with a resounding success with exploration, research and safety properly balanced and prioritized and the crew finally entered the airlock completing the EVA at 1322.
Destination: White Rock Canyon
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N 530300, E 4247700
Participants: Adriana Brown (Commander), Eshaana Aurora (Crew Geologist), Riya Raj (Greenhab Officer), Gabriel Skowronek (Health and Safety Officer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drive south on Cow Dung Road 0110 and park a quarter of a mile ahead of the intersection of Cow Dung Road 0110 and Watney Road. Then, walk on foot to White Rock Canyon.
Mode of travel: Driving and Walking (Curiosity and Opportunity)

EVA Report #10
Author: Aditya Arjun Anibha
EVA Date: 2nd January 2024
Start time: 1110
End time: 1340
Purpose of EVA:
Robot (ELF) Testing and Drone (FLiDAR)
Capturing drone LiDAR images (FLiDAR) of Candor Chasma
Testing initial robot maneuverability with a contingency plan of scouting potential terrain locations for further robot testing on another date
Narrative:
The Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) commenced at 1110, led by Aditya (Crew Scientist) with Sara (Executive Officer/ Crew Journalist), Nathan (Crew Engineer), Gabriel (Health and Safety Officer). They started with Opportunity and Spirit at full charges – Opportunity at 100% and 152.8 hours, Spirit at 100% and 240.2 hours. The crew embarked on their Martian exploration by driving their rovers northward along Cow Dung Road before turning onto Galileo Road and stopping near the entrance of Candor Chasma around 1131. At arrival, Spirit was at 65% charge and Opportunity at 61% charge.
The crew then started by walking about 0.5 km into the Chasm to scout for a suitable testing location for the robot. After finding two suitable hills, Aditya set up the robot and with the assistance of Nathan controlled it to traverse 40 feet 3 inches and 102 feet 9 inches over mixed rocky and sandy terrain with highly uneven and unstable characteristics with the maximum slope angle between 30 and 45 degrees. Sara and Gabriel supported via videographic and measurement documentation. Next, Aditya initiated the FLiDAR (Drone-based LiDAR) scanning of the chasm for about 20 minutes while the rest of the crew would co-pilot and start exploring the chasm further. After FLiDAR scans were complete, the crew explored within a kilometer into the chasm and discovered frozen lakes, majestic vistas and diverse cavernous terrain with a range of rocky surfaces, mineral deposits and varied consistencies.
The crew then returned to their rovers and drove back to the Habitat, returning with Opportunity at 38% charge and 153.4 hours, and Spirit at 37% charge and 240.7 hours. The reentry process for the HAB commenced at 1340, concluding the Martian exploration.
This EVA involved meticulous planning, organization and time tracking to ensure the robotic exploration objectives were efficiently and successfully completed during the limited excursion time. It contributed many valuable insights into robot operation for exploration of varied flat, sloped, uneven and rocky terrains using variable wheel radii to overcome different degrees of rock size distributions. Overall, the EVA was executed with a resounding success with exploration, research and safety properly balanced and prioritized.
Destination: Candor Chasma
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N 520300, E 4251500
Participants: Aditya Arjun Anibha (Crew Scientist), Nathan Bitner (Crew Engineer), Sara Paule (Crew Journalist), Gabriel Skowronek (Health and Safety Officer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drive north on Cow Dung Road 0110 and turn east onto Galileo Road 1104, and finally south on the same road until it intersects with the Gateway to Candor footpath. Then, head further east on foot.
Mode of travel: Driving and Walking

EVA Report #09
Author: Eshaana Aurora
EVA Date: 1st January 2024
Start time: 1205
End time: 1419
Purpose of EVA:
LiDAR imaging of Kissing Camel Ridge
Taking LiDAR images of Kissing Camel Ridge using an elevated monopod.
Narrative:
The first, entirely female, Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) commenced at 1205, led by Riya (Greenhab Officer) with Sara (Executive Officer/ Crew Journalist), Adriana (Crew Commander), Eshaana (Crew Geologist). The crew embarked on their Martian exploration by making an initial stop in front of the Hab to take an in depth LiDAR scan utilizing the elevated monopod and the Polycam IOS app. The EVA crew took turns and walked around with the elevated monopod taking scans around the RAM, the Hab, Greenhab, Science Dome, Observatory and the Solar Panels. The single scan, which turned out to be quite vivid post processing, took about 40 minutes.
Subsequently, the crew set out for the second stop, Kissing Camel Ridge utilizing the Curiosity and Spirit rovers, navigating from Cow Dung Road to the south until reaching Kissing Camel Ridge. Curiosity and Spirit initiated the mission with full charges – Curiosity at 100% and 262.5 hours, Spirit at 100% and 240.0 hours.
After parking the rovers on the side of the road, at Kissing Camel Ridge Road, the team started scanning yet again but this time instead of a singular LiDAR scan the crew also captured two 360 degree photo scans as well, of the beautiful landscape. The crew also found frozen Martian lakes! The top of the lake surfaces had an interesting chocolate bar texture further escalating the crew’s hunger pangs. With a quick few scans and after collecting a few beautiful rocks around the ridge, especially some colorful petrified wood the team traveled back to the rovers around 1407. The team returned to the Habitat with Curiosity at 56% charge and 262.7 hours, and Spirit at 57% charge and 240.2 hours. The reentry process for the HAB commenced at 1419, concluding the Martian exploration.
This EVA involved meticulous planning, organization and time tracking to ensure the LiDAR scans were efficiently and successfully completed during the limited excursion time. Overall, the EVA was executed with a resounding success with exploration, research and safety properly balanced and prioritized.
Destination: Kissing Camel Ridge
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N 518300, E 4249500
Participants: Adriana Brown (Commander), Eshaana Aurora (Crew Geologist), Riya Raj (Greenhab Officer), Sara Paule (Crew Journalist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: First stop will occur outside the Hab itself after which the crew will take rovers and drive south on Cow Dung Road 0110 until Kissing Camel Ridge
Mode of travel: Driving and Walking (Spirit and Curiosity)

EVA Report #07
Author: Aditya Arjun Anibha
EVA Date: 30th December 2023
Start time: 0936
End time: 1116
Purpose of EVA:
Robot Functionality Field Testing at Cowboy Corner
Robot maneuverability will be tested using laptop controls near Cowboy Corner. Factors of consideration are roughness and steepness that it can handle, so overall efficiency of the robot movement will be considered, relative to conventional wheel rovers or human EVA.
Narrative:
The Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) commenced at 0936, led by Aditya (Crew Scientist), Sara (Crew Journalist) and Nathan (Crew Engineer). The crew embarked on their Martian exploration utilizing the Opportunity and Perseverance rovers, navigating from Cow Dung Road to the north until reaching Cowboy Corner. Opportunity and Perseverance initiated the mission with full charges – Opportunity at 100% and 152.5 hours, Perseverance at 100% and 281.8 hours.
After arriving at Cowboy Corner, the team determined a suitable travel path for the robot to cover a diverse set of terrain. Aditya set up the robot for testing, while Nathan would tug it via string and Sara would conduct video documentation. The experiment first started with the robot in its closed wheel configuration for flat terrain and was moved eastward for 8 meters. Next, the robot was changed to its open wheel configuration for rocky terrain and travelled eastward about 28 meters over a shallow mound, then northward 29 meters over a highly uneven and rocky mound. The crew then spotted a steeper rocky mound about 70 meters southward and tested the robot to climb over it. It successfully traversed these paths with varied distributions of rocks between 1 cm to 3 cm in diameter and slopes of upto 20 degrees from the horizontal. In both cases, the robot’s speed was about 0.3 m/s and the EVA crew followed it along its path. Small items were used as markers for the start and end points and the distance travelled between them was acquired using measuring tape.
With testing complete, the team travelled back to the rovers at Cowboy Corner and returned to the Habitat with Opportunity at 57% charge and 152.8 hours, and Perseverance at 49% charge and 281.8 hours. The reentry process for the HAB commenced at 1116, concluding their Martian exploration.
During testing, a few aliens were spotted on a distant mountain and three alien vehicles closer to North Ridge on the way back to the Hab.
This EVA involved meticulous planning, organization and time tracking to ensure the robotic exploration objectives were efficiently and successfully completed during the limited excursion time. It contributed many valuable insights into robot operation for exploration of varied flat, sloped, uneven and rocky terrains using variable wheel radii to overcome different degrees of rock size distributions. Overall, the EVA was executed with a resounding success with exploration, research and safety properly balanced and prioritized.
Destination: Cowboy Corner
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N 518700, E 4253000
Participants: Aditya Arjun Anibha (Crew Scientist), Nathan Bitner (Crew Engineer), Sara Paule (Crew Journalist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drive north using Cow Dung Road 0110 up till Cowboy Corner
Mode of travel: Driving and Walking

EVA Report #06
Author: Aditya Arjun Anibha
EVA Date: 29th December 2023
Start time: 1038
End time: 1144
Purpose of EVA:
Elevated Monopod and Drone LiDAR Scanning of the MDRS Hab and nearby Hab Ridge
Narrative:
The Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) commenced at 1038, led by Aditya (Crew Scientist) and Riya, (Crew Greenhab Officer) with the participation of Nathan (Crew Engineer) and Gabriel (Crew Astronomer). The crew started by scanning the MDRS Hab by using the drone for a top-down view with a LiDAR-enabled phone attached to it piloted by Aditya and co-piloted by Nathan and Gabriel while Riya used an elevated monopod to conduct a thorough 360-degree scan of the Hab. The drone was initially unstable but managed to successfully carry the weight of the drone and perform much better than expected. Although it was wobbly, it was sufficiently controllable to conduct LiDAR scans over the Hab. The scans were conducted starting from the RAM, followed by the main Hab, the Greenhab, the Sciencedome, Observatories and Solar Panels. Once complete, the crew then embarked on further Martian exploration by heading north using walking path 1103. After walking about 0.5 km and approaching the turn along 1103, Aditya launched the drone with LiDAR enabled phone to scan the hab ridge and nearby areas. After scanning was complete, the crew started to return to the Hab, during which Riya LiDAR scanned the nearby hab ridge using the elevated monopod. The team returned to the Habitat with airlock pressurization commencing at 1144. Overall, the EVA was executed with a resounding success with exploration, research and safety properly balanced and prioritized.
Destination: Hab Ridge
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4250500, E517900
Participants: Aditya Arjun Anibha (Crew Scientist), Riya Raj (Greenhab Officer), Gabriel Skowronek (Health and Safety Officer), Nathan Bitner (Crew Engineer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Use walking path 1103 and walk northward up to Hab Ridge
Mode of travel: Walking

EVA Report #05
Author: Eshaana Aurora
EVA Date: 28th December 2023
Start time: 1105
End time: 1329
Purpose of EVA:
Collection of Oyster Fossils to Sample Western Interior Seaway Shelf Deposits
Narrative:
The Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) commenced at 1105, led by Adriana, with the participation of Eshaana (Crew Geologist), Nathan (Crew Engineer) and Sara (Crew Journalist). The crew embarked on their Martian exploration utilizing the Spirit and Curiosity rovers, navigating from Cow Dung Road to the south until reaching Kissing Camel Ridge and then headed southwest until a quarter mile away from Zubrin’s head. Spirit and Curiosity initiated the mission with full charges – Spirit at 100% and 239.6 hours, Curiosity at 100% and 262.0 hours. The crew’s primary objective was to search for and collect samples of oyster fossils within the Tununk shale layer of the Martian terrain while navigating in EVA suits. This was the second chosen location for the oyster sampling.
Throughout the mission, the crew captured vivid photos and delved into the local geology, leading to the discovery of multiple bentonite beds which are extremely relevant geological time markers. With respect to oyster fossils, the chosen location did not seem to contain any despite having relatively the same stratigraphy and facies, including the dark gray layer discovered in EVA#04. However, the crew continued to take in the beautiful Martian rock formations and views, nonetheless. The crew initially stopped at a location that comprised the remnants of Dakota sandstone then moved up through the Tununk shale finally ending in the Ferron sandstone layer, which was a white to tan colored, quartz rich, top layer. This was the same quartz sand that we found during EVA #04 with a fine to medium grain size which was poorly consolidated.
Additionally, on the walk to Barrainca Butte the crew spotted extensive amounts of pebble to cobble sized chert. The crew also discovered some reddish beds which were poorly lithified and could perhaps be a subsequence in the Tununk Shale layer therefore the crew was able to witness the gradual switch between rich sandstone to clay like mudstone layers quite comprehensively. The major observation, however, was the bentonite swarms present which could perhaps be the reason for lesser oyster fossil preservation as there could have been major paleogeography changes resulting in poor oyster preservation conditions during that era. Heading towards the late middle Turonian, sea level is low and dropping and it’s dropping so perhaps that would explain the lower oyster content.
With one last strike of her rock hammer and a quick examination of the loosened debris, the crew commander determined that the chosen location was indeed devoid of oyster fossils and the crew began its way back to the rovers soon after, taking in the landscape and gathering beautiful chert and agate rocks along the way. Albeit the outcome of the EVA was not completely fulfilled, the crew commander explained how intriguing this absence of oysters truly was. On the scale of a large inland sea that spanned approximately 5500 km, having such a stark contrast of oyster fossil extent just within 4 km is definitely quite remarkable. Therefore, with a long rover journey ahead of us, the crew headed back to the Hab, feeling even more contemplative about the planet’s fascinating geologic history.
The crew encountered quite a few aliens while driving to and from the site with a particularly stubborn canine alien blocking our path midway, but the EVA progressed seamlessly, with an estimated radial walking distance of 2km, resulting in yet another resounding success. The team returned to the Habitat with airlock pressurization commencing at 1324 along with Spirit at 36% charge and 240.0 hours and Curiosity at 30% charge and 262.5 hours.
Destination: Hab Ridge
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4250500, E517900
Participants: Adriana Brown (Commander), Eshaana Aurora (Crew Geologist), Sara Paule (Crew Journalist), Nathan Bitner (Crew Engineer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drive on Cow Dung Road 0110 southward until Zubrin’s Head, then walk further southwest to Barrainca Butte
Mode of travel: Walking and Driving (Spirit and Curiosity)