Category: EVA Report

 

Crew 272 EVA Report 06-01-2023

EVA # 4

Author: Arly Black

Purpose of EVA: 1) Test of the MicroFox 15 transmitters using the Yagi-Uda antenna at Candor Chasma 2) Scouting of Candor Chasma by drone 2) Depositional environments of Candor Chasma, with specific focus on finding paleoflow indicators

Start time: 11:05 AM

End time: 2:37 PM

Narrative: After being grounded yesterday, and spending the day going over objectives and procedures, our antsy adventurers were stoked to get out and explore some more Martian terrain today. The crew was ready on time, despite a small problem with Kshitij’s mic. After pulling it out and then putting it back in, it seemed to work fine. Five minutes spent in the airlock listening to poor dad jokes was the perfect way to start the EVA. Mason and Kshitij took the lead in Opportunity, with Kshitij driving and Mason navigating, while Adriana and Kenny puttered along behind in Spirit, with Adriana driving and Kenny keep track of speed and state of charge. 8 minutes in, it was clear that Oppy performs much better than Spirit. Spirit had lost 20%, and Oppy 12%, while both driving at 10 km/hr.

The crew parked their rovers at the intersection of Cow Dung Road and Gateway to Candor, and walked on foot to Boiler Ledge, where they had left the Boiler Transmission Station (BTS) two days before. Kshitij turned on the BTS transmitter and HabCom turned on the transmitter located in the Hab. Kshitij performed a test of the Yagi-Uda antenna system using the Hab transmitter to check the range of the signal reception sector. Remarkably, he found it to be 180 degrees! Mason assisted with this, while Kenny and Adriana hammered and collected rock samples. It was at this time that Kshitij noticed issues with the cooling fan in his helmet when it started turning on and off sporadically. He also started to have radio/headset issues – it was choppy but improved over time – it was likely a loose connection.

Around 12:10 PM all crew members walked back to the rover, dropped off their samples, and picked up the drone. They then walked along Gateway to Candor to the entrance to Candor Chasma. Mason conducted a drone range test and scouted areas around Candor Chasma. The drone was able to reach around 850 m (2800 ft) which was a major success, especially when compared to the measly 300 m from last EVA – wahoo! Given that it was a sunny day with no ground interference, they had the perfect conditions for flying! Adriana began an experiment to test the performance of a non-geologist in the field – i.e banana-fingered Kenneth. No, that isn’t a slur, it is a literal description. In order to operate his phone with bulky Martian gloves, Kenny literally tied a banana peel to his gloved finger. And it worked like a charm! (now we’ll have to start saying “works like a banana”). Adriana asked questions about his perception of geologic processes in the area. His gut instincts were apparently correct, but ultimately his final answers were – womp womp – NOT. They discussed water flow direction and geomorphology features. And Adriana successfully located some paleoflow indicators!! One measurement she used was a strike and dip of forsets (we all know what that means, right?).

Meanwhile, down in the valley of Gateway to Candor, Kshitij was initially not able to detect a signal from the BTS or the Hab. The antenna needs line of sight to operate, so he climbed the north slope of the canyon (still within sight of the rest of the crew members) to get to a higher elevation with line of sight to both BTS and the Hab. There he was able to locate both locations. All in all, a very successful test!

The explorers then hiked back out through the Gateway to Candor and dropped off the drone and antenna at the rovers. The one remaining task was to turn off the BTS transmitter. Rather than send everyone back, the crew decided to make a line-of-sight train with Kenny and Adriana remaining nearest the rovers, Mason further along, and Kshitij left to trudge all the way to the transmitter. That way, each person had line of sight to at least one other person, without expending unnecessary energy. One note is that it is difficult to navigate to the Boiler Ledge and a better location method is needed. It was at this time that Kshitij experienced a complete meltdown of his helmet cooling system, sending his helmet into a foggy frenzy, and Mason stepped in to verbally and physically guide Kshitij back to the rover. At some point, Adriana lost her phone but was able to locate it. Kenny turned the rovers around to save time while Mason and Kshitij made their way back from the ledge. Then all crew members returned to the Hab in the rovers. While returning, both rovers seemed to perform better, likely due to a slight downhill slope in the road. Due to the helmet and visibility issues, the crew was seven minutes late in returning to the Hab – not too shabby!

In conclusion, all the objectives of the mission were achieved, although they did not make it as far into Candor Chasma as Adriana would have liked. Everyone got to smash some rocks with Adriana’s fabulous hammer, Little Rocky, and Kshitij successfully completed his experiment.

Lessons learned: 1. There were too many objectives laid out for this EVA given the time that was allotted – need to request more time next time. 2. It is valuable to follow a checkpoint system where landmarks are noted on your map as you pass, so that the course is maintained – this is what the crew did and it was wildly successful.

Destination: Galileo Road (Boiler Transmission Station) and Candor Chasma

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N519600, E4251500 (Boiler Transmission Station), N523000, E4251300 (Candor Chasma)

Participants: Adriana Brown (Crew Geologist), Kenny Pritchard (Crew Journalist), Mason Kuhn (Crew Engineer), Kshitij Mall (Crew Commander)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove on Cow Dung Road until Gateway to Candor and parked the rovers. Walked on foot to Boiler Transmission Station located near Galileo Road at N519600, E4251500 to switch on the transmitter. Returned on foot to the rovers and walked through the Gateway to Candor until Candor Chasma. Later, returned on foot through Gateway to Candor to the rovers, deposited samples, drone, and antenna, and returned on foot to the coordinates near Galileo Road to switch off the transmitter. Returned on foot to rovers and returned to Hab via Cow Dung Road.

Mode of travel: Driving and walking

Crew 272 EVA Report 04-01-2023

EVA # 3

Author: Arly Black

Purpose of EVA: 1) Placement of the MicroFox 15 transmitter for the radio navigation system and drone scouting of Candor Chasma near Compass Rock (20 minutes) 2) Stratigraphy of Candor Chasma to begin interpreting depositional environments and gypsum sample collection for GreenHab experiments (2 hrs)

Start time: 1056

End time: 1340

Narrative: The EVA got off to a late start because of an issue with Adriana’s comms system which needed to be swapped out for another and troubleshooting of the GPS device. After a 25-minute delay (Madelyn wishes it to be noted that SHE was ready on time!) the intrepid explorers exited the airlock and began their journey… or tried to. Curiosity wouldn’t move – who knew that could happen when it was still plugged in?! Once that was resolved by the very complicated act of pulling out the charging cord, finally they were actually on their way down scenic Cow Dung Road. The snafus continued, however, as the crew soon found themselves lost on the ol Cow Dung. They missed their turn and had to backtrack 0.25 miles to Galileo Road. Their navigation was aided by an alien ship sighting near the destination of interest. About 0.25 miles down Galileo Road, Perseverance hit 60% charge, and while Curiosity was only at 66%, all four explorers parked their vehicles and continued the rest of the way on foot to a ledge that provided a good view of both Compass Rock and the Hab, where Kshitij began to test his transmitter system, known as the Boiler Transmission Station (BTS), as well as the transmitter left in the Hab. The transmitters were set to frequencies of 147 and 146 MHz, respectively. He was able to detect a loud tone from both transmitters using his Yagi-UDA antenna. The full plan was to drive to Candor Chasma and navigate back to BTS, but due to the poor SOC of the vehicles, this aspect of the EVA was unobtainable.

Simultaneously, the drone was tested by Mason. He flew it towards Candor Chasma but had connection issues while flying low to look for areas of interest, and the drone kept trying to return on its own. He will need to check the long-range beacon and try to set up the analog controller which should boost the range compared with using a phone. Mason was able, however, to get a cool orbital video of the EVA crew with the drone. At the ledge, Adriana helped Madelyn collect two containers of sand for her Mars regolith experiments. Although no gypsum was found, the mainly quartz sand and clay should be useful for her research.

Then everyone returned to the rovers, dropped of the drone and sandy samples, and continued along Galileo on foot until they reached the Compass Rock formation. There they found some good powdery sulfates to mix in with the sandy sample (useful as sulfates have been detected on Mars). Adriana collected some samples of petrified wood, sandstone, and some other unidentified minerals. She looked for paleo flow indicators but couldn’t find much evidence of ancient river systems. However, she saw evidence of modern fluvial processes, which could be useful for giving an indication of the ancient processes. The others had fun climbing the Rock! The crew decided not to go to Candor Chasma due to time and vehicle constraints. They returned to the rovers, got back on Cow Dung Road, and headed back to the Hab. On the way back, the EVA crew performed a rover speed test to see what led to increased battery drainage – turns out going slow is better for conservation of battery life. They additionally timed all walks throughout the expedition to make sure they could accurately budget how long they could stay in the field and marked the waypoints of BTS and Madelyn’s samples. They wish it to be noted that the entire EVA they thought and acted like true Martians!

Destination: Ledge near Galileo Road and Compass Rock

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N519750, E4251500 (Boiler Ledge – self-named), N520000, E4252000 (Compass Rock)

Participants: Adriana Brown (Crew Geologist), Madelyn Whitaker (GreenHab Officer), Mason Kuhn (Crew Engineer), Kshitij Mall (Crew Commander)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove northeast on Cow Dung Road 0.25 miles past Galileo Road 1104. Backtracked to Galileo Road 1104 and followed road for 0.25 miles. Walked on foot along Galileo Road 1104 to N519750, E4251500. Returned to rovers, then walked back along Galileo Road 1104 to Compass Rock N520000, E4242000. Returned to vehicles, drove back to Cow Dung Road and then returned to Hab.

Mode of travel: Driving and walking

Crew 272 EVA Report 03-01-2023
EVA # 1
Author: Arly Black
Purpose of EVA: Training EVA to familiarize crew members with rover operation, suits, and navigation
Start time: 1330
End time: 1445
Narrative: We donned our space suits for the first time since training two days ago. Adriana opted for the one-piece suit while Madelyn and Arly chose the two-piece, which turned out to be much more uncomfortable. We waited the required 5 minutes in the airlock before heading out to the rovers. Madelyn drove Opportunity, while Arly and Adriana took Spirit, with Arly driving and Adriana navigating. We traveled the predetermined route along Cow Dung Road, parked the rovers, and walked to Marble Ritual, stopping many times along the way to marvel at the scenery and collect interesting rocks. Adriana went into professor mode and expertly described the various rock formations and their likely causes. We learned much about chert, the likely direction of water travel based on fine sediment left near plants, and Martian anthills. After just a taste of Mars’ offerings, we reluctantly made our way back to the parked rovers and returned to the Hab. Great first venture out into Mars!
Destination: Marble Ritual
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518700, E4250800
Participants: Adriana Brown (Crew Geologist), Madelyn Whitaker (GreenHab Officer), Arly Black (Executive Officer/Crew Scientist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove out from MDRS to Cow Dung Road, drove north on Cow Dung Road, and went east on foot until Marble Ritual.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking

Crew 272 EVA Report 03-01-2023
EVA # 2
Author: Arly Black
Purpose of EVA: Training EVA to familiarize crew members with rover operation, suits, and navigation
Start time: 1500
End time: 1615
Narrative: After witnessing the triumphant return of the EVA #1 team, the EVA #2 team thought they’d try their hand at Martian exploration. Although the bar was set impossibly high (the first team was #1 for a reason), they had a successful expedition. Taking the same vehicles and route as the first EVA, they then set off to the east towards Marble Ritual. They took many dramatic pictures, attempted to play cricket/baseball in their spacesuits, and discovered what may or may not be a skull – did they just discover evidence of life on Mars?! Stay tuned for potential skull/no skull updates. They later ventured to the west side of the road for a short time, where they saw many black (volcanic?) rocks. The team then returned to the Hab, and many poor jokes were exchanged while waiting in the airlock. Great time had by all.
Destination: Marble Ritual
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518700, E4250800
Participants: Kenny Pritchard (Crew Journalist), Megan Rush (HSO Officer), Mason Kuhn (Crew Engineer), Kshitij Mall (Commander)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove out from MDRS to Cow Dung Road, drove north on Cow Dung Road, and went east on foot until Marble Ritual.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking

EVA # 2

Author: Jen Carver-Hunter and Jen 2 Jones

Purpose of EVA: Biosignature location and identification

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Narrative: At 13:00 we suited up in our low-fidelity EVA suits (or hi-fidelity future hi-mobility EVA suits) and entered the airlock about 13:15. We met the Queen of Mars on the other side of the road and she took us to a spot east of the hab to look for dinosaur bones for us to gain the experience of licking them. We successfully found several adhesive samples, one of which nearly resulted in a surgical procedure to remove a bone sample from EVA Crew member Amy’s tongue. After that we proceeded across the flood plain, looking at other bio signatures including a large green dinosaur bone. We visited a blue berries patch and took some samples for later analysis.

At that time, EVA crew member Jordan was feeling ill and it was determined by the Queen of Mars and our commander that it would be best for her to return to the hab for safety reasons.

We then proceeded up Sagan Road to Hab Ridge. Along the trip we stopped to collect gryphaea shells from 150,000 years ago. The furthest extent of our walking trip was the repeater at the top of Hab Ridge. We then returned down Sagan Road to the hab, arriving in the air lock at about 15:45.

Total traversed distance without rovers, approximately 6.9 kilometers and an elevation change of approximately 8.5 meters.

Destination: No Fly Zone and Hab Ridge

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 518600,4250250 and 517800, 4251450

Participants: Jen Carver-Hunter, Jonathan Nalder, Jen Jones, Jenny Sumsion, Amy Fullmer, Jordan Chaves, Shannon Rupert

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: stay in the no-fly zone until Sagan Street, which we will climb to Hab Ridge

Mode of travel: Walking

EVA # 1

Author: Jen Carver-Hunter

Purpose of EVA: Geologic sample collection

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Narrative: After a 5 minute decompression of the Spaceward Bound teachers, the crew took off for an EVA through Kissing Camel to Barrainca Butte Road where rock samples were collected. The mission was to collect analog samples of basalt, conglomerate, hematite, and sandstone to add to our collection of Mars rocks. We found success and processed our way to Kissing Camel for petrified wood. All rocks collected were deeply appreciated and will be placed in healthy happy homes. All teammates returned to MDRS with high anticipation of spreading out, analyzing, and exchanging rocks.

Destination: Road to Barranca Butte and Southwest Kissing Camel Ridge

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 519700, 4247300 and 518200, 4249300

Participants: Jen Carver-Hunter, Jonathan Nalder, Jen Jones, Jenny Sumsion, Amy Fullmer, Jordan Chaves, Sergii Iakymov

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Hab road to Cow Dung Road to 1101 and back

Mode of travel: Rovers on road, on foot off road

EVA # 15
Author: M. Eby
Purpose of EVA: Deploy high altitude balloon experiment, retrieve mirror experiment for final inspection.
Start time: 12:01 PM
End time: 2:25 PM
Narrative: EVA crew departed the airlock in groups of 2 and 1, carrying the balloon experiment and the balloon inflation gear. The balloon was filled on the South side of the Hab, requiring 30 minutes to reach the target buoyancy (approximately 150 cubic feet of Helium). Once the balloon neck was tied off, the crew walked the balloon and the experiment to the North side of the Hab. From there, the experiment was powered up. The GreenHab Officer had to return to the Hab via the airlock to troubleshoot the telemetry ground terminal, with help from the Health and Safety Officer. After getting the telemetry flowing, the GreenHab Officer departed via the airlock and the XO connected the balloon train. The Commander then released the balloon, carrying the payload aloft. In calm air near the ground, the balloon lazily drifted over Hab ridge before turning East and catching the Jetstream over Hanksville. The EVA crew then transitioned to the mirror experiment location and retrieved the mirrors, bringing them back to the airlock. Once back in the Hab, the crew tracked the balloon as it rose to the target altitude of 90,000 feet and then as it descended over the Colorado Rockies (see attached image).
Destination: North side of the Hab, and to Mirrors Experiment (near Cow Dung Road & Marble Ritual).
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 4251000, 518500
Participants: Commander (Ferrone), XO (Taylor), GreenHab Officer (Eby)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Moon Walk Road
Mode of travel: Walking

EVA # 14
Author: B. Braun
Purpose of EVA: Reconfigure mirror coating experiment
Start time: 9:17 AM
End time: 9:58 AM
Narrative: EVA crew departed the airlock and proceeded on foot via the Hab driveway and Cow Dung Road to the area of the mirror location. Due to the snow, conditions were muddy and slippery along the road and across the terrain to the mirror experiment location. Once the team reached the mirror location, they unscrewed each of the mirror samples and flipped them over as directed by the experiment PI. After documenting the new setup with photos, the crew proceeded carefully back across the terrain to Cow Dung Road, then down the driveway to the Hab, where they paused to clear mud from their boots before entering the airlock.

Destination: Hab driveway to Cow Dung Road to mirror experiment location (near Cow Dung Road and Marble Ritual)
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 4251000, 518500
Participants: Crew Engineer (Kowalski), HSO (Braun)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Rd (0110)
Mode of travel: Walking

EVA # 12
Author: A. Taylor
Purpose of EVA: Manually align the 3D model in AR and conduct more drone imagery capture around the local area.
Start time: 8:32 AM
End time: 11:12 AM
Narrative: EVA crew departed the airlock and immediately set up the AR headset. Trevor attempted to manually align previously marked objects but had some difficulty. We quickly switched gears to the drone flights and completed image capture with 4 flights around the hab, mirror payload, cow dung rd, and near the north ridge. Spirit accompanied the crew down Cow Dung Rd to carry the drone equipment.
Destination: Hab, intersection of Hab Rd & Cow Dung Rd., Mirrors (near cow dung rd & marble ritual), and north on Cow Dung Rd. to Pooh’s corner, flew drone west of Cow Dung Rd at the North Ridge.
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 4251000, 518800
Participants: Technology Officer (Jahn), HSO (Braun), XO (Taylor)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Rd (0110)
Mode of travel: Rover (Spirit) and Walking

EVA # 13
Author: A. Taylor
Purpose of EVA: Test EVA sampling tools (radiation sensor, rake, scoop, sample bags) and collect a sample in a new region not yet sampled.
Start time: 12:15 PM
End time: 2:56 PM
Narrative: EVA crew departed in Curi and Oppy and headed south on Cow Dung Rd past kissing camel ridge. Crew explored the Barrainca Butte area by foot and collected two regolith samples. Crew successfully tested the handheld ham radio supplemental comms.
Destination: Barrainca Butte
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 4247000, 519000
Participants: GreenHab (Eby), Crew Eng (Kowalski), Commander (Ferrone)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Rd. (0110) south to intersection of 1101
Mode of travel: Rovers (Curi & Oppy) & Walking

EVA # 10
Author: A. Taylor
Purpose of EVA: Retrieve mirror payload and return it to airlock, test EVA sampling tools (radiation sensor, rake, scoop, sample bags).
Start time: 9:01 AM MT
End time: 11:19 AM MT
Narrative: Ferrone, Braun, and Taylor departed the airlock and headed northeast of the Hab to pick up the mirror coating experiment for inspection and had the payload back in the airlock by 9:15 am. From there the crew took off on the rovers (Taylor and Braun on Curi, and Ferrone on Percy) south on Cow Dung Rd approaching Kissing Camel Ridge. The crew parked the rovers just past the ridge near Robert’s Rock Garden. The trio made their way around the back of the West Kissing Camel Ridge, traversing a large flat area with large boulders on the right. They made their way up red hills and found a path up the side of Hab Ridge to Hab Ridge Rd. The crew took a regolith sample at the top of Hab Ridge. At the halfway mark of the EVA the crew made their way back down the same trail, stopping to take a second regolith sample at the bottom of Kissing Camel Ridge. For both regolith collections the crew used the rake to scrape away the top surface and then scooped the dirt into the handheld sifter, collecting 75 micron size and smaller samples in the special collection bags.
Destination: Stop 1: Retrieve Mirror Payload NE of the hab (not quite to Cow Dung Rd or Marble Ritual) and return to hab. Stop 2: Rovers South on Cow Dung Rd to park near Kissing Camel Ridge – Walk West toward Robert’s Rock Garden and up to Hab Ridge Rd and then back down to Rovers.
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 4249200, 518500
Participants: Commander (Ferrone), XO (Taylor), HSO (Braun)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Rd. (0110) to Kissing Camel Ridge area
Mode of travel: Rovers (Curi & Percy) and walking

EVA # 11
Author: A. Taylor
Purpose of EVA: Return Mirror Payload and conduct handheld Ham Radio range test.
Start time: 1:53 PM MT
End time: 3:32 PM MT
Narrative: Eby and Kowalski departed the airlock with the mirror surface payload and returned it to its deployment location for one more stint in the Martian environment. From there, they traversed toward the north ridge to test the ham radio operations. The crew traversed up Sagan St toward the North Ridge, and with no obvious path up North Ridge continued westward on Sagan St. toward the intersection with Hab Ridge Rd. Ham radio comms were nominal, even more clear than EVA radios. The crew then made their way back to the deployed mirror location to record the humidity and temperature at the site before returning to the habitat.
Destination: Stop 1: Redeploy Mirror Payload NE of the hab (not quite to Cow Dung Rd or Marble Ritual), Stop 2: Up Sagan St. toward North Ridge stopping before Hab Ridge Rd.
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 4252000, 518500
Participants: Crew Engineer (Kowalski), GreenHab (Eby)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Hab to Sagan St (1103)
Mode of travel: Rovers Walking

EVA #9

Author: Kristine Ferrone (CDR) / Trevor Jahn (Technology Officer) / Matthew Eby (Green Hab Officer)

Purpose of EVA: Deploy ham radio antenna near Hab, visual inspection of mirror coating experiment samples, drone flights around Hab and mirror coating experiment sample location across Cow Dung Rd from Marble Ritual
Start Time: 12:00 PM MT
End Time: 1:36 PM MT

Narrative: CDR (Kristine Ferrone), Technology Officer (Trevor Jahn), and Green Hab Officer (Matthew Eby) left the airlock at 12:00 PM MT. Drone Flight Plan 1 had a successful takeoff Southeast of the Crew Habitat and conducted a successful fly over pattern over the Crew Habitat, while taking timelapse photos for later processing using photogrammetry. The crew then proceeded to the north side of the Hab and drove in the ground spike for the ham radio antenna. The base was threaded onto the ground spike, the ground wire laid out, and the extension pole and whip antenna raised for ham radio comms. The coax cable was laid out from the antenna to the side of the tunnel outside the rear airlock and IVA crew retrieved the cable from the tunnel and ran it to the ham radio station. The crew then traversed on foot to the location of the mirror coating experiment samples across Cow Dung Rd. from Marble Ritual and visually inspected the payload. Drone Flight Plan 2 took off successfully near the Mirror Sample location, and conducted 90% of its planned flight pattern, before returning to its takeoff point due to the battery falling below 25%. Timelapse photos were captured for later processing using photogrammetry, and finally, the crew traversed on foot back to the Hab.

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 4251000, 518500

Participants: CDR (Kristine Ferrone), Technology Officer (Trevor Jahn), Green Hab Officer (Matthew Eby)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Hab area, mirror coating experiment sample location (close to Marble Ritual but not crossing Cow Dung Rd)

Mode of Travel: Walking