Category: EVA Report

Crew 274 EVA Report 05-02-2023

EVA # 7

Author: Nicholas S. Pender, HSO

Purpose of EVA: EEVAC-1 (supply cache) data collection to ensure safe usage for future EVAs.

Start time: 09:30 AM

End time: 12:45 PM

Narrative: EVA #7’s purpose was to exercise an emergency scenario requiring the use of EEVAC-1 (the supply cache) located at coordinates N4248400, E519300. The MDRS hab location was used as a simulated location for an Earth supply drop that overshot it’s intended target, landing 3 hiking hours from base. In this scenario, two crew members (Nick and Bill) “drove” to the landing site (they didn’t actually drive to the landing site for this exercise), and upon arrival, their rover could not restart. Nick and Bill had to abandon the supply drop collection mission and return back to the hab on foot. At 9:35 AM, with an initial supply of 4 gel packs and 1.5L of water per person, Nick and Bill began their trek (from the MDRS) on foot, accompanied by the safety team (Sarah and Tony) on Perseverance. The safety team leap-frogged Nick and Bill ensuring positive line-of-sight and conducting occasional wellness checks. Consuming 1 gel pack every 30 minutes, averaging a pace of 2.4 mph, and with one rest stop along the way, Nick, Bill, and the safety team arrived at EEVAC-1 at 10:21 AM. Nick and Bill collected 3 additional gel packs and 1L of water from the cache while the safety team collected supply cache performance data. The water resupply required a maneuver that Nick and Bill rehearsed in space suits the previous evening, and it was executed exactly as rehearsed. At 10:32 AM, Nick and Bill resumed their trek South on Cow Dung Road, with the safety team following. Shortly after departing the cache, the charge on the safety team’s rover dropped to 61%. Since the remaining required distance beyond the cache was only 1 mile, the safety team decided to continue following Nick and Bill on foot, always keeping them in eyesight and comms range (the rover was parked around Zubrin’s Head at the bend and the Safety Team could not see the EVA team). It was during this period a break in sim occurred. A dog and his owner approached the safety team, and the dog became aggressive nipping Sarah on the leg. See HSO report for further details. With one final rest stop, the remaining scenario played out as intended, with Nick and Bill continuing the remaining 1.5 hours back to the MDRS hab. Their hike completed at 12:42 PM, and the crew reentered the airlock at 12:45.

*Note* There were multiple breaks in sim due to high vehicle traffic on Cow Dung Road.

Destination: South on Cow Dung Road.

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4247600, E520100

Participants: Nicholas Pender (HSO), Bill O’Hara (Journalist), Sarah Guthrie (Commander), and Tony DiBernardo (Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: EVA #7’s (map provided) purpose is to drive to EEVAC-1 deployed at N4248400, E519300 via south on Cow Dung Road near Zubrin’s Head.

Mode of travel: Walking/Rover: Percy

Crew 274 EVA Report 04-02-2023

EVA # 6

Author: Sarah E. Guthrie, Commander

Purpose of EVA: EEVAC-1 (supply cache) data collection to ensure safe usage for future EVAs.

Start time: 10:00am

End time: 11:30am

Narrative: EVA #5 purpose was to deploy the logistics cache in a specific location which will be retrieved in EVA #7. The crew exited the habitat at 10:00 and proceeded on their route to the cache via Rovers Percy and Curiosity at 10:04am. They arrived at the cache at 10:13am and began taking measurements of the cache which included collecting data readings on internal and external cache temperature, cache power consumption, internal and external cache condition, and temperature and radiation readings on the fruit experiment both inside and outside of the cache. The crew did have to retake into the ground the solar panels which the cord holding them down came loose, however the solar panels were undamaged. The crew proceeded back to the habitat at 11:13am and returned to the habitat at 11:23am, ingressing at 11:27am.

Destination: South on Cow Dung Road, near Zubrin’s Head.

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4248400, E519300

Participants: Nicholas Pender (HSO), Bill O’Hara (Journalist), Lex Lojek (Engineer), and Tyler Hines (Greenhab)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: EVA #5’s (map provided) purpose is to drive to EEVAC-1 deployed at N4248400, E519300 via south on Cow Dung Road near Zubrin’s Head.

Mode of travel: Rovers Curiosity/Percy

Crew 274 EVA Report 03-02-2023

EVA # 5

Author: Sarah E. Guthrie, Commander

Purpose of EVA: Logistics Cache Deployment

Start time: 10:00am

End time: 11:30am

Narrative: EVA #5 purpose was to deploy the logistics cache in a specific location which will be retrieved in EVA #7.

Destination: South on Cow Dung Road, near Zubrin’s Head (see map provided).

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4248400, E519300

Participants: Nicholas Pender (HSO), Tony DiBernardo (Journalist), Noah Loy (Heliophysics), and Salina Pena (Astronomer)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: EVA #5’s (map provided) purpose is to drive the cache and establish the power system at the way-point for EVA #7.

Mode of travel: Rovers Curiosity/Spirit *NOTE* Original Request was for Curiosity and Percy, the crew accidentally took the wrong rover.

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Crew 274 EVA Report 31-01-2023

EVA # 3

Author: Sarah E. Guthrie, Commander

Purpose of EVA: To measure speed and distance of a 30 minute walking EVA as part of a logistics research study (PI: Pender)

Start time: 10:00am

End time: 11:30am

Narrative: EVA 3 departed the habitat at 10:00am for Kissing Camel Ridge as part of an research project for logistic caches. The crew traversed the surface in the direction of Kissing Camel Ridge for 30 mins to measure distance and speed. Once crew reached the base they took a 10 minutes break before returning to the habitat. The crew returned to the habitat at 11:20am. They then walked the MDRS campus and took a visual inspection before ingressing at 11:25am.

Destination: Kissing Camel Ridge

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4249700, E518700

Participants: EVA Lead – Nick Pender (HSO), Lex Lojek (Engineer), Tyler Hines (GHO), and Tony DiBernardo (Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Kissing Camel Ridge (see GPS map provided)

Mode of travel: Walking only

 

Crew 274 EVA Report 30-01-2023

EVA # 2

Author: Sarah E. Guthrie, Commander

Purpose of EVA: Training

Start time: 1:00pm

End time: 1:55pm

Narrative: EVA 2 completed MDRS required training at Marble Ritual for approximately 24 mins.

Destination: Marble Ritual

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4240700, E518750

Participants: Lex Lojek (Engineer), Tyler Hines (GHO), Salina Pena (Astronomer), Noah Loy (Heliophysics)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road to Marble Ritual

Mode of travel: Rovers (Curiosity, Opportunity)

 

Crew 274 EVA Report 30-01-2023

EVA # 1

Author: Sarah E. Guthrie, Commander

Purpose of EVA: Training

Start time: 10:25am

End time: 10:59am

Narrative: EVA 1 completed MDRS required training at Marble Ritual for approximately 24 mins.

Destination: Marble Ritual

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4240700, E518750

Participants: Sarah E. Guthrie (Commander), Nick Pender (HSO), Bill O’Hara (Hab Specialist), Tony DiBernardo (Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road to Marble Ritua

Mode of travel: Rovers (Perseverance, Spirit)

 

 

Crew 272 EVA Report 13-01-2023

EVA # 10

Author: Arly Black

Purpose of EVA: Simple simulation of search and rescue of an incapacitated astronaut. In this case, the astronaut was the Boiler Transmission Station (BTS) located at N519600, E4251500.

Start time: 9:00 AM

End time: 10:50 AM

Narrative: Today’s EVA started off a lot earlier than the rest of them have this mission. This was the last EVA of our rotation (noooo!) and we were eager to get started and save our lost astronaut/Kshitij’s baby (and also to get back early to write our many final mission reports). After wiping the sleep from our eyes, a quick stretch, and a rushed breakfast, the EVA crew jumped into our suits, which by now we need no assistance to put on. Five minutes of space jokes (Why aren’t astronauts hungry when they get to space? Because they had a big launch!) made the airlock prebreathing pass by quickly. It was a chilly morning and when we got to our rovers, there was frost on our seats. Some of us wish we had noticed that before sitting down… Arly and Mason led the way to our destination in Spirit (and with spirit!) with Kenny and Megan following in Opportunity. We drove to the Gateway to Candor and parked, using the mound on the right side of the road to help us navigate on-foot to our destination, based on experience from the last EVA to the self-named Boiler Ledge. When we reached the top of the hill, Mason flew our search and rescue drone to see if our lost astronaut BTS (transmitter + box, not the K-Pop band) was still there. He was unable to see anything and lost connection at some point, so we continued walking towards the ledge. At a closer point about 300 ft from the ledge, Mason again attempted to spot the astronaut with the drone. He was unable to see it on the live feed but was later able to view it clearly during post-processing. Hopefully, in a real-life situation, the astronaut doesn’t mind waiting a few extra hours for rescue… Meanwhile, the other three EVA members walked towards the ledge and found the transmitter lying exactly where we expected it to be, which was surprising given the high winds and rain from a Martian storm we experienced a few days ago. Unfortunately, we found the box halfway down the cliff facing Compass Rock. While we could have scrambled down the cliff to rescue it, the crew made an executive decision to put our safety first and to leave it behind. Sometimes we astronauts must follow the pirate’s code. After all, dead men tell no tales. With that, we gathered up the transmitter booty, took some epic pictures and drone videos, left the box to its fate in Davy Jones’ locker, and sailed back to the Hab.

As a fun addition to our mission, Space Kidz India sent us some great questions from K-12 students about life on Mars and we had a great time answering a few of them while on this EVA. We discussed topics including the Martian atmosphere and why spacesuits are necessary, as well as what a Mars analog mission is and why it is important (and fun!).

And with that, we concluded another successful EVA and ended Crew 272’s final in-sim expedition. Ever. New friends, incredible views, and an experience we’ll never forget. Thank you MDRS.

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be” – Douglas Adams.

Destination: Ledge overlooking Compass Rock (named Boiler Ledge by Crew 272)

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N519600, E4251500

Participants: Megan Rush (HSO), Mason Kuhn (Crew Engineer), Arly Black (XO/Crew Scientist), Kenny Pritchard (Crew Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove north along Cow Dung Road until Gateway to Candor and parked the rovers. From Gateway to Candor, walked on foot to N519600, E4251500 and retrieved the transmitter. Returned on foot to the parked rovers and drove back to the Hab along Cow Dung Road.

Mode of travel: Walking and driving

 

 

Crew 272 EVA Report 12-01-2023

EVA # 9

Author: Arly Black

Purpose of EVA: 1) Geologic EVA to Cowboy Corner to investigate an inverted paleochannel identified by Clarke and Stoker (2011). 2) Test of 3D printed geologic tools.

Start time: 11:00 PM

End time: 2:15 PM

Narrative: It being Sol 11, Crew 272 is now old hat at getting ready and suited up for EVAs, and we were ready and out the door in no time. Megan and Adriana led the way in Curie, while Arly and Kenny followed in Oppy. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. The crew drove north along Cow Dung Road towards Cowboy Corner, parked the rovers, and walked west. We made our way to the inverted paleochannel — or giant mound for us non-geological folks — Adriana had identified for investigation. Our first task was to test the 3D printed rock hammers Megan created back at the Hab throughout our mission. One was a lovely pale green and made of PLA material, while the other was smaller, bright purple, and made of PETG material. Both contained 20% infill, which is a characteristic that dictates material strength, structure, and weight. Both hammers proved useful for digging and prying soft sediment, but neither were very beneficial for hammering hard rock as they lacked a certain heaviness in the hammer head. Adriana preferred the smaller hammer as it felt stronger, which aligns with the material strength specs of PETG. Adriana also enjoyed how light the hammers felt in her tool belt, relative to her bulky metal hammer.

We proceeded to walk around the large mound, exploring the many boulders and features of the area. Adriana dictated lithologic descriptions to Arly and collected hand samples that contained sedimentary structures. She documented more paleo flow indicators and compared it with findings from Kissing Camel Ridge. She noted that it looks to have a very similar depositional environment to KCR in terms of the sediment and paleo flow indicators. This makes her believe that they are a conjoined fluvial system – in other words, they are part of one system that existed at the same time. Adriana also thinks she found coal in both locations which further explains the depositional environment. “The story is slowly coming together!”, she announced excitedly, as the rest of the crew nodded, pretending to understand. And with that, Professor Brown’s Mars geology course came to an end. I think I speak for the rest of the crew when I say Adriana is going to make an incredible Professor one day.

Having accomplished all we came to do, we headed back to the Hab 15 minutes early. No alien sightings today. It’s really starting to feel like Mars out there.

Destination: Cowboy Corner

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518800, E4253000

Participants: Megan Rush (HSO), Adriana Brown (Crew Geologist), Arly Black (XO/Crew Scientist), Kenny Pritchard (Crew Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove north along Cow Dung Road until Cowboy Corner. Parked the rovers and walked west along the inverted paleochannel (0.5 km west of Cow Dung Road).

Mode of travel: Walking and driving

 

 

Crew 272 EVA Report 11-01-2023

EVA # 8

Author: Arly Black

Purpose of EVA: Exploratory EVA to Hab Ridge, initial scouting of geologic setting.

Start time: 2:00 PM

End time: 4:15 PM

Narrative: Due to unpredictability in the weather and rover charging mishaps, today’s EVA reverted to Plan B: hike to Hab Ridge and explore the area without any preconceptions of what to expect. This time, no rovers were harmed in the making of the EVA. The crew walked from the Hab along road 1103 towards North Ridge. They took a left and walked towards Hab Ridge Road. Along the way, the curious traveler stopped to collect samples and examine their surroundings. They then continued on towards Hab Ridge Road, which runs north and south and lies to the west of the Hab, where they found a ridiculous amount of “devil’s toenails” (a genus of extinct oysters, also known as Gryphaea). They walked until they reached the repeater (it’s still standing!) and were able to see our glorious Hab off in the distance. This was the goal of the mission and therefore mission success was achieved! The crew did note that this EVA required more skillful map reading than any other EVA so far.

As this was an exploratory mission, the crew used the experiences from this EVA to brainstorm ideas for future EVAs (but only two days of EVAs left ☹!!!). Adriana examined the geological environment and tried to see how well defined the strata were in that location and what kinds of fossils were present. She was not expecting to see that many toenails which is indicative of an ancient marine environment in that area (or many giants with nail clippers). She is interested in investigating what they have been preserved in. The strata are not well defined along Hab Ridge Road, and it is difficult to see the contact between formations.

On their way back to the Hab, Adriana did some more digging, as one does, and was excited to find even MORE toenails – who wouldn’t be?! Many photos were taken to document the area and they trundled on back to the Hab along the same route. Well done explorers! But leave those toe clippings off the kitchen table, would ya?

Destination: Hab Ridge

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N517800, E4251500

Participants: Adriana Brown (Crew Geologist), Kshitij Mall (Crew Commander), Madelyn Whitaker (GreenHab Officer), Megan Rush (HSO Officer)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Walked on foot up Road 1103 until Hab Ridge, then returned on foot by Road 1103 to the Hab.

Mode of travel: Walking

 

 

Crew 272 EVA Report 10-01-2023

EVA # 7

Author: Arly Black

Purpose of EVA: Simple simulation of search and rescue of a lost/injured astronaut at Kissing Camel Ridge. Drone versus human performance is evaluated in the context of efficiency of finding the astronaut.

Start time: 10:00 AM

End time: 1:00 PM

Narrative: The EVA began extra on-time today as Arly and Madelyn were over-eager to go kick some drone butt. The crew hustled into the airlock and about 3 minutes in realized they had no maps… After grabbing the maps and starting the airlock countdown again they emerged into the sunlight. Madelyn and Arly hopped into Spirit with Madelyn driving, while Mason and Kshitij rode in Perseverance with Kshitij driving and leading. They drove to Kissing Camel Ridge where, once again, no camels were observed, kissing or otherwise. Kshitij went to hide the lost astronaut (i.e. a cardboard box) on the east side of the ridge, while the other three turned their backs and played with colourful rocks like preschoolers in a sandbox. Kshitij maintained line of sight with the rest of the EVA crew the entire time. The east side of the ridge is flat with several large boulders and one hilly mound, so it is ideal for maintaining LOS while providing numerous hiding places. Kshitij said “go” and the competitors were off! The drone sped on ahead, while Arly and Madelyn split up to cover more ground. The human strategy turned out to be a roaring success as Madelyn let out an “AAAHHHH” and the lost astronaut was discovered behind a large boulder on the north side. Mason complained of drone connectivity issues, but we don’t tolerate excuses when it comes to saving cardboard lives.

The next test saw Kshitij hiding the lost astronaut on the west ridge. This time, Madelyn and Arly stuck together in their search given the hilliness of the landscape. The drone again experienced connectivity issues, prompting it to consistently return to its owner. At one point the drone was hovering almost directly above the hill upon which the astronaut was hiding, but the poor connection left Mason unable to see the poor soul he was there to rescue. Given Kshitij’s slight bias towards the drone, he announced prematurely that the drone had won, but the wily female searchers seized the moment and ran to retrieve the astronaut from its lonely mountain peak. Once again, human resilience and ingenuity wins the day. Although, if we’re being honest, the drone would have won if not for the connectivity mishaps (hope you’re okay with a pity win, Mason). After two successful rescue attempts (from the lost astronaut’s point of view, if not the drone’s), the EVA crew packed up and journeyed home with pockets full of petrified wood. What a beautiful day for a rescue!

Destination: Kissing Camel Ridge

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518400, E4249500

Participants: Kshitij Mall (Crew Commander), Mason Kuhn (Crew Engineer), Madelyn Whitaker (GreenHab Officer), Arly Black (XO/Crew Scientist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove south on Cow Dung Road until Kissing Camel Ridge. Walked on foot along ridge to the east and west relative to Cow Dung Road. Returned to rovers on foot and drove back to the Hab via Cow Dung Road.

Mode of travel: Driving and walking