Category: EVA Report

Crew 263 EVA Report 26-02-2022

EVA # 6

Author: Marine Prunier

Purpose of EVA: Atmospheric Experiment Battery Change

The atmospheric experiment includes 5 devices: LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter), an Electrical Field Mill, Purple Air (Aerosol Counter), Mega-Ares (Electrical Field Counter), and a Weather station. The aim of this experiment is to do testing of Martian-Atmospheric Study Equipment and their maintenance by human operators. Performing their maintenance and set-up while wearing spacesuits and following EVA protocols is the purpose of the experiment. All devices are located in the same place.

Batteries for the LOAC, the Electrical Field Mill, and Purple Air need to be changed daily. Hence, during this maintenance EVA, the 3 batteries needed to be replaced.

Start time: 08:30 am
End time: 09:00 am

Narrative: EVA Participants entered the airlock at 08:33. Depressurization ended at 08:38. EVA participants checked the rover batteries just in case. The obtained information is:

Perseverance: Usage Duration – 228.1 Battery Charge – 100%

Spirit: Usage Duration – 157.2 Battery Charge – 100%

Opportunity: Usage Duration – 84.7 Battery Charge – 100%

Curiosity: Usage Duration – 168.7 Battery Charge – 100%

The EVA participants arrived at the Atmospheric Experiment location at 08:43. The 3 batteries were replaced. Marine and Elena changed the LOAC battery. Cerise and Léa changed the Purple Air and Electrical Field Mill batteries. The status of the devices was checked.

At 08:50, the participants left the atmospheric experiment location.

At 08:55, the participants arrived at the Hab and entered Airlock.

09:00, pressurization over.

Destination: Atmospheric experience site (at the intersection between Cow Dung Road and Entrance Road)

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518288 E, 4250586 N

Participants : Marine Prunier (EVA Leader), Léa Rouverand, Cerise Cuny, Elena Lopez-Contreras Gonzalez. HabCom was Nicolas Wattelle.

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Entrance Road

Mode of travel: Foot

Crew 263 EVA Report_2 25-02-2022

EVA # 6

Author: Nicolas WATTELLE

Purpose of EVA: Testing the Hololens waypoints protocol

Start time: 11:30

End time: 12:10

Narrative: Nicolas was wearing the Hololens. The device had some trouble working at the beginning of the outing so they left the airlock late. Mathéo and Nicolas walked around and stopped in front of every room of the station. At each stop, Nicolas had to place a waypoint with the Hololens and take photos. Then, they walked back on each point to check if the waypoints were still there.

Destination: Around the station.

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518288 E, 4250586 N

Participants: Nicolas Wattelle, Mathéo Fouchet

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: NA

Mode of travel: foot.

Crew 263 EVA Report_1 25-02-2022

EVA # 5

Author: Mathéo Fouchet

Purpose of EVA: Augmented Reality application testing to map MDRS, Battery replacement for atmospheric experiment, Search and Rescue exercise with Drone within a 1 mile radius.

Start time: 8:08

End time: 10:01

Narrative: We checked the rover batteries (all full), and the Red team left with Opportunity to reach our atmospheric experiment. During this time the Blue team was mapping the station with Hololens. There was a problem with this experiment because we were not able to see the way points put with the Hololens. In addition, we forgot a cable to plug the LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter) on the battery. Thus, when the Blue team finished the Augmented Reality experiment , they had to wait for the depressurisation of the airlock and got the missing cable at 8:30. The Blue team then joined the Red team at the atmospheric experiment with Curiosity at 8:34. All the Atmospheric experiments were then set up and working correctly.

To implement the Search and Rescue with Drone experiment, the Red team left at 8:39 with Opportunity (97% battery) and stopped at 8:42 (87% battery) near North Ridge while the Blue team was waiting at the atmospheric experiment. Then, the Red team walked to reach the north of North Ridge. At 8:56, the Blue team took the Curiosity Rover (98% battery) and stopped behind the Red team’s rover at 9:04 (86% battery for curiosity at this time). The drone was launched at 9:08 and the thermal camera was turned on in order to look for the Red team. The Red team was spotted only 2 minutes after the launch. The Blue team then used the drone to find the easiest way to reach the Red team and both teams gathered at 9:29.

We finally reached the rovers at 9:48 and reached the Hab at 10:01.

Destination: Around the Hab, Intersection between Entrance Road and Cow Dung Road, and North Ridge

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518250 E, 4250750 N; 518288E, 4250586N; 518500E, 4251800N

Participants: Valentine Bourgeois,Mathéo Fouchet, Nicolas Wattelle, Elena Lopez-Contreras.

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Entrance Road, Cow Dung Road.

Mode of travel: Foot, Rover

Crew 263 EVA Report 24-02-2022

EVA # 3

Author: Léa Rouverand

Purpose of EVA: battery change for atmospheric experiment, installation of antenna and geology field campaign with LIBS

Start time: 9:00

End time: 10:40

Narrative: Rover batteries were checked just in case. The atmospheric experiment batteries were changed per the usual routine. The installation of the antenna for the HF wave propagation experiment was performed without any issues. One of the crew members lost their earplug at the beginning of the LIBS analysis so the EVA team leader decided to return to base by communicating through a notebook.

Destination: Atmospheric experience site (at intersection between Cow Dung Road and Entrance Road), around the Hab (antenna installation).

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518288 E, 4250586 N

Participants: Cerise Cuny, Léa Rouverand, Valentine Bourgeois, Marine Prunier

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Entrance Road.

Mode of travel: Foot

Crew 263 EVA Report 23-02-2022

EVA # 2

Author: Cerise Cuny

Purpose of EVA: battery change for the atmospheric experiment.

Start time: 9:00 am
End time: 9:37 am

Narrative: Because of weather conditions, we only went out to change the batteries of the atmospheric experiments. We checked the rovers’ batteries, just in case. Everything went smoothly, no one slipped.

Destination: Atmospheric experience site (at the intersection between Cow Dung Road and Entrance Road).

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518288 E, 4250586 N

Participants: Cerise Cuny, Léa Rouverand, Valentine Bourgeois, Mathéo Fouchet

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Entrance Road.

Mode of travel: Foot

Crew 263 EVA Report 22-02-2022

EVA # 1

Author: Cerise Cuny

Purpose of EVA: Initiation EVA, batteries replacement of atmospheric experiments, mapping of station with Augmented Reality, location search for future set up of antenna.

Start time: 9:39

End time: 10:39

Narrative: We checked the rover batteries (all full), and left with Opportunity and Curiosity towards Marble Ritual. We arrived at 9:43, we walked a bit, to see how comfortable we were with the EVA suits, and to get used to them. We took time to admire the Martian landscape. We left Marble Ritual with the rovers at 10:00 to join the atmospheric experiment site. We removed the LOAC because it does not bear snow storms well. We plugged a battery to PurpleAir and re-oriented the anemometer to the North. We had forgotten to bring a garbage bag to protect the battery from the rain ; as it is absolutely necessary to protect it before tonight’s snow storm, we asked our HabCom to put a garbage bag in the air lock. Elena (my buddy) and I went to fetch it while the other two stayed near the weather station to fix some things. We did not lose sight of the other pair and we stayed within the radio range.

When we were done with the atmospheric experiment we went back to the station with the rovers (10:29) and left them there to walk around the station. Nicolas was not able to test the augmented reality to map the MDRS because the HoloLens fell around his neck during the first part of the EVA. We found a nice spot for the communication antenna: far enough from the Science Dome so that it can’t fall on it even in case of extreme winds, but close enough for us to plug its 20m electric cable in the Dome. At 10:39 we were back in the air lock to end the EVA.

Destination: Marble Ritual, atmospheric experience site (at intersection between Cow Dung Road and Entrance Road), and around the station.

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518600, 4250700

Participants: Cerise Cuny, Marine Prunier, Nicolas Wattelle, Elena Lopez-Contreras.

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Entrance Road, Cow Dung Road.

Mode of travel: Foot, Rover

Crew 240 EVA Report 18-02-2022

EVA # 19

Author: Clément Plagne

Purpose of EVA: Exploration and looking out for interesting features for 3D mapping. Changing batteries on atmospheric experiment

Start time: 9:55

End time: 12:42

Narrative: Battery recovery went nominal, and EVA took place normally, with interesting routes taken thanks to 3D maps.

Destination: Hab Ridge

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518500 4251500

Participants: Julie Levita, Clément Plagne, Pierre Fabre, Maxime Jalabert

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

Mode of travel: Rovers, foot

Crew 240 EVA Report 14-02-2022

EVA #15

Author: François Vinet

Purpose of EVA: taking drone shots of specific areas in Moon Overlook.

Start time: 9:40

End time: 12:36

Narrative: We firstly changed the batteries of our experiments (LOAC, Weather station, Wind mill). This took approximately 20 minutes because of small problems. Then we drove to Moon Overlook (approximately 15 minutes) and walked a little bit among the Yellow Moon and to the Snake River. Everything went right and the drone shots are amazing. Before going back to the Hab, we freed a mouse but it directly hid in the wheel of a rover and we couldn’t remove it from there. Too bad…

Destination: Moon Overlook

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 516500, 4254500

Participants: François Vinet, Marion Burnichon, Pierre Fabre, Julie Levita

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road 0110, Brahe Hwy 1572, Brahe Hwy 1575

Mode of travel: by rover and by foot

Crew 240 EVA Report 17Feb2022

EVA # 18

Author: Pierre Fabre

Purpose of EVA: Standard battery replacement for our atmospheric experiments. Following 3D mapping of the area near Hab Ridge a little North of North Ridge, two EVAs will be performed to check the performance of crew members based on the use of these 3D maps for EVA prep to ascend the mapped area.

Start time: 9:50

End time: 11:43

Narrative: Battery replacements went well as usual, and then the EVA team proceeded to attempt a climb of Hab Ridge as part of an experiment to assess the value of 3D mapping to EVA preparation. Climb went well, and team returned early after all objectives had been met.

Destination: Hab Ridge

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518500 4251500

Participants: Pierre Fabre, François Vinet, Julie Levita, Marion Burnichon

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

Mode of travel: Rovers, foot

Crew 240 EVA Report 16Feb2022

EVA # 17

Author: François Vinet

Purpose of EVA: Changing the batteries of our scientific equipment, exploring the Kissing Camel area, with a particular objective of observing, photographing, and possibly collecting samples of petrified wood on the Western part of the area.

Start time: 9.45
End time: 11.45

Narrative: We finally had the EVA happen without one member. Battery change on the atmospheric experiments went nominally. The EVA went well, we found some beautiful pieces of petrified wood. Then we walked a little bit on Kissing Camel where the view was beautiful despite the wind that blew a lot. The headset of one member fell but we still were able to communicate easily with gestures, and we were home early with all objectives fulfilled.

Destination: Kissing Camel Ridge.

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 518000, 4249500

Participants: François Vinet, Clément Plagne, Maxime Jalabert

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

Mode of travel: by rover and by foot