Category: Journalist Report

Sol 11: Rehoming Rocks and Writing Reports

The crew had to have an early morning today, despite us all being rather tired, as our first EVA was departing at 0930. There was no organisation for making a group breakfast, so cereal it was. Except for Mehnaz, who chose cookies and peanut butter as her breakfast. But it was the breakfast of champions, as she was out there on the first EVA, along with Annalea and me.

The first EVA of the day went to locations between Marble Ritual and Pooh’s Corner to return various field samples that we had taken throughout Crew 292, as well as during Crew 291. For a whole lot of field samples that took a lot of time, energy, rover battery, and suit preparations to collect, they were remarkably easy to return, and we finished our EVA early. Though not without Mehnaz capturing some videos and photos of us all!

During our repressurisation time in the airlock, Annalea joked about wondering if anyone had made fresh bread for us. To our surprise and delight, though no fresh bread had been made, Daniel was in the process of baking a cake! By the time we had gotten out of our EVA suits and put our things away, the cake was out of the oven, and Daniel was off to the Science Dome to continue his lab work extracting DNA from a few biological samples we had taken over the duration of Crew 292. He had opted out of the morning EVA (after consultation with Mission Support) to ensure he could complete his lab work, but we were also grateful that he had chosen to bake a cake, too.

However it wasn’t long before all the Mangalyartis were feeling hungry, and we recalled Daniel from the Science Dome for lunch. Bharti and I had made jambalaya for everyone and put in lots of extra veggies. This was followed by Daniel’s cake, which had been iced and then decorated in the red, green, and blue of the Mars flag. Our verdict: delicious! Another success for Crew Baker … I mean Crew Biologist Daniel!

After lunch, we had another EVA to return samples to their geological homes. This time, Aditya, Rajvi, Bharti, and I drove to the dry creek crossing on Cow Dung Rd, just north of Cowboy Corner and then back to Cowboy Corner itself. A sprinkle of rain did make us think for a moment that we might have to abort our EVA without completing our goals of sample return, but a quick conversation with HabCom and Mission Support let us know that it would quickly pass, and we would be ok to stay out on the EVA and finish everything up. Much like this morning’s EVA, the sample return process was much quicker and easier than anticipated. So, with those rocks newly returned to their homes, and my backpack feeling much lighter (both physically and metaphorically), we spent a few final moments taking photos and videos to remember our time at this amazing research station.

Throughout all the EVAs, those at home had maintained their report writing, as we are hoping to be well-prepared for our end-of-mission reports and all successive reports and papers that we will write up from the research conducted here at the MDRS. Though Daniel managed to continue his DNA extractions, and by the time the second EVA crew had returned, he was ready to pour a gel for his gel electrophoresis and make his DNA ladder to compare results against. As I had wandered over to the Science Dome to check for any spare rocks that may need returning to their homes on our way out of here in the next few days, I was recruited to help Daniel with this process. Annalea also wandered over to the Science Dome right when the gel needed pouring, so she was also recruited to pour the gel. The Mangalyatris are all feeling pretty proud of our newfound microbiology skills, and we all have Daniel to thank for teaching us!

As the sun sets and the evening gets darker, the crew has been focused on more report writing and really just enjoying the last remaining time we have on Mars. The Mangalyatris are a well-oiled machine now. As I write this, Annalea is cooking dinner (with the promise of my help, hence me wrapping up), Bharti and Rajvi are writing reports, Mehnaz and Aditya are collecting salad greens, tomatoes, and herbs for the dinner from the GreenHab, and Daniel is sitting up in the loft area (presumably relaxing or writing about his day in one of his many notebooks).

Dinner prep calls me,

Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

Sol 8: The Ups and Downs of EVAs

The crew had to be up bright and early today as our first EVA was starting at 0930. After a quick breakfast, the four of us (myself, Daniel, Mehnaz, and Aditya) got ready for a drive to Kissing Camel Ridge. It was a chilly drive, and we were all pretty grateful to get out of the car and start walking. That is, until we reached the ridge and began the hike up.

Once we were up on the ridge, it didn’t take long to find our sample targets. I was looking for a bed of concretions, and Daniel was collecting biological samples from soils and under rocks. However, in a mildly irritating twist of fate, both Daniel and I found our best samples right at the bottom of the ridge, near the road. Daniel found a weird yellow goo (my words, not his) and I found a very consistent bed of tightly packed concretions. But more data points are better than fewer, I guess, even if we had to do a fair hike to get them.

Back at the Hab, the remaining crew members had prepared us a great lunch of spaghetti, bread, and salad grown in the GreenHab. And we sorely needed a big lunch, as those who had remained back at the Hab were going on an afternoon EVA at 1400. Our lunchtime conversation was mostly about mountain lions and bobcats and noting that they live in the area near the Hab. Annalea was insistent on showing us pictures of their scat so that we could identify it out in the field (something we noted yesterday). But on the whole, none of us were very worried about these, despite Daniel having pointed out some very cat-like paw prints on this morning’s EVA.

The second EVA crew of Annalea, Bharti, and Rajvi got ready quickly. They, too, were heading to Kissing Camel Ridge, but to the west side rather than the east side. Though, they sensibly stuck to the lower portions, rather than hike all the way up the ridge. Annalea, Bharti, and Rajvi were equally looking for concretions as well as looking to take slope angles, better understand the palaeochannel and the palaeoenvironment, and look at different types of erosion. Hopefully, the quick geology discussion before they left was helpful!

While Annalea, Bharti, and Rajvi were on their EVA, the rest of the crew stayed home. We were mostly resting once they were out the airlock, but that didn’t stop Mehnaz and me from sweeping and Daniel from baking a batch of brownies. The afternoon EVA crew was set to come back to a delightful Hab, clean and delicious smelling!

Once we’d relaxed a little, it was time to get into work. Mehnaz and Aditya were both working on calculations for Mehnaz’s GreenHab evapotranspiration experiment all the while Aditya was HabCom for the EVA team, plus working on his own astronomy work (another great image, this time of the Whirlpool Galaxy). Mehnaz also took care of the GreenHab. I worked on plotting my data and attempting to find some reasons for and correlations within the data I’ve gained so far. After a while, Daniel and I decided to go to the Science Dome so I could wash my rocks and help Daniel shake his samples (in lieu of a vortex) to break them down prior to extracting DNA. Daniel continued his DNA extractions and creating more gels for electrophoresis, while I continued analysing my data and looking at my rocks in more detail with the hand lens.

It was equally about the journey and the destination,

Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

Sol 6: Outside at last!
Well, it snowed again overnight. And today, none of us were quite so enthusiastic about it, knowing that it would cancel the EVA we had planned for the afternoon. But we kept our hopes up, thinking that if the snow melted and the ground dried enough, we might still be able to go on the EVA.
To ensure we got some exercise either way, we did some yoga in the Hab after a bit of furniture rearranging. Rajvi led the session, and the whole crew joined in. We definitely all felt well stretched and ready for the day ahead afterwards.
The morning was tense, watching and waiting for the snow to melt, all while trying to get some good work done. However, looking out the window every few minutes in anticipation makes it pretty hard to work! By 1130 it was looking fairly dry, and we were feeling hopeful, so at 1200 we radioed Mission Support to check in about the weather. Thankfully, outside was as dry as it looked, and we were given the green light to go ahead with the EVA but proceed with caution as some areas remained muddy.
We hurried to have lunch, and then it was time to put on our EVA suits and go outside! We were looking for concretions that had been found at a site of white mudstone yardangs, which we found after a bit of walking back and forth. The four Mangalyatris on the EVA were enjoying being out and about, as well as actually finding some of our research targets close to the Hab. Our efficiency in the field meant a return before the proposed return time – no frolicking on Mars.
Once back at the Hab the EVA crew discussed the geology and geomorphology they had seen with the resident geologist, Bharti. We also handed over some puddle water to the Crew Biologist Daniel for his continued microbial studies.
While the EVA had been going on, the three back at the Hab certainly hadn’t been idle. Daniel managed to extract DNA from the soil samples returned on Sol 4. What a great success! We’re all patiently awaiting his further PCR tests (after already conducting a non-targeted PCR and gel electrophoresis). Bharti and Annalea helped as HabCom (which Bharti quite enjoyed, given her excitable nature), but equally continued their work on geology and art, respectively. Bharti has a base map coming along nicely, and Annalea’s artworks are uncannily lifelike. The Hab crew also put in some cooking effort to start dinner and dessert preparations (I hear there’s a cobbler on the way).
Sol 6 has felt like it’s ending as soon as it’s begun. All the Mangalyatris are feeling enthusiastic about the possibility of clearer weather and therefore more EVAs! We’re also all excited to see each other’s projects returning results. It’s hard to believe this is already the middle of our mission, but the second half will surely be even more successful than the first half.
Glad to see results coming in,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

Sol 7: Busy, busy, busy!
Sunday dawned a gorgeous, sunny day. Well, I say dawned, but really, we had a slower start to the day, given Sunday is our day off. After a bit of a late night on Sol 6, all the Mangalyatri crew opted for a bit of a sleep-in. We had leftover bread, fruits, and cereal for breakfast (well, brunch), and discussed our upcoming EVA. Daniel also headed straight for the Science Dome to continue his experiments.
Annalea and Bharti were both thinking of trying out the one-piece suits, rather than the two-piece suits, so we decided to fit them early to save time when preparing to leave for our EVA. They both greatly enjoyed the one-piece suits and quickly had them adjusted for their size. So back on the charge the suits went, until it was time for our EVA.
After a quick bite to eat, the EVA team started to get ready. It was a speedy donning of the suits, as all the adjustments had already been made, and we were excited to get in the field. This EVA took us just south of Cowboy Corner to a ridge that has been interpreted as a palaeochannel. There, we explored various palaeochannel signatures such as cross-bedding and great examples of upward fining. We also found another bed of concretions, but these were much smaller than any previously observed by the crew members. There were still remnants of snow on the northern side of the ridge, despite the warmth of the day, and we were glad to have rugged up a little bit before heading out.
Back at the Hab, Mehnaz, our GreenHab officer, read some more about evapotranspiration for her research, as well as check on her research plants to see them sprout! Mehnaz also misted the plants in the GreenHab to ensure they didn’t wilt too much during the day. Aditya has been working away with the remote telescope and showed us his image of the Pac-Man Nebula and has also got data to process for an image of the Whirlpool Galaxy. He has submitted another request to image the Crab Nebula tonight, and we’re all anxiously waiting to see his processed images of these gorgeous celestial objects. Rajvi continued to be a stunning Crew Engineer and worked away to better understand the systems in the Hab and test Suit 6 which was not running properly, so it needs troubleshooting before it can be taken out again.
Daniel kept working away on his experiments in the Science Dome after successfully doing a PCR and gel electrophoresis this morning. By this afternoon, he had conducted another PCR targeting biogeochemical cycling genes for the same DNA from the soil sample and is awaiting a gel to finish. Daniel continued his DNA extractions on soil collected on today’s EVA too. He’s a busy biologist!
We got some additional afternoon excitement when seeing some Earthlings paragliding in the thin Martian atmosphere. We’re all just pleased they didn’t come too close to us!
Feeling like a bee … busy,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

Sol 4: Rocks + Stars = Rockstars!
The Mangalyatri crew woke up to a cool day with a hint of sun peeking through the clouds, and, mercifully, very little wind. Perfect EVA conditions! Our Marstronauts had a quick breakfast of blueberry pancakes to fuel their journey, and then it was off for a 1000 start.
Everyone got into their EVA suits quickly, with a minor hitch along the way. One of the suits hadn’t charged (which we later realised was our fault as the fan hadn’t been switched off), meaning a change of suit for one of the crew. The crew were still out the door relatively on time (in the airlock at 1002), and were off to try and find some gypsum, concretions, and any possible evidence of microbial life. This was a fairly long EVA for our fresh Marstronauts, and they managed their time and energy extremely well, and even brought back some great samples of lichens, soil, and rocks for testing by our crew biologist, Daniel.
The rest of the crew at home were focused on more domestic tasks like sweeping, how to bathe using the least amount of water possible, and cooking lunch so that the EVA crew had a hot meal as soon as they got home. Great successes on all three fronts, I’m pleased to say!
The crew was spread out this afternoon with some people in the Hab, some in the Science Dome, and some in the GreenHab, all focusing on different tasks. Mehnaz took care of the plants and began planting some more radish seeds for both us and her experiments, Annalea continued her drawing and painting, Bharti and I had a lengthy geology and geoconservation discussion, Daniel helped in the GreenHab and baked a banana bread, and Rajvi continued doing her stellar work as crew engineer.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, Aditya was quietly working away in his room, processing data from the robotic observatory leading to one of Sol 4’s biggest successes – a beautiful image of NGC5904 (a globular cluster 24,500 light years away from Earth)! Aditya even showed us a publicly searchable image of NGC5904 for comparison, and his was extremely similar. His image of NGC5904 was met with a chorus of oohs and aahs from the rest of the crew. We were (and still are) incredibly impressed with the quality of his image. The crew can’t wait to see what you image next. Well done, Aditya!
Mangalyatri truly is a crew of rockstars, both metaphorically, and in terms of actual rocks and stars (well globular clusters, really).
Keeping our head in the stars,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

Sol 5: Snow Worries
We had two EVAs planned for today (pending good weather), so when my alarm went off at 0700, I hurried out of bed to start preparing breakfast and getting ready. When I walked out of my room, I was sad to see a very grey sky, but that quickly turned to delight when I went over to the window and saw a blanket of snow covering everything in sight. I knew it would mean no EVAs, but a childlike glee took over and I spent the next half hour taking photos until others began to wake up. One by one the Mangalyatri crew started to get up, each to be told in turn “go look out the window” until all the crew members had woken up, seen the snow, and had their turn gasping “Wow, is that snow!?”, only for it to be followed by “so no EVAs?”.
The crew was definitely disappointed with not being able to go on our EVAs today (as confirmed by Mission Support an hour prior to our planned start time). Instead, we all turned our hands to whatever research we could conduct indoors. Our GreenHab still needed attending to, and our plants are coming along nicely, including a big harvest this afternoon! Mehnaz continued her research work in the GreenHab, as well as starting to work on calculations and data analysis with the help of Aditya.
Our Science Dome had a workout today, with Daniel beginning DNA extractions, Bharti getting lots of geology reading done, and Annalea continuing her art project and research. Thank goodness we have enough research to be going on with while we can’t go outside. The rest of our crew spent the day at our computers, planning and writing, as well as discussing geology, study targets, and how to go about our EVAs to ensure we meet all our goals in the limited time we have left here (and pending more bad weather).
On the non-work side of things, we made two loaves of bread, though only one of the chefs ended up covered in flour. We also spent much of the day peeking out the windows to watch the snow melt away from the east side of the hills through to the west side as the sun went overhead. The crew also spent a few minutes this evening laughing at snow puns, wishing that all reports could be funny.
Feeling glad that most reports don’t contain puns,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

Sol 1: Welcome to Mars!
Well, Crew 292 Mangalyatri have officially landed on Mars! Many of the Crew had a challenging journey here, while I waited for them after Crew 291’s departure back to Earth, but everyone got here safe and sound in the end. We had a big dinner to celebrate our landing and an even bigger sleep to feel refreshed before our training began this morning.
Sol 1 began with coffee, tea, and delicious banana pancakes – the perfect breakfast to fuel a big sol of training and our sim beginning.
We started our training at 0900 and kept training until about 1500 (though we did stop for a much-needed tea break and lunch break). We’ve all learned a lot of valuable skills about how to do our jobs around the Hab and how to drive, use EVA suits, and use radios. We were all feeling prepared to start sim but couldn’t resist taking lots of photos and videos and going for a big walk before we could no longer take walks without EVA suits and a strong scientific justification. Crew 292 greatly enjoyed going up to Hab Ridge and looking for fossilised oyster shells, before heading back to the Hab about 40 minutes before our sim began.
We finished off some last-minute chores like watering plants and checking our supplies before it ticked over to 1800 and we were officially living on Mars.
All that’s left to complete our first sol on Mars is a delicious and nutritious dinner, getting used to our schedule of report writing, communications, cooking, and working, and having a big sleep before beginning our EVAs tomorrow. All our Mangalyatris are feeling welcome and settled and are super excited to begin our rotation on Mars!
Until next sol,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri journalist)

Sol 2: Learning to Walk
Sol 2 started out a little dreary – fog covered the Henry Mountains and clouds blocked the crew from watching the sunrise. Our morning started slowly as we were all easing into life in the Hab and on Mars. As the day warmed up (albeit only slightly), we started to get ready for our first EVA on Mars.
Our first EVA consisted of Aditya, Mehnaz, Rajvi, and myself (Clare), and we drove out to the usual training ground of Marble Ritual. While we did enjoy looking at the rocks there and learning to walk and hike up hills in our suits, a few of us felt that our suits hadn’t been fitted quite right (despite the time taken to try fitting them prior to our EVA), and so we returned ten minutes early.
The others back at the Hab had cooked another delicious lunch while we were on our EVA (including bread we had put on in the morning). After this, it was time for the other crew members to start fitting their suits prior to going on their training EVA. Annalea, Bharti, and Daniel managed to fit their suits quickly, so they waited and took photos before their EVA start time. However, the weather had been closing in and it started to rain, so Mission Support advised us to postpone our second EVA.
By 1325 the weather had cleared enough that the second EVA crew was able to get ready to go on their EVA. They all quickly put on their suits and jumped in the airlock, ready for their journey to Marble Ritual. Despite a few wardrobe malfunctions, the EVA crew spotted several things worth investigating such as lichens and concretions. They even spotted some extra-Martian life (Earthling tourists) taking photos of our Hab from the designated photo point. Sadly, the rain came back, forcing the second EVA crew to return early.
Our afternoon was spent looking at the pictures we took preparing for and during our EVAs, writing reports, and listening to the quite pitter-patter of rain on the Hab roof. We also had a crew science meeting to help us all better understand each other’s projects and begin to plan our EVAs.
This evening has been greatly brightened with the harvest of sixteen(!) tomatoes that we have eaten as a pre-dinner snack. Thanks, Mehnaz, for harvesting and thanks to the previous GreenHab officer(s) for their efforts growing the tomatoes. The Mangalyatri Crew are all getting rumbly tummies with the delicious smells of dinner – thanks, Aditya and Rajvi!
Hungry for dinner and fieldwork,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri journalist)

Sol 3: Food, glorious food! Wind, horrible wind!
The crew had a slow morning today, thinking about our research and doing a few maintenance jobs around the Hab, various domes, and tunnels. We were all feeling a little anxious about the weather and what that would mean for the EVA we had planned for this afternoon. It wasn’t long before we decided that being in the tunnels during the high winds was both unpleasant and dangerous in the thin Martian atmosphere.
To take our mind off the possibility of the afternoon’s EVA getting postponed due to high winds, we cooked aloo sandwiches. And lots of them! It was a real team effort, with everyone taking part in the preparation, tasting, and actual cooking (and of course eating!) of these warm and comforting spiced mashed potato sandwiches. As we all ate, we discussed reality TV, what “going on a spiritual journey” means, and more serious topics of politics and religion.
By 1330 we decided to radio back to Mission Support and say that we would postpone our EVA until tomorrow, and Mission Support had recommended that we do this if the wind didn’t die down. It was just too windy to be out and about on rovers and in space suits. We’d all gotten sick of hearing the wind howling around the Hab, but not being able to see any sign of said wind when we looked outside.
So, we all settled in for an afternoon of reading and researching. Three Mangalyatris went to the Science Dome – one preparing for his forthcoming biological experiments, and the other two to look at, draw, and paint gypsum and chert as part of Annalea’s research. Our GreenHab Officer enjoyed the warmer temperatures in the GreenHab while taking care of our plants and coming to grips with her research about how different conditions affect plant germination and growth. She also harvested some radish, basil, and coriander – what a treat for dinner tonight!
Once all the day’s tasks were over, our evening became one of cooking, report writing, and continued research. All our cooking is keeping spirits up while hoping for the weather to calm down. Plus, it fuels all our important research! We’re writing and researching as our yoghurt sets, our chickpeas soak, and our paratha dough rests. After a full day of inside work, the Mangalyatri crew is looking forward to getting out on an EVA. But perhaps we are even more looking forward to a post-comms window board game or cards.
Hoping for better weather and the same quality of food,
Clare Fletcher (292 Mangalyatri Journalist)

Back to Earth
Sol 11 began on a slightly sombre note. At 09:00, the crew held a minute’s silence to mark the anniversary of the Columbia disaster, followed by a bit of a speech by Steve about the ill-fated crew and mission. It’s a fascinating story, from both a technical and human perspective, and serves as a sobering reminder that what we’re doing here now will one day be very real for the human crews sent to Mars – which, when it happens, will be one of the most extraordinary and precarious ventures our species has ever taken.
As the last full day ‘in sim’, we planned to make full use of our time and conduct two hefty EVAs. The first went out to Candor Chasma: a deep, winding riverbed that cuts a deep channel through the rocky landscape east of the MDRS. As we climbed down and trekked much of its length, further than our crew had previously, we found ourselves surrounded by huge cliff faces of stratified rock, and discovered a wealth of interesting rock samples underfoot (including some great petrified wood fossils, and other novel things like jasper for Steve to spectrify).
The second EVA was almost cancelled on account of wet weather, but luckily the looming rain was delayed by a few hours and the team was cleared to proceed. They wanted to go to White Moon again, 4km north of the MDRS, but with the rovers’ batteries depleted more quickly by the colder weather they reached 55% charge (their point of no return) slightly north of Cowboy Corner, just over halfway to their destination. The team made the best of their remaining time by collecting additional samples from the area around the rovers (which they’d already visited during a previous EVA). At this site they found more petrified wood, concretions, endoliths growing on chert, as well as some extra parts of Clare’s ‘weird fizzy rock’ (carbonate). They also got to see a few special sights: a yardang from below, an antelope (I didn’t think they married, hurr durr), squirrels, birds, and a humanoid native lifeform on a faraway hill.
Unfortunately, these will likely be our last EVAs as said wet weather (and a hint of snow) has made conditions tomorrow unsuitable.
So… it’ll all end at midday tomorrow. After that, we do our cleaning, packing… and if time and weather allow, maybe some unencumbered hiking.
Highlights of the day: ‘Cobweb’ rocks (actually called "chicken wire gypsum"), other cool stones, the Chasma, remembering Columbia (maybe this should be a lowlight?), animals, Scott’s sugar stash.
Lowlights of the day: Steve mangling a bread loaf, biggest power loss yet, foggy visors, Clare hasn’t watched The Simpsons, someone dropped/broke multiple rock samples, EVA (mis)communications.

– Alexander Tobal, Crew 291