Category: Journalist Report

Sol 07 Journalist Report 19-NOV-2023

Morning:

It rained from early in the morning through mid day today.

Today’s intended EVA was to be a rescheduling of yesterday’s EVA, which had been cancelled due to rain. This EVA was intended to involve LiDAR scanning in the vicinity of the Observatory Dome and to set up equipment in preparation for a Martian music performance in the afternoon. The plan was for the equipment to be covered by a plastic tarp to protect in case of unexpected rain. The goal was for Scott Beibin (Crew Artist), Hugo Saugier (Crew Documentary Filmmaker) and Caleb Stein (photographer shooting for the New York Times) to conduct this EVA and take photos.

Today’s muddy conditions were deemed to be too risky for the astronauts to walk in, and unsafe for the delicate equipment including LiDAR scanning devices, camera gear, synthesizers, audio gear to be carried through.

Afternoon:

With our EVAs cancelled, the crew pushed ahead on the projects that can be done inside. Guillaume Gégo (Crew Scientist) monitored bacterial growth for the experiment involving CO2 fixation by purple bacteria for space food production. In the Green Hab, Donald Jacques (Crew Executive Officer) planted tomatoes, additional herbs, and greens. Some carrots have sprouted. All of the crew prepared and collated our Mid-Mission reports.

In order to conserve water, a water – saving dishwashing system was put into place in the kitchen.

Evening:

After dinner, Crew Artist Scott Beibin performed a Ptelepathetique Martian Music concert simulating the acoustics of Mars, inside of the science dome.

Sol 08 Journalist Report 20-NOV-2023

Last night Crew Inventor Scott Beibin (Ptelepathetique) performed an original music composition inside the Science Dome to demonstrate the way sound travels on through the Martian atmosphere.

This morning the crew rose before dawn, excited for the early morning’s adventure: an outdoor Ptelepathetique concert just after the glorious Martian sunrise.

It was also the most ambitious EVA our crew had enacted yet. Because this EVA included six people in sim suits and helmets, all carrying cameras, synthesizers, recording equipment and other gear, we used the RAM as a large airlock for the depressurization sequence and exit. This EVA also functioned as a practice scenario of an evacuation or a group migration to a new lander that has arrived nearby.

The RAM was the perfect size for our crew. Scott, Liz Cole (Crew Journalist), Hugo Saugier (Crew Documentary Filmmaker), Guillaume Gégo, Roger Gilbertson and Caleb Stein exited with no helmet bumping and then walked to an area by the science dome.

Don got us suited up quickly and we walked to the RAM, carrying our helmets in their cases, donned helmets in the RAM, performed a five-minute depressurization, and greeted the frosty sunny morning.

We walked to the beautiful red hills just north of the Observatory, where Scott performed another concert demonstrating the acoustics of Mars, this time for astronauts in sim suits. Scott Beibin collaborated with audio engineer John Knott to create a filter in a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that simulates the way sound travels in the low-pressure CO2-dominated atmosphere of Mars, using data collected by the Perseverance Rover.

Later that morning, Liz captured NERFs of some geological features near the MDRS habitat.

In the Science Dome Guillaume sampled the prolific spirulina growth from Cécile Renauld’s (MDRS 261 scientist and PhD candidate at University of Mons) spirulina bioreactor.

Scott captured a LiDAR scan of the interior of the MASH. The MASH (Mobile Analog Space Habitat) is a converted mobile habitat with heating, cooling, food and water supply, and waste handling, designed and built by Donald Jacques, MDRS Crew 286 Executive Officer and Chief Scientist at Earthseed.

Sol 09 Journalist Report 21-NOV-2023

Liz Cole

The morning began with planning EVAs for the last few days of our mission.

The day’s only EVA ventured south of the MDRS campus to collect samples of three different kinds of soils from three locations, for use in a substrate comparison experiment for plant growth. MDRS 261 mission crew member Cécile Renauld began this work, and soil collection is meant to support the furthering of her experiments at the University of Mons in Belgium.

Roger Gilbertson (Crew Commander), Guillaume Gégo (Crew Scientist) and Hugo Saugier (Crew Documentary Filmmaker) used GPS coordinates provided by the previous researchers to find the location for collecting soil. The locations where the first two samples were previously collected were easy to visually identify as only minor erosion and filling in had occurred since the MDRS 261 crew took their samples at this site in April. The third sample had been taken from a stream bed and so was not as easy to identify visually. At each location the astronauts collected and labeled samples, and photographed each before and after digging.

The geologic features provided a great opportunity for Hugo to record content for his documentary. The stunning views and vistas south on Cow Dung road provided a great opportunity for filming the other astronauts traversing the landscape in rovers.

Roger continues his work on making plaster molds for medium complexity metal castings. The second half of the metal casting mold was dried and trimmed. Then both halves were joined, and the first bismuth casting performed. It was removed from the mold successfully, and a second casting was performed.

Liz Cole and Scott Beibin practiced flying a DJI Avata drone in the tunnels between the RAM and the Observatory in advance of taking the drone out on EVA to capture the campus.

In the Green Hab, Donald "Duckie" Jacques (Crew Executive Officer and Green Hab Officer) planted kale and transplanted peas. With the amount of sprouts rising from his planting work, he hopes to have a small harvest for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Crew Scientist Guillaume Gégo dried yesterday’s harvest of spirulina in the oven at 75 celsius, to measure the dry weight of the mass of spirulina growing in the bioreactor.

We got a head start on cleaning the mud from the recent rains out of the HAB, in preparation for the deep clean before departure.

Journalist Report 18-11-2023 Crew 286 by Liz Cole and Scott Beibin

SOL: 6

An Unintentionally Wet Dress Rehearsal

Morning:

The booster experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly shortly after stage separation while Starship’s engines fired for several minutes on its way to space

Most of the crew awoke early this morning to watch the successful launch attempt of the second orbital test flight of the fully stacked SpaceX’s ‘Starship Super Heavy’ rocket. The launch resulted in a successful full firing of all engines on both stages – 33 of the Raptor Engines on the Super Heavy Booster 9 and all 6 Raptor Engines on Starship 25 (3 Sea Level and 3 Vacuum Raptor Engines). The Super Heavy Booster and Starship successfully separated after liftoff. During the separation Starship ignited its engines and pushed away. SpaceX stated in a post after the launch that “The booster experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly shortly after stage separation while Starship’s engines fired for several minutes on its way to space”.

‘Starship Super Heavy’ is the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built by humans. It’s designed to carry large payloads and human crews offworld to the Moon, Mars and beyond. It went further than its predecessor went during its first test flight on April 20, 2023 and can be viewed both as a success and learning opportunity, enabling future opportunities in order to test the system.

Back at Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, Crew 286 engaged in excited breakfast discussions about the progress and learning opportunities from the launch – which carried over into conversations about the terrestrial applications of space research. Guillaume Gégo, MDRS Crew Scientist discussed the benefits of space program research which extends to improving life on Earth, especially in terms of solving global problems of hunger. The purple bacteria currently being grown in his experiment includes the efficient production of necessary nutrients that are not easily accessible to many people on Earth – which is of paramount importance. Additionally discussed were the benefits of space simulations which can be naturally inspiring to kids who dream of becoming astronauts.

Afterwards, planning went into full swing for the afternoon’s EVA.

Afternoon:

The scheduled EVA intended to involve Scott Beibin (crew Artist/Inventor) performing exterior 3D LiDAR scanning of the Mars Desert Research Station complex, including all the structures at the facility, as well as reconnaissance for optimal locations for Scott’s Ptelepathetique ‘Martian Music’ concert scheduled to take place on Sol 7 (November 19), and photography by Andrea Orejarena and Caleb Stein (an artist duo shooting for the New York Times) of personal mementos brought by each astronaut if they were to spend years away from Earth. The EVA was to be filmed by Hugo Saugier, MDRS 286 crew member and documentary filmmaker.

As the four analog astronaut crew members began to exit the airlock, it began to rain, quickly turning the campus into a muddy and slippery red clay mess. The astronauts returned to the airlock to wait it out, however, as the rain poured down with increasing intensity, it became clear that the crew would not be safe traversing in the slippery conditions, and the delicate equipment including LiDAR scanning devices, camera gear, synthesizers, audio gear would not be safe in the rain. After a few more minutes Mission Support stated that weather radar showed rain likely to continue for the duration of the EVA. The crew quickly came to consensus that it was best to abort the mission. I joked that the mission had become a “wet dress rehearsal”.

They re-pressurized in the airlock and returned to the HAB.

The remainder of Scott’s afternoon was spent continuing to perfect detailed plans for his outdoor concert, including a manifest and review of the hardware and processes he will be incorporating into his performance.

In the GreenHab, several of the microgreens have sprouted. Guillaume’s progress with his purple bacteria continued as normal. In the RAM, Roger Gilbertson, Crew Commander, used the oven to dry the first half of the plaster casting mold.

Evening:

Roger, Scott, Hugo and Liz explored logistics, communications, and audio configurations for the seven – person EVA required for the Ptelepathetique concert simulating the acoustics of Mars.

by Liz Cole

SOL: 2

Morning:
The day begins with more efforts to conserve water in the HAB. A new system of washing dishes following crew meals is put in place with the intention of the crew using less water over the course of the mission. So far the new washing system seems to be achieving its intended goal. Over the course of the mission, the daily reports of water usage will give us more insight.

Over the morning meeting, the crew discusses their priorities for the rest of the mission. We discuss how to set the days schedule so that all members of the crew can organize their time and accomplish their goals during the mission.

Reflecting on the experience of preparing and returning from Sol 1’s EVAs, the crew discussed began drafting a step-by-step checklist for every action involved in preparing for EVAs and returning from EVAs. To further streamline the process of getting into sim suits, the crew used the three stations in the main downstairs room to setup each suit system in advance of EVAs.

Afternoon:

The XO began his targeted planting in the Green Hab. He prepared fertilizer water for all plants, planted additional items, and a light watering for newly placed seeds. The plant growth in the GreenHab is encouraging so far.

In the Science Dome, lab preparations continue for the experiment involving CO2 fixation by purple bacteria for space food production while waiting for the Ph meter to arrive.

Crew Commander analyzed soil samples collected on EVA 2 to determine if they contained any carbonates. He applied HCI and NaOH to small samples of the soil after the samples were crushed and sifted.

Crew members of the days only EVA (EVA 3) prepared for the afternoon excursion by setting up equipment and imaging devices. EVA 3 focused on LIDAR and NeRF scanning of an area in the vicinity of Zubrin’s Head, and short of the intended Barrainca Butte walking path. Photos, documentary video, NeRFs, and LiDAR scans were successfully captured.

Evening:
The crew eats dinner during a granularly specific planning session of the rest of the week’s EVAs. Following challenges the crew of EVA 3 experienced during the afternoon EVA, the crew of EVA 3 spent the evening reviewing the EVA requirements and communication protocols. The Crew Scientist returned to the Science Dome to continue work on setting up for his experiment.

Journalist Report 15-11-2023 Crew 286 by Liz Cole

SOL: 3

Morning:

The bacterial growth experiment started in the science lab early in the morning.

Over the crew’s morning meeting, we reviewed yesterday’s activities, stated what we wished to accomplish today, and began planning the day’s activities.

Following breakfast we reviewed videos on the EVA communications protocol. The crew members who have knowledge of and working experience with radio communications protocols such as are used in military, fire, aviation and law enforcement gave a thorough review to the rest of the crew, including points on vocabulary and proper operational behavior for radio communications in the field.

Afternoon:

After lunch the crew divided into two teams and enacted different scenarios of issues that EVA crews might encounter in the field. Taking positions in the science dome and the observatory, crew members alternated positions as EVA team members, EVA leaders, CapCom, and Missions Support, and improvised scenarios over live radio that demonstrated appropriate radio communication protocols for nominal circumstances and problem scenarios. These exercises prioritized clear communication and brevity. Overall the crew enjoyed engaging in these exercises and concluded them with enhanced knowledge of proper communication protocols.

Evening:
Our crew scientist successfully took his first bacterial samples from the bag photobioreactors where the purple bacteria are being grown. More hydrogen gas was produced from the water electrolysis system the crew scientist set up, which will be used as an electron source for the growth of the bacteria. The photobioreactors are an exciting proof of concept of the possibility of mass-production of space food in altered gravity, as well as in terrestrial applications.

We then planned EVAs for the next day, and continued work on our projects to be attempted and completed during the rest of the mission. We also discussed how to receive video from the planned Starship launch later in the week.

Nov 16

Journalist Report 16-11-2023 Crew 286 by Liz Cole

SOL: 4

The morning began with Crew Documentarian capturing the beautiful Martian sunrise from the observatory once the clouds parted.

Just after 9 AM we welcomed our visiting photojournalists, Andrea and Caleb, who will be with us for four nights.

In the science dome, the Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 purple bacteria are growing well. Samples were taken and tested, and turbidity (measurable optical density) increased in all 5 photobioreactor bags, on average from .12 to .25., an approximate doubling in 12 hours. This is a good sign for the future of space food production. Samples were taken one for each bag, separated into pellets in a centrifuge, and stored in minus 20 degrees celsius.

In other positive news, a shipment of Rhodospirillum rubrum SH1 inocula arrived. Looking ahead to the week’s progress with the experiment, the plan is for the Rhodospirillum rubrum SH1 to be inoculated in 5 photobioreactor bags, and fed freshly generated hydrogen.

Our Crew Commander started plaster mold creation in the RAM, with the intention of demonstrating the use of in-situ resources (local gypsum for plaster), in support of metal component casting.

Afternoon:

As we now have eight people in the habitat, we were able to include four people in today’s EVA 4. All four astronauts suited up quickly with help from the Crew Commander and XO and exited the airlock on time.

The first phase of the EVA involved washing the exterior windows on the habitat and the science dome. The XO prepared a washing setup that would be appropriate for the challenges working in spacesuits and gloves in Martian gravity using available components in the habitat, including an extra – long squeegee and pole system, and a squeeze bottle of washing fluid. Our crew Artist and Inventor added fabric to the pole to wipe off heavy amounts of dirt and residue.

As expected, the sim suits and helmets made moving the squeegee over the high window of the Hab difficult. The astronaut moving the squeegee had limited visibility due to difficulties with tilting his head back while in the suit and helmet. This made window washing into a two person job requiring good communication. One astronaut moved the long squeegee, while the other observed from far enough away to observe the cleanliness of the window, and provided feedback and directions. Our improved radio communications skills from yesterday’s scenarios helped this process immensely. The windows of the Science Dome being at ground level were much easier to clean.

Following the cleaning, the EVA crew split into two groups. Crew Artist and Inventor and Crew Journalist began LIDAR scanning geological features and taking soil samples along a stream bed to the east of the science dome. The samples were geotagged with GPS coordinates. The soil samples will be processed into 3D printed objects intended for durability and ecologically minded disposability, using a 3D plotter/printer designed and built by Crew Artist and Inventor (Mandelbot Ecotech SURFA2 Goostruder). Some of the objects created from the collected samples will include planters for the Green Hab.

Crew Scientist and Crew Documentarian walked to the north of the observatory dome and conducted a memorial service for founding member of the Belgian Mars Society, Étienne Lefebvre, who passed away recently. Our Crew Scientist was personally acquainted with Étienne Lefebvre, and the memorial service was a touching gesture.

During the EVA, the visiting photographers documented the activities from within the habitat, the science dome, and observatory dome area.

Evening:
Dinner was the mission’s first group meal prepared Martian – style. All courses were cooked using mostly freeze dried ingredients and dehydrated shelf – stable ingredients provided in the HAB.

Sol 05 Journalist Report 17-NOV-2023

Nov 17

Morning:

In the science dome, the Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 purple bacteria continue to grow at a good pace as indicated by increases in turbidity. Their numbers have essentially doubled in the past 24 hours. The shipment of Rhodospirillum rubrum SH1 inocula that arrived on Sol 4 were prepared to be put into their own photobioreactor bags and fed freshly generated hydrogen.

In the RAM, plaster mold fabrication continued with clean-up of the first half cast yesterday.

Afternoon:

Yesterday’s coordination exercises required communicating between our visiting photographers who did not yet have radios, capcom, mission support and the astronauts. The communication process in the end worked out very well, and the desired tasks on the EVA were successfully completed on time. Yesterday proved to be good training for today’s afternoon EVA. EVA 5 began with us escorting the visiting photojournalists, Andrea and Caleb, on their first EVA to Marble Ritual. After completing radio training with Andrea and Caleb, Raj and Lizzie suited up and drove two rovers north on Cow Dung Road to Marble Ritual with Andrea and Caleb. The team conducted a photography session as the astronauts climbed the stunningly colored dunes in the landscape of Marble Ritual in the late afternoon light. The photography session and the climb went well without incident, aside from the temporary loss of two head coverings. The team located these items after briefly retracing their steps from the rover. The team returned to the habitat and captured additional photos in the vicinity of the Observatory, before returning to base on time.

Evening:

Over dinner we discuss logistics for the planned EVAs for the coming few days.

by Liz Cole

SOL: 1

Morning:

The crew is establishing itself as being passionate about environmentally sustainable long term settlement on a resource – limited environment such as Mars. We reduced mission waste by coming up with a composting solution for the MASH that gets rid of the food waste from our crew, and finding intelligent ways to reuse all cardboard, plastic and glass packaging materials related to our mission for other uses to support the crew’s projects during the mission.

Crew Artist designed a labeling system for the HAB Upper and Lower decks, so that our crew and future crews can easily locate supplies, tools and safety materials. We are already enjoying a more efficient process of making dinner thanks to this.

Sergii arrives and the crew completes our training. After we learn the communications systems for EVAs, and how suit up, our sim officially begins.

Afternoon:

The crew executed two successful EVAs to Marble Ritual. The first EVA was an exploration of capturing lidar scans, image and video while in our sim suits. The crew captured successful scans of rock formations with iphone 14 using the polycam pro. 360 degree video was done with an insta 360 1rs one-inch, regular video was shot on iphone 13 and iphone 14. Drone aerial photography and photography was successfully completed.

Crew XO observed the importance of taking a moment to sit and reconnoiter. What struck him most was the feelings he could remember from sci fi films of being alone on another planet and observing the terrain. He experienced the feeling of isolation, the sense that things are so different from his everyday life that he was indeed an alien on his own planet.

We noted challenges with headsets falling off, the suits making it harder to operate our equipment and adjust comms radios, and a lost tripod.

That loss of gear during the EVA 1 created a great opportunity for teamwork and coordination between the EVA 2 crew and mission support, as EVA 2 located the equipment through good communication between the two EVA crews. Members of both crews appreciated the excellent coordination and teamwork efforts that emerged in efforts to rescue the lost tripod, as well as the added focus of an accomplishable goal for the EVA. Crew Artist noted the challenges he experienced of trying to explain where to locate a lost object in an unfamiliar terrain, without having the specific words to describe the exact type of geologic features that could be used as landmarks.

Evening:

Our crew Scientist established himself in the ScienceDome for his experiment involving CO2 fixation by purple bacteria for space food production. The bacteria arrived at MDRS tonight, appropriately just before dinner.

Reflecting on the day’s activities before dinner, the crew discussed how we can create new systems to be more efficient. Assessing what went well and what could have gone better with todays EVAs, we note that checklists posted by airlocks, the sim suit rooms, the comms area and on the rovers would be helpful for the crew to more effectively complete their missions.

We then planned EVAs for the next day, and continued work on our projects to be attempted and completed during the rest of the mission.

SOL: 12
Name of person filing report: Tomás Ignacio Burroni
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: N/A
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: No
Currently charging: Yes
Opportunity rover used: No
Currently charging: Yes
Curiosity rover used: No
Currently charging: Yes
Perseverance rover used: No
Currently charging: Yes
General notes on rovers: N/A
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: unknown, but the difference between the used water and the added water left us with 52 gallons more than yesterday
Water (static tank): 265 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): on
Static tank heater (On or off): on
Toilet tank emptied: no
Summary of internet: No comments
Summary of suits and radios: Suit number 9 was not blowing as much air as usual when tested before the EVA. That suit was not used in the EVA but rather left in the base to test it further. After 15 min with the fans turned on, the voltage measured 2.3 V, so the battery was replaced and the old one marked as faulty. The new battery was measured before and after charge with nominal results.
Summary of GreenHab operations: watered, harvested
WATER USE: 2.5 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: Off
Harvest: 20 g of radish
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Not used today
Dual split: Off
Summary of RAM operations: Not used today
Summary of any observatory issues: None
Summary of health and safety issues: None
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: None