Category: Journalist Report

By Loren Scott

8am – Breakfast

9am – The crew finished up the gypsum experimentin the dome lab. The conclusions formed were that in the oven, the gypsum calcified to the point of becoming plaster of paris. The team hypothesized that the H2O trapped in the rock was released as steam causing a chemical reaction. As for the gypsum in the water, we found that it became more clear and glass-like. Both experiments also found that somewhere between 5-10% of the mass was lost. Again, we thought that the water was released into the water and that what was left was slowly dissolving in the water.

10:30 – After the experiment, the crew ended the SIM.

11am – The crew took a hike to look for rocks. The crew saw dinosaur bones embedded into the stone east of the hab as well as some good petrified wood and baryte roses. Then we went up the bluff behind the hab to the Gryphaea bed.

1pm – Lunch and hike debrief.

By Deb DeBerard

This morning we started with a wonderful breakfast of cereal. The favorites were Chocolate Frosted Flakes and Extra Raisin Raisin Bran. We followed this with a quick meeting to go over our day. The first EVA started at 10 am. Darin, Emily and Deb headed out to the rovers where we successfully started two rovers and managed to drive off to the south. We successfully passed through the rocks by the Kissing Camels (unlike the 40’ long camper we found on the other side), escaped the lightning sand and made it to our destination. At the first destination we quickly decided to collect all the good rocks so the other group wouldn’t have any. We searched the glorious wash finding lava rocks, conglomerates, other pretty stones and even a Devil’s Toenail before proceeding to the second site. At the second site it took us a moment to find the correct wash, then we collected all the agate petrified trees we could, leaving nothing for the next group. Return to the Hab was successful.

Upon return to the Hab we had a wonderful lunch of macaroni and cheese, veggie soup and fresh bread. Better than we eat at home! Then we sent Enrique, Jason and Loren out to meet their doom or return triumphant, loaded down with rocks of all shapes and sizes (except all the good ones that we had already taken.)

Back at the Hab, Emily and Deb experienced their first very short showers and got cleaned up for a virtual meeting with Shannon, the research scientist. We discussed the plans for Spaceward Bound, the classroom portion. The goal is to get the Spaceward Bound program into the classroom. As teachers we have many ideas, hopefully some of them will be good and help students who can’t make it to the Hab learn the ways of life on Mars. Then Deb and Emily planted some seeds in the greenhouse for future use.

The second team had a successful mission gathering rocks. Their rovers successfully made it to the planned locations unlike the day before. Their communication was stellar and they had amazing map reading. The wind was nice without being overwhelming. Jason, Enrique and Loren all successfully returned to the Hab with no near death experiences and they even got the rovers back. They were greeted by Wicket at their return and came through the airlocks excited to share their experiences.

The entire group reconvened to investigate rocks with Jen in the science lab. We all now have both Mars and analog rocks in our collections. We also have a lot of other rocks that are just plain cool and we like them. Once our rock collections were complete Darin and Deb figured out the rock id’s of a Utah rock puzzle that Shannon had left them. Enrique and Jason went on a quest for solar flares using the solar observatory. Others returned to the Hab to shower, relax or do some work.

The gang is now all gathered in the upper floor of the Hab while Enrique, Jason and Emily figure out how to make a delicious meal of rice, chickpeas and one little scoop of protein each(chicken). It is smelling good and quite appetizing. We only hope it will taste as good as it smells or we will all be fighting over the Chocolate Frosted Flakes. We look forward to hearing Jen’s story and a video meeting with Shannon tonight.

By Darin Orton

Spaceward Bound
Crew 284
Journal Entry
Tuesday, Oct 24th, 2023

Day began with breakfast all together (scrambled eggs, spam, cheese, and oatmeal).

Following breakfast we met all together in the science dome for a geology lesson and mission objectives for today’s EVAs. We started with a zoom meeting with Dr. Shannon Rupert that included some instruction on Mars’ interesting history and MDRS works well as an analog for the Martian environment. She presented some thought provoking questions about the geologic history of Mars that we were assigned to ponder as we explored the Martian landscape and prepared our own investigations. We plan to revisit the questions at a future meeting later this week.

At the conclusion of the zoom meeting, Hab Commander Jen led a briefing to prep us for the EVA missions. We discussed safety, mission parameters, and goals for the EVA. She supplied us with directions to the two collection sites and the rock types that we need to collect. We then prepared for the first team EVA.

The first team suited up and prepared for departure. They suited up, checked comms, and completed safety checks. After spending 2 mins in the airlock we left the hab and headed for the rovers.

The team experienced battery issues and were unable to reach the collection zones before battery levels dropped below the critical limit and they were required to return to the hab.

Based on the experience of the first crew. The hab commander and mission leadership determined that the rover needed work and for the second EVA we would take the hab car.

This allowed us to take all six crew members with Commander Jen staying behind to lend support from the hab. With the hab car we were able to reach the first collection area and had no trouble collecting the gypsum samples we would need for our analog collections and investigations. We then proceeded to the second collection site to look for sandstone and blueberries for our collection. This took a little longer but we found the samples we needed for our analog collection. We loaded back into the hab car and returned to the hab.

Once at the hab we unloaded our gear and made sure everything was returned and charging. We took our gypsum samples to the science lab and began our investigation led by Commander Jen. For this investigation we are exploring the changes that take place when gypsum is exposed to heat and water. We set our samples up and will monitor them for changes over the next day or two.

We then had some down time before dinner. We ate dinner all together (Taco Tuesday at the hab!

At 7pm we connected once again with Dr. Shannon for a mission debrief. We discussed today’s EVA challenges and successes and got the new mission objectives for tomorrow’s EVAs.

The rover issues seem to be resolved so the plan is to continue the EVAs as planned, in crews of three, one in the morning, another in the afternoon.

Crew is tired but in good spirits. Early bed for all and looking forward to another challenging yet rewarding day on the red planet.

By Darin Orton

Spaceward Bound
Crew 284
Journal Entry
Tuesday, Oct 24th, 2023

Day began with breakfast all together (scrambled eggs, spam, cheese, and oatmeal).

Following breakfast we met all together in the science dome for a geology lesson and mission objectives for today’s EVAs. We started with a zoom meeting with Dr. Shannon Rupert that included some instruction on Mars’ interesting history and MDRS works well as an analog for the Martian environment. She presented some thought provoking questions about the geologic history of Mars that we were assigned to ponder as we explored the Martian landscape and prepared our own investigations. We plan to revisit the questions at a future meeting later this week.

At the conclusion of the zoom meeting, Hab Commander Jen led a briefing to prep us for the EVA missions. We discussed safety, mission parameters, and goals for the EVA. She supplied us with directions to the two collection sites and the rock types that we need to collect. We then prepared for the first team EVA.

The first team suited up and prepared for departure. They suited up, checked comms, and completed safety checks. After spending 2 mins in the airlock we left the hab and headed for the rovers.

The team experienced battery issues and were unable to reach the collection zones before battery levels dropped below the critical limit and they were required to return to the hab.

Based on the experience of the first crew. The hab commander and mission leadership determined that the rover needed work and for the second EVA we would take the hab car.

This allowed us to take all six crew members with Commander Jen staying behind to lend support from the hab. With the hab car we were able to reach the first collection area and had no trouble collecting the gypsum samples we would need for our analog collections and investigations. We then proceeded to the second collection site to look for sandstone and blueberries for our collection. This took a little longer but we found the samples we needed for our analog collection. We loaded back into the hab car and returned to the hab.

Once at the hab we unloaded our gear and made sure everything was returned and charging. We took our gypsum samples to the science lab and began our investigation led by Commander Jen. For this investigation we are exploring the changes that take place when gypsum is exposed to heat and water. We set our samples up and will monitor them for changes over the next day or two.

We then had some down time before dinner. We ate dinner all together (Taco Tuesday at the hab!

At 7pm we connected once again with Dr. Shannon for a mission debrief. We discussed today’s EVA challenges and successes and got the new mission objectives for tomorrow’s EVAs.

The rover issues seem to be resolved so the plan is to continue the EVAs as planned, in crews of three, one in the morning, another in the afternoon.

Crew is tired but in good spirits. Early bed for all and looking forward to another challenging yet rewarding day on the red planet.

Crew 284 has arrived at the MDRS as the 5th cohort of Spaceward Bound Utah: a science, sim, and education mission. We are a group of educators here to experience the Mars sim and explore avenues for bringing the science and sim experience back to our various learning environments: formal classrooms, science centers, education organizations, and more.

Our first day at the MDRS was not in sim, and instead focused on establishing protocols, crew rapport, and familiarization with the local region. Crew 284 completed the following activities:

– Completed facility training, including instruction on maintaining the HAB systems, science area, green HAB, and rover operations.
– Carried out a field exploration hike to learn more about the geology of the region around the MDRS.
– Utilized the Musk Observatory to observe current sun conditions.
– Visited the Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur quarry to continue learning about the geologic conditions of the region.

Tomorrow we will enter Sim.

Jen Carver

Journalist Report

MDRS Crew 282 (Martian Biology III)

Jordan Bimm, 06.09.23

On the final full day of Martian Biology III, we revisited two sites from earlier in our mission. At Salt Wash we released captured insect specimens—including grasshoppers, caterpillars, and beetles, we had been studying in the Science Dome—back into the habitats where we first collected them. We also checked in on the water trap we deployed with the hope of collecting mosquito larvae. Unfortunately, we did not discover any mosquito larvae this time. The same was true for the water traps we set along the bank of the Fremont River, which was the site we returned to next. After collecting the water traps, we returned to the Hab where we finalized our mission report detailing the extensive biodiversity survey we completed over the past five days. Science highlights from our report include collecting 126 vascular plant, moss, and lichen specimens from 12 localities around MDRS, as well as direct collection of mosquitoes at all life stages and the experimental testing and evaluation of the novel mosquito trap design. In summing up our activities and preliminary findings we also had a chance to reflect on our time at MDRS and appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty in which it is situated. We captured some of our feelings of curiosity, wonder, and gratitude in an astrophotography session documenting the cosmic splendor overhead.

Captions:

Image 1: Jacopo and Paul releasing collected insects back into their habitats at Salt Wash.

Image 2: The Core of the Milky Way rising over the desert hills at the Mars Desert Research Station.

Image 3: Cassiopeia over “North Ridge” at the Mars Desert Research Station.

Image 4: The arc of the Milky Way over the deserts east of MDRS.

Journalist Report

MDRS Crew 282 (Martian Biology III)

Jordan Bimm, 06.08.23

Since April 2021, we’ve all marveled at Ingenuity, NASA’s small robotic helicopter that’s been making the first powered flights on Mars (52 in total at time of writing). At MDRS, Crew 282’s mission Martian Biology III has been interested in a different kind of tiny flyer with big implications for the future of humanity—not advanced drones, but mosquitos. For many of us mosquitos are the classic summertime nuisance. We repel them with bug spray or a well-timed slap. However, even with global mitigation efforts mosquitos still infect around a million humans with deadly diseases including malaria each year. This is why entomologist Jacopo Razzauti, a PhD student at Rockefeller University and member of Crew 282 studies these unsavory critters. So instead of avoiding mosquitos, we are in the odd position of actively seeking them out. Today our hunt for “Marsquitos” took us to Muddy Creek. Reaching this field site, which we also examined during last year’s mission, involved firing up the rovers and trekking out across the lunar-like landscape of Copernicus Valley before arriving at winding reed-lined banks. At the start of our mission, we set out in search of mosquitos in all stages of development, larvae, pupae, and the familiar adult. “Mosquitos are very lazy,” Jacopo explained to us. “But if a human is around, they will come to you.” In this situation, we are not only scientists and scholars, we are also human bait. Over the past three days we’ve had lots of success: in the Henry Mountains we discovered a treasure trove of mosquito larvae in an abandoned water tank (mosquitos love laying eggs in still water), and last night by the Fremont River we used nets to catch eight adult mosquitos. Quickly transferring them from our net into sample tubes before they had a chance to escape turned the process into a fun high-stakes challenge. (Catching them alive and intact so they can be properly identified and studied is harder than you’d think.) Today we built on this success at Muddy Creek where we discovered and captured five more adult mosquitos. Then on our return drive to the station we stopped at a site called Cowboy Corner which we explored last year as well, remembering there was water here too. Hidden away in a natural depression we found standing pools of water that contained tadpoles, frogs, and yes, mosquito pupae! Now Jacopo is in the process of preparing them for analysis in the science dome. We endured a few itchy bites, but this was a sacrifice we were prepared to make for science, especially if the result is a better understanding of this important organism and the rich ecosystems surrounding MDRS.

Captions:

Image 1: Muddy Creek at the northern edge of the MDRS Exploration Zone.

Image 2: Jacopo catches an adult mosquito on the bank of Muddy Creek.

Image 3: Jacopo collects a mosquito pupae at Cowboy Corner.

Journalist Report

MDRS Crew 282 (Martian Biology III)

Jordan Bimm, 06.07.23

Exploring Mars, NASA’s mantra is “follow the water.” On Earth, wherever we find water, we also find life, and this principle has guided robotic rover missions including Perseverance’s search for evidence of past habitable conditions. Today the crew took the MDRS rovers Spirit, Opportunity, and Perseverance to collect biological samples at two sites where water is key: White Canyon and the Fremont River. White Canyon is an ecologically diverse canyon with unique features called seeps along its southern edge. Seeps are places kept moist and lush by water that reaches the surface from underground aquifers, which in the desert surrounding MDRS makes White Canyon an ideal oasis-like place to search for life. (For those familiar with the Station, White Canyon is located near the turn-off from Utah State Road 24 that leads to MDRS.) Last year, during Martian Biology II, we explored this site for the first time and flagged it as one worth returning to for more coverage. Today we collected more plants including Small-leaf Globemallow (Sphaeralcea parvifolia), discovered tadpole larvae in a small pool of standing water, and spotted some whiptail lizards (Teiidae) as well as a White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii) sheltering from the blazing sun in a small, cool crevasse between rocks. We followed White Canyon to a culvert that leads under Utah State Road 24 and to the banks of the Fremont River, which flows in the direction of nearby Hanksville. Back on Day 1 of our mission, Jacapo, our entomologist, had set a special trap for mosquito larvae here since these pesky insects love to lay their eggs in water. Today was our first chance to check and see if it had worked. We located the trap, which was still in good shape, but unfortunately it did not contain the hoped-for mosquito larvae. Astrobiologists know all too well the disappointment in not finding life you are hoping to discover. But in science negative findings are productive results, so Jacopo decided to make some alterations to the experimental setup, and we will check back on it again later in the mission.

Image 1: White Canyon is a consolidated sandstone gully leading to the Fremont River at the southern edge of the MDRS exploration zone.

Image 2: Sphaeralcea parvifolia (Small-leaf Globemallow) flowering in White Canyon, south of MDRS.

Image 3: A White-tailed jackrabbit we spotted in a shady crevasse in White Canyon.

Image 4: Jacopo checking in on mosquito larvae traps on the Fremont River.

Journalist Report

MDRS Crew 282 (Martian Biology III)

Jordan Bimm, 06.06.23

The atmosphere on Mars is very thin—less than 1% of Earth’s comfy 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi) at sea level. At MDRS we can simulate many aspects of Mars exploration, but even in our space suits the pressure outside the Hab remains normal. However, there is a low-pressure analog near-by: the Henry Mountains, an impressive range of snow-capped peaks which top out at 11,522 feet. What kinds of life might we find up there? How would it relate to what we find closer to the Hab? If you’ve ever spent time at MDRS you’ve probably noticed the Henry Mountains. Step outside the Hab, look south, and “the Henrys” are the collection of distant peaks rising from the horizon. Today Crew 282, along with Sergii Iakymov, assistant director of MDRS, ventured into the Henry Mountains, expanding our biodiversity survey to this unique high-altitude environment. Driving in the crew car, we made our way up winding roads which turned from blacktop to gravel to narrow and rock strewn. Breathtaking views were our first reward, but soon we turned to the business of field science. We collected at three different sites: McMillan Springs, South Creek Ridge, and South Creek. Our finds included insect larvae, colorful flowering plants, and hardy lichens. The highest point we reached was South Creek Ridge at 9,100 feet, around 10.5 psi—not even close to Mars’s extremely rarefied atmosphere at 0.095 psi, but still an investigation of life in different low-pressure environments near MDRS. We returned to the Station just in time to avoid a different kind of atmospheric threat: a rainstorm with massive wind gusts pushing sheets of dust and sand across the desert landscape. It reminded us of the opening scene of The Martian. “Is the Hab secure?” Sergii’s voice crackled over the comms system. We made certain all the hatches were battened down and thanked our lucky stars we made it back in the nick of time.

Image Captions:

Image 1: Utah Penstemon (Penstemon utahensis) flowering in the Henry Mountains.

Image 2: Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa) flowering in the Henry Mountains.

Image 3: A plant press full of the drying specimens collected by Crew 282 in front of the Hab.

Image 4: Paul, Jordan, Jacopo, and Sergii in the Henry Mountains.

Image 5: The Fairy Candelabra (Androsace septentrionalis), pictured here growing in the Henry Mountains, also grows in Nunavut, where the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station is located.

Image 6: One of the snow-capped peaks visible from South Creek Ridge at 9,100 feet.

Image 7: Gorgeous orange-red lichens discovered at South Creek Ridge.

Crew 282 Journalist report 05June2023

By: Jordan Bimm

Is there life on Mars? Scientists are still searching. But there is life at MDRS, and Crew 282 is here to study it in detail. Martian Biology III is a non-sim science mission at MDRS focused on cataloguing the biodiversity of the desert south of the San Rafael Swell, with a special focus on plants, lichens, and insects. The Martian Biology Program at MDRS was conceived of by Dr. Shannon Rupert, field ecologist and Senior Director of Analog Research for the Mars Society. This time, our team consists of botanist Paul Sokoloff (Canadian Museum of Nature), entomologist Jacopo Razzauti (Rockefeller University), and space historian Jordan Bimm (University of Chicago). Building off previous missions Martian Biology I (May 2019) and Martian Biology II (June 2022), we plan to visit different field sites of biological interest reachable from the Hab over the next 5 days searching for interesting flora, fauna, and biota. Early each morning, before the heat of day, we travel to a different field site and collect specimens. Upon returning to the Hab we process, catalogue, and study these in the Science Dome. Field sites Martian Biology III will investigate include Salt Wash, The Henry Mountains, Muddy Creek, and the Fremont River. Stay tuned for more photos as we explore these stunning and fascinating ecosystems.

Captions:

Image 1: Entomologist Jacopo Razzauti uses an aspirator, a device that uses suction to capture small insects alive, to collect ants at Salt Wash.

Image 2: Botanist Paul Sokoloff collects plant specimens at Salt Wash

Image 3: The purple Intermountain Phacelia (Phacelia demissa) and the yellow Palmer’s Bee Plant (Cleomella palmeriana) are in full flower on Factory Bench.

Image 4: The Plains Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha) flowering in Salt Wash.

Image 5: A red beetle we collected at Salt Wash and will identify in the Science Dome.

Image 6: The Nakedstem Sunray (Enceliopsis nudicualis) is a common desert species which is newly collected for the Mars Desert Research Station area.

Image 7: The day’s haul of plant specimens laid out in the Science Dome before pressing.

Image 8: Crew 282, Jordan Bimm, Jacopo Razzauti, and Paul Sokoloff, pose in front of the Science Dome on the first night of Martian Biology III.