Category: Journalist Report

 

 

Sol 0 – From one planet to another

Crew 275 has safely arrived at the Mars Desert Research Station! Seeing the Hab suddenly appear from behind the ridge after a year of preparation and anticipation gave the crew the most wonderful feeling: our objective and dream was standing before us, just as we had studied and imagined it.

As we eased into this new environment, Sol 0, the pre-simulation training session, could begin.

Sergii, Assistant Director, and Donald, Site Manager of the MDRS showed us all the facilities (GreenHab, Musk Observatory, Science Dome, etc.) and their specificities, and trained us to prepare for an EVA: reading the map, choosing a destination, suiting up, and operating the rovers. Before sunset, we all drove them out to Marble Ritual for the crew to get the hang of them.

Enjoying our last few moments out in the open, we also had the opportunity to gather some drone footage of the station and record a video to present the facility to our French audience.

Tomorrow morning, we will close the Hab airlock… and officially land on Mars!

 

 

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-10-2023

Sol: 12

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: Mission Accomplished

Crew 274 woke up this morning at 7:30am to a personalized message from Sarah’s family mixed with the song, “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. The crew got their surveys done, then started their research early and prepared to stop collecting data so they could break simulation at 2pm to clean the hab.

EVA Activity

Today HSO Pender began processing preliminary temperature and power consumption data collected over the 6 days that EEVAC-1 was deployed near Zubrin’s Head. He also noted the condition of peripheral cache equipment which endured some wear-and-tear during the deployment period.

Heliophysics

Astronomer Loy was focused on wrapping up his research, so no images of solar prominence or sunspots were taken today. The Musk Solar Observatory was cleaned by Astronomers Pena and Loy and closing procedures were adequately taken to ensure that the telescope would be up and running for the next crew.

Astronomy

Because it will be a clear night, the MLC-RCOS16 Telescope is scheduled to take images tonight. Fifty-nine raw photos will be taken in 50 seconds using the “R” filter because the last pictures were poor quality.

Stress Mitigation Study

Tonight, the crew will continue Crew Engineer Lojeks’ study of tracking the stress levels of six of the crew members while practicing breathing and mindfulness techniques as a potential mitigation of stress in analog environments. We will continue the same guided meditation, moving the kitchen table to make room for our yoga mats as some of our crew mates “accidentally” fall asleep.

At 2pm MST, the crew broke simulation to clean the hab in preparation for their departure early tomorrow. They followed the cleaning guidelines and checklists provided by Mission Support and broke into teams to tackle different parts of the habitat. Although the crew has enjoyed the breathtaking views, focused research time, and bonding with each other, they are excited to get home to their families and loved ones tomorrow.

 

 

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-9-2023

Sol: 11

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: Take Me Home

Crew 274 woke up this morning at 7:30am to the theme from Apollo 13. The crew got their surveys done, then prepared for their last EVA of the mission.

EVA Activity

Today, HSO Pender retrieved his supply cache from the field and brough EEVAC-1 back home. He conducted performance metrics and final condition observations of the cache and overall, EEVAC-1 was found in good condition. The solar panels held up surprisingly well given the high winds from the previous evening. Finally, Pender and his EVA team collected the final data set on the orange radiation experiment led by Commander Sarah Guthrie.

GreenHab

Today, GHO Hines officially concluded both the primary and secondary growth experiments. While the secondary microgreen study proved to be a partial success, with the cress seed set resulting in a nearly 80% germination rate, only one seed among the several planted LDEF seeds were able to successfully germinate halfway through the mission. The resulting conclusion is being considered a success based on conservative expectations with plans to continue the study on future analogs.

Hab Design

Hab Specialist Bill O’Hara completed his study of MDRS architecture on schedule today. The result is a comprehensive set of notes regarding the awesome and inspiring design of the MDRS. He also supported the final EVA of the mission to bring home EEVAC-1.

Heliophysics

Crew astronomers Loy and Pena observed detailed heliophysics phenomena and collected more bulk data sets on solar dark spots and solar chromosphere prominences. Large prominences were observed wrapping around solar magnetic fields, just before solar flares were registered by NOAA blasting away from a solar vortex. Eight large solar prominences and nine solar dark spots were observed today, which will be very useful for the astronomer’s analysis of solar cycle 25. On top of these observations, 60,000 images were captured, and 10,000 solar spots and prominences were stacked, measured, and analyzed.

Astronomy

59 separate 45-second long exposure images were collected from the MLCRCOS-16 New Mexico Observatory. These images are being separately captured through visual, infrared, and blue filters, assisting Astronomers Pena and Loy’s science on HADS variable star research. 59 B filter images were stacked, analyzed, and compared to previous images of this star system, HADS Variable Star V0799 AUR, to provide an assessment of this variable star’s brightness variability period and cycle, as well as provide a true-brightness standard to accurately measure distances in the immediate vicinity of HADS V0799 AUR’s stellar neighborhood.

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-8-2023

Sol: 10

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: KURT II

Crew 274 woke up this morning at 7:30am to the song “The Final Countdown” from Europe. The crew got their surveys done, then prepared for another double EVA day utilizing KURT, the Kinetic Utilization Research Tool.

EVA Activity

Two EVAs were completed which closes out Commander Guthrie’s research on methods for rescuing incapacitated astronauts on the surface of the Moon or Mars. The study observes the performance of a medical sled in a Martian-like terrain and the use of an assistive device, rescue vest, with specialized handles for picking up the downed astronauts. The vest represents hoist points on the hard upper torso (HUT) which is the hardened structure of the spacesuit.

The intent is to learn if assistive rescue handles attached to the HUT can improve the life-saving capability of surface activities when astronauts are on interplanetary missions. NASA’s Artemis missions outline the necessity for proper suit interface and hoist connections for rescues. This study aims to use combat experiences for extracting members from the field and applying those concepts to Lunar and Martian missions.

Hab Design

Hab Specialist O’Hara continued his evaluation of habitats for this post-doctoral study and for Blue Origin by beginning his evaluation of the crew living quarters and galley.

Heliophysics

Crew astronomers Loy and Pena observed detailed heliophysics phenomena today as they collected bulk data sets on solar dark spots and solar chromosphere prominences. Large prominences were observed wrapping around solar magnetic fields, just before solar flares were registered by NOAA blasting away from the sun. In total, 16 large solar prominences and 12 solar dark spots were observed today. These observations will be very useful for the astronomer’s analysis of solar cycle 25, how space weather implicates orbital assets, space operations planning to safeguard those assets, and the importance of having heliophysics astronomers on-site at Martian Habitats. On top of these observations, 80,000 images were captured, and 20,000 solar spots and prominences were stacked, measured, and analyzed.

Astronomy

65 separate 45-second long exposure images were collected from the MLCRCOS-16 New Mexico Observatory. These images are being separately captured through visual, infrared, and blue filters, assisting Astronomers Pena and Loy’s science on HADS variable star research. 15 images were stacked, analyzed, and compared to previous images of this star system, HADS Variable Star V0799 AUR, to provide an assessment of this variable star’s brightness variability period and cycle, as well as provide a true-brightness standard to accurately measure distances in the immediate vicinity of HADS V0799 AUR’s stellar neighborhood.

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-7-2023

Sol: 9

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: K.U.R.T.

Crew 274 woke up this morning at 7:30am to the song “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” from the Carousel of Progress at Walt Disney World. The crew got their surveys done, then prepared for a double EVA day utilizing 6 of the 8 crew members.

EVA Activity

Today, the crew conducted two EVAs. The purpose of EVA #8 was to deliver a resupply of 2L of water and 6 gel packs to the supply cache, EEVAC-1. HSO Pender collected performance metrics collection and a status check on the condition of the cache and collected data on the orange radiation experiment led by Commander Sarah Guthrie. EEVAC-1 was found in good condition, however, the solar panels charging the cache had an accumulation of dried mud on them. Additionally, most of the legs supporting the solar panels had shifted, and one of them completely collapsed. According to historical weather data, it appears that winds up to 26 mph occurred in the Hanksville area the night of Sol 7. It is suspected that this weather event contributed to the state we found the solar panels in. We were able to clear the mud accumulation with gentle hand swipes and reposition the solar panel legs back to their original configuration. It is noteworthy that the stakes and ropes securing the solar panels all held up over this period, and we believe the stakes installed at the base of the solar panels played a significant role in preventing more drastic impacts.

Additionally, the crew completed the first in a series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) focused on evaluating contingency methodologies and assistive devices, or rather, how we might rescue an incapacitated astronaut on the Moon or Mars while wearing spacesuits. This study uses a Kinetic Utilization Research Tool (“K.U.R.T.”), a weighted grappling dummy; a medical evacuation sled, and an engineered vest with multiple hoist points.

The concept is based on current operation considerations for Artemis missions to the Moon requiring proper suit interface and methods for contingency EVAs. The principal investigator, Commander Guthrie, has performed this study at other analogs, but through that experience, has modified and improved the concept through lessons learned. The unique topography of the Utah desert here at MDRS provides this study with the most analogous environment to perform these tests, which could not be achieved at other analog locations.The crew looks forward to more opportunities in the coming week to rescue “KURT” on the Martian terrain.

Hab Design

Hab Specialist O’Hara participated in EVA 9 this afternoon where he simulated methods for recovering an incapacitated crew member in the field. After the EVA, Bill was able to complete a review of the lower level of the Habitat module. He is on track to complete his study before the conclusion of the mission.

Heliophysics

Today, crew astronomers Pena and Loy observed detailed heliophysics phenomena. Multiple observations, videos, and photos were taken of solar dark spots, solar chromosphere granules, and solar prominences. Over 13 large solar prominences were recorded today, the largest dataset of prominences since experimentations began. These observations will be very useful for the astronomer’s analysis of solar cycle 25, how space weather implicates orbital assets, space operations planning to safeguard those assets, and the importance of having heliophysic astronomers on site at Martian Habitats.

Astronomy

Cloudy weather conditions and robotic observatory mechanical failures blocked the astronomy crew from from observing HADS Variable Star V0799 AUR again. Crew Astronomers instead continued their analysis of their current image inventory, stacking and analyzing 9 separate 45-second images in the visual filter. So far, HADS Variable Star V0799 AUR is showing signs of dimming, which provides good data to the astronomers’ variable star report.

GreenHab

No significant progress was seen from any seeds or microgreens today. GreenHab Officer Hines watered the plants in the GreenHab and continued his daily responsibilities.

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-6-2023

Sol: 8

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: Media Day

Crew 274 woke up this morning at 7:00am to the song “Africa” by Toto. The crew got their surveys done early because they had a big day ahead of them. Unlike our past Journalist Reports, this report will not include sections for EVA, Hab Design, of Engineering, Green Hab, or Stress Mitigation.

Today, the crew broke simulation for a media and outreach day. We conducted eleven broadcasts to Family members, the APUS Graduate Studies Office, 3 classrooms from Waugh Chapel Elementary School, a class from Enemy Swim Day School from Waubay, South Dakota, and teams from SpaceX and the Vance Brand Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.

In total, we spoke with over 170 adults and elementary school students. They asked incredibly insightful questions like:

• What is the temperature on Mars?

• How long does it take to get there?

• What happens when you enter a black hole?

• How do you “go potty” in space?

• What do you eat in space?

• Could you get along with each other on a real mission to Mars?

• Are you having fun?

• Why do you go to Mars and not a different planet?

• How long does it take for a plant to grow in space?

• Have you ever seen an alien or alien spaceship?

The crew also taught them about the whole analog experience, visual star processing, solar weather processing, how space weather impacts orbital assets, and how it would be helpful for Martians on site to have real-time access to solar weather. The team had a blast communicating their science to family, friends and the general public, but we look forward to getting back into our routine, our research, and finishing the last half of our mission strong.

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-4-2023

Sol: 6

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: Radiation-Exposed Seeds Germinated in Simulated Martian Regolith

Crew 274 woke up this morning at 7:30am to the song “Feel Good Inc.” by the Gorillaz and a recorded message from the family of the Crew Astronomer, Salina “Nova” Pena. Her daughter also sent some inspiring words, encouraging her mother to think of her time away as an opportunity to see home with new eyes upon arrival.

EVA Activity

Today HSO Pender led EVA 6 to collect temperature and power consumption data on EEVAC-1, the supply cache experiment intended to extend human exploration on Mars. After leaving the cache unattended for 24 hours from yesterday’s EVA, the cache was found to have performed as designed, though a debriefing of the crew following the EVA revealed potential design improvements on the current iteration of EEVAC-1. His EVA crew also collected temperature and radiation exposure data for Commander Guthrie’s community experiment put forth by a 2nd grade student from Millersville, MD. The rest of HSO Pender’s day was spent processing data collected from EVA 6 and preparing for tomorrow’s 3-hour walking EVA, which will be a climax study for the supply cache experiment on this mission.

GreenHab

Upon conducting daily morning observations, the first official evidence of germination of a single seed was noted of the LDEF seeds planted. While the evidence of germination was minor, this proves to be a significant step toward the sustainability of durability of nutrient-dense seeds exposed to high levels of radiation within the space environment. Add this to the fact that simulated lunar and martian regolith is practically “dead” or extremely hard to yield germination, this was an exciting and potential ground-breaking discovery. Following additional crew guidance, temperature and humidity levels will continue to be closely maintained to support further growth and germination of the other LDEF seeds. Additionally, the micro green cress continue to flourish in their development and are predicted to be ready for potential harvesting before the end of the mission. Meanwhile, the broccoli, red cabbage, and arugula are continually being tended to and monitored closely in their general progress.

Heliophysics

Crew astronomers Loy and Pena observed detailed heliophysics phenomena in which multiple observations, videos, and photos were taken of solar dark spots, solar chromosphere granules, and solar prominences. Over 8 large solar prominences were recorded today, the largest dataset of prominences since experimentations began. These observations will be very useful for the astronomer’s analysis of solar cycle 25. Also of important note, Loy and Pena observed what seems to be an asteroid or a satellite crossing the line of sight between the solar observatory and the sun. This object is still being analyzed.

Astronomy

Cloudy weather conditions canceled all planned observations of HADS Variable Star V0799 AUR. Crew Astronomers instead continued their analysis of their current image inventory, stacking and analyzing 9 separate 45-second images in the visual filter. So far, HADS Variable Star V0799 AUR is showing signs of dimming, which provides good data to the astronomers’ variable star report.

Hab Design

Hab Specialist Bill O’Hara participated in EVA 6 in support of HSO Pender’s research. During this EVA, he took sensor measurements from the cache and drove the rover back to the hab. In the afternoon, Bill continued his case study of the MDRS architecture by reviewing the layout of the lower level of the Habitat. This level of the habitat module includes the airlock, suit stowage and the only bathroom used by the crew.

Stress Mitigation Study

Lex “Kepler” Lojek also participated in EVA 6, driving one way to the cache, assisted in taking measurements of the cache, and then helped navigate back. After returning, he continued to collect and organize stress data for his ongoing focused breathing study. Tonight, he’ll begin a daily study with the crew where they’ll conduct a 15-minute focused breathing meditation to study its effects on potential stress reduction during an analog mission.

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-3-2023

Sol: 5

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: Go The Distance

Crew 274 woke up this morning at 7:30am to the song “Go the Distance” from Hercules and a recorded message from the family of the Crew Journalist, Tony DiBernardo. Tony’s kids wanted him to bring home tortellini from space, which the crew has agreed to keep an eye out for while on EVA.

EVA Activity

Today, the crew performed EVA 2 of 7 from HSO Pender’s research on extending the human exploration of Mars by utilizing supply caches. The 4th EVA will test this research by having the crew conduct a 3-hour hike with a supply cache placed an hour from the hab. On today’s EVA, four crew members drove the cache to the specified location at approximately a 1-hour hiking distance from the hab, secured it to the ground with stakes, and connected it to its solar panels. Our plan is to drive back out tomorrow to check its status to inform next week’s EVAs.

In addition to the cache, the crew dropped off a study to observe what happens to an orange on Mars. This study is a community submission by a 2nd grader from Millersville, Maryland. Commander Guthrie and HSO Pender placed two oranges with temp and radiation tags inside of the logistics cache dropped off by the crew on today’s EVA as well as two oranges placed in a crate outside of the cache which will be exposed to the elements, also monitored with temp and radiation tags. The oranges will stay on the Martian terrain until the end of the mission.

GreenHab

Soon after conducting today’s EVA, GreenHab Officer Hines another sol of daily germination observations was conducted at roughly 11:45 am MST. Currently, the most significant progress has been the development of the cress micro greens, which appear to be almost 75% germinated. While the broccoli and red cabbage micro greens have shown some progress,the remaining sets have yet to show any signs of germination. As for the LDEF seeds, there is still no evidence of progress. Minor adjustments have been made including a more nutrient dense watering solution and adding of the previously used humidity vents to maintain soil moisture.

Heliophysics

Crew Astronomers Loy and Pena were able to slightly observe the Sun through cloudy atmospheric conditions. Of the observed chromosphere phenomenon and sun spots, only chromosphere videos were captured to be analyzed. This data will aid the astronomers’ research on the sun, space weather, and solar cycle 25’s implications to space weather.

Astronomy

180 long exposure images were collected from MDRS’ Robotics Observatory by Chief Astronomy Pena. These images were separately captured through visual, infrared, and blue filters, assisting Astronomers Loy and Pena’s science on HADS variable star research. The images are beginning to be stacked, analyzed, and compared to previous images of this star system, HADS Variable Star V0799 AUR.

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-2-2023

Sol: 4

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: Steal My Sunshine

Crew 274 woke up this morning at 7:30am to the song “Steal My Sunshine” by LEN and a recorded message from the Grad Studies Office, offering well wishes on their mission. The team made oatmeal and continued their Emotional Recognition Test and Psychological Surveys.

EVA Activity

Today didn’t go entirely as planned for the crew’s scheduled EVAs. Every night, the crew writes their plans and submits them to Mission Control for approval, which was received before the end of our comms window. The crew woke up and began preparing for the EVA, but due to a miscommunication between Mission Control and the crew, the EVA was canceled, giving the crew more time in the hab than originally planned. They planned the upcoming EVAs, debated the possibility of life in the universe, and gave the hab a good cleaning.

GreenHab

After an active first sol, planting all of his micro greens and LDEF seeds, most of GreenHab Officer Hines’ daily activities include recording data and notes on the continual progress of both subjects. Overall, the most significant progress was seen in the rapid development of the cress, with strong evidence of early germination of the broccoli, red cabbage, and arugula micro greens. Unfortunately, no progress has been evident in the LDEF seeds, though they will continue to be monitored closely in the coming days following an adjustment in growth tent temperature and reduction in daily watering to avoid over saturation.

Astronomy

Astronomers Loy and Pena observed multiple features across the Sun’s upper atmosphere, the chromosphere. They observed 8 solar dark spots and multiple granule features across the chromosphere, but the astronomers’ search for prominences came up short with no findings. Photo and video data was not collected today as remaining images from Sol day 3 are still being stacked, analyzed, and configured.

Hab Design

Hab Specialist Bill O’Hara continued the development of a case study of the Mars Desert Research Station. This study will review the architecture of the MDRS habitable elements from the point-of-view of a crew member and discusses the design, activity allocations, use-of-space, traffic flow, outfitting, systems and stowage capability of each. Today O’Hara completed a review of the Science Dome module, Musk Observatory module, and the tunnel system that connects all the modules together. His next steps will include a review of the lower and upper levels of the hab module which will be scheduled around EVA support and participation and other science and operations support.

Resource Utilization in Spaceflight

Commander Guthrie is on sol 4 of a two-week case study on the self-sufficiency of food requirements for short-term space flight. Its goal is to develop a low impact and sustainable dietary requirement for astronauts who may travel as long as two years in space. It hopes to provide an optimal mass to nutrient ratio based on the astronaut. It uses only pre-packaged dehydrated meals curated for the specific nutritional needs of the person. This study was performed at other analogs but this is the first time a woman is serving as the case study subject. As women continue to make a larger presence in spaceflight, it is important to strive to continue to understand food impact requirements. A notable difference from the analog environment and spaceflight, is that many analogs focus on community cooking and meal times whereas analyzing self-sustainment is more analogous to the spaceflight environment.

Tonight, the crew is keeping an eye out for cloudy skies that could affect viewing conditions for astronomical observations, as well as looking forward to a new day to conduct more research and to improve our analog operations as a crew.

Crew 274 Journalist Report 2-1-2023

Sol: 3

Author: Tony DiBernardo, Crew Journalist

Title: Holocene and Harvest

The members of Crew 274 woke up this morning to the song “Holocene” by Bon Iver, sent to them by Dean Welsch, the Head of the School of STEM at APUS. His message outlined how appropriate the song is for our mission. “Holocene” is the name of our most recent geologic era of Earth’s history, where humans realize they are part of something bigger than themselves. What better than this to inspire us to continue our mission in preparing the future generations that will found a new settlement on Mars.

EVA Activity

After doing two EVAs on each of the first two sols of the mission, the crew took a break from EVAs today to focus on preparing tomorrow’s EVA to deliver the cache a 2-hour hike away for HSO Pender’s experiment.

GreenHab

Greenhab Officer Hines conducted daily research data shortly after conducting GreenHab operations at 11:00 am MST. Similar to the day prior, both microgreen and LDEF seed sets are retaining both temperatures and moisture while sustaining overnight temperatures. Additionally, the first signs of germination have been noted in both the cress and red cabbage microgreens, which will continue to be monitored closely over the upcoming days alongside the progress of the LDEF seed sets. To the

Astronomy

Chief Astronomer Pena and Heliophysicist Loy captured 70,000 images of heliophysic phenomena. These photos and videos supported critical space weather data and generated distinct, measurable visuals of the Sun’s outermost layer, the chromosphere, and solar dark spots, heliophysical granules, and solar prominences. This data was then analyzed, staked, measured, and configured through 3 astrophysics software applications. The resulting images will be used to help the astronomy crew in their scientific assessments of solar cycles and its implication to space weather.

Engineering and Hab Design

Hab Specialist O’Hara worked with Crew Engineer Lojek to troubleshoot and return the Musk Solar Observatory to nominal working order after experiencing a limit switch malfunction. O’Hara also completed an in-depth review of the Repair and Assembly Module (RAM) and the GreenHab, gathering photo documentation, and dimensional, concept of operations, traffic flow, systems and layout notes.