Category: Journalist Report

Mars Crew 197 – Sol 1 – It’s a Wrap (Already??)

Marge Lipton – Crew 197 Journalist

We arrived at dusk last night and were treated to the soft luscious colors of a southwest sunset. Our crew faced earthly challenges like delayed flights and lost luggage, but persevered, fitting 5 people and too many pieces of luggage to count in a Nissan Pathfinder for the two and a half hour drive to the station. We squeezed everything in, but as newly minted Martians this became a bonding experience. Because it’s clear that besides all the engineering and technology in getting humans to Mars, it’s impossible not to take into consideration how best to get a diverse group of people to get along in such close quarters.

Our first day, today was the start of the MDRS season and involved a lot of housecleaning, from mopping and vacuuming, to setting up new posts to build the simulated pressurized tunnel allowing us to walk between different buildings. After the posts were pounded into the ground, we then WRAPPED the tarps overhead. Rovers had to be moved into position and the MDRS car needed to be taken in for a tune-up.

Crew members discussed what each wanted to accomplish on this mission, and tried to figure out especially, how we were going to remain in sim while also trying to get the best VR coverage of the sites James and Shannon wanted. In practice, this meant, to break sim or not wear a helmet or not on the EVA.

We were interrupted in our WRAPPING of the tunnel by rain, later followed by thunderstorms. So we took the opportunity to make WRAPS of tuna, avocado and tomato.

So as I said, that’s a wrap for today.

Journalist Report – Earth-Date 25May2018 / Sol 5

Author: Dana Levin

This concludes the mission of crew 195. We have suffered many a crisis and the crew has weathered them bravely. We’ve been down but not out, beaten but not broken, Spurned but never scorned, cloudy but not stormy, free but not clear, and many other things. In the end, this crew has handled the rigors of our cruel mistress mars well and looks forward to our return to earth having been enriched by the experience and our lives changed permanently and forever.

24.MAY.18

Today the crew awoke to the typical breakfast and morning briefings of the day. A PR crew joined us from a neighboring habitat to film some promotional material for mission control. The crew successfully set out on their EVA and the film crew recorded aspects of habitat life and EVA operations. Unfortunately disaster befell the crew of MDRS 195 yet again. The EVA had to be aborted after an emergency call was received. The crew expertly managed the crisis and recovered all crew members and vehicles before true disaster fell. We were fortunate to have the assistance of our PR crew to help manage the disaster. But all crew remain alive so we are looking forward to tomorrow’s mission, and we remain optimistic that perhaps tomorrow our crew will escape unscathed….

MDRS Crew 195
23 May, 2018

Hump day. The crew continue to evolve as a group. Personality traits surface, morals are tested and maybe even questioned. Debates are heated. It is deliberate of course. We ponder the type of people that may make up the future Mars populations. Would any of us make the cut? Would any of you want to?

The previous few updates have likely not made much sense. I am not suffering from space madness. Big Brother is a brutal censor. Enough said.

The day is hot and clear. The EVAs, as fun and varied as they are, feel like a tease. We whiz by so much photogenic landscape. It’s too much to take in at once. The experience seems a little too fleeting.

One handed ATV driving for a selfie is clearly a no-no and there is the overriding need to return to Hab for repress before our “consumables” run out. Like that annoyingly essential thing called oxygen.

We were given a unique perspective on Mars weather today. Sometimes having limited control over your situation is liberating. Other times it unmasks some cracks. The radio etiquette has shifted from attempted professionalism to requests for urgent ice water enemas on arrival back at Hab. Yep, we’re taking our Sims seriously.

[tittle Journalist Report – May 22]

MDRS Crew 195
Sol 2

Dubbed Nerd Day, our EVA centred around finding evidence of life on Mars using the drone. It was a longer ride on the quads and buggies (gee life is tough) and a few short strolls up and down the gentle hills en route.

Even with the wind picking up and a spattering of Martian rain, the drone buzzed about, up and down the wash and sticky-beaking on the crew. Hey "Lead", do you ever get that feeling you’re being watched?

We’ve said goodbye to one crew member today and will gain more on the resup ship. Afternoon downtime was filled with a bit of reading, electronic Chess games, snoozing, exercise in the Engineering tunnel, trading "war stories" and rehydrating freeze dried blueberries with orange Gatorade. As you do.

For tonight’s entertainment: The Martian. Most of us have seen it before but this time it will be with new eyes. Freshly ultrasound gelled eyes.

MDRS Crew 195
May 21, 2018

It’s hard to settle into a routine when you’re mostly doing non-routine things. Lessons over breakfast, big pots of coffee, shared cleaning and cooking duties, yeah, mostly routine. Sleeping in a cupboard, clambering up and down a steep ladder with gnarly teeth, fitting your fishbowl helmet and ventilation backpack while your mate radio checks to Nav, then jiggling around for a few minutes in a rather snug airlock to prebreath prior to an EVA on Mars to check Comms relays? Decidedly not routine. Until now.

Lunch is followed by more aerospace medicine lessons to fuel our curiosity and prove there are no mundane career paths for this group! So three grown men CAN change out of flight suits into dry-suits in a landing capsule about as spacious as the back seat of a VW Beetle. The mind boggles.

Here’s hoping the heavens are clear for a glimpse of the ISS overhead tonight.

More role plays tomorrow. Whose turn to shine in the next total action patient drama? Break a leg! Oh wait, we’ve done that one.

[end]

MDRS Crew 195
May 21, 2018

It’s hard to settle into a routine when you’re mostly doing non-routine things. Lessons over breakfast, big pots of coffee, shared cleaning and cooking duties, yeah, mostly routine. Sleeping in a cupboard, clambering up and down a steep ladder with gnarly teeth, fitting your fishbowl helmet and ventilation backpack while your mate radio checks to Nav, then jiggling around for a few minutes in a rather snug airlock to prebreath prior to an EVA on Mars to check Comms relays? Decidedly not routine. Until now.

“Distance” team were given the task today of taking a quad and an electric buggy out to a few sites for a “can you hear me? check”. Not the technical term of course. But alas we were sabotaged with some coordinates cunningly chosen to delay our efforts and our return to the “Peak” team who played radio relay with Base. Time was running out to get back. Oh and just in case “Distance Nav” wasn’t already occupied enough, her Russian speaking prowess was called upon to translate and respond to a few relayed messages from Base. No sweat, all in a day’s work. Or two hour EVA.

“Peak” team, as the name suggests, had climbed to high ground, making for a cool photo op of “Peak Comms” as he perched on near the rocky outcrop, but also gave “Peak Nav” his chance to one-up the problem caused by “Geo’s” suit tear yesterday. He took a tumble and rather than a simple knee sprain, thought it might be a fun challenge to fracture his femur. And pelvis. And bust his suit. But wait! There’s still more! It’s on the side of a scree covered steep hill. I’ll take the steak knives,instead thanks.

“Medic” called ahead for an emergency repress, some splints and a bit of extra advice. Base came to the party with medical supplies, Ultrasound investigation, an instantaneous cure and chicken pot pie.

Lunch is followed by more aerospace medicine lessons to fuel our curiosity and prove there are no mundane career paths for this group! So three grown men CAN change out of flight suits into dry-suits in a landing capsule about as spacious as the back seat of a VW Beetle. The mind boggles.

Here’s hoping the heavens are clear for a glimpse of the ISS overhead tonight.

More role plays tomorrow. Whose turn to shine in the next total action patient drama? Break a leg! Oh wait, we’ve done that one.

Journalist Report – Earth-Date 18May2018 / Sol 5

Author: Dean Aubin

Final in-sim day. Our morning began with learning about one of the most important potential obstacles in long distance human space travel: the human psyche. Our successful EVA today just showed how well we are all beginning to come together as a team. Finishing off the afternoon with details from our resident NASA flight surgeon, we covered astronaut selection and nutrition and the effects of space-associated neurooccular syndrome. Tonight we all sit down for a hot meal and review the amazing memories and bonds formed this week.

Crew 194 Journalist Report

Sol 3

Our day started at 7 o’ clock to another amazing view. Sean and Doug prepped our crew with a preflight summary before the launch of their custom-built, 1:3 scale, MDRS Nike Smoke rocket. With our launch site scouted yesterday, we were vertical and go for launch by 1031.

A spectacular launch produced a peak altitude of over 5000 feet and a gentle descent up onto the plateau west of our launch site. Drone footage pending.

Afternoon lectures from Dr. Rick Cole over winter and water survival and his experiences as a NASA flight surgeon were intriguing. We ended the day with a successful two-team EVA to recover the rocket from the western plateau.

Dean Aubin, Crew 194 Journalist

[end]

Crew 194 Report
Sol 2

Later than usual start to the morning as most of us surprisingly and coincidentally slept well past sunup. Yesterday evening the crew successfully responded to a simulated medical emergency. With the crew safe and all dangers tended to, we had more energy than usual as the day came to a close. After reviewing the dangers, symptoms, and treatment of radiation exposure to space travelers, we set outside for our EVA. Coincidentally, solar radiation had the landscape and the EVA much warmer than yesterday. Returning from a very successful EVA, we sat down and learned celestial navigation. Enjoying the throwbacks to math, geometry, and using pencil and paper again, we found it pleasantly challenging. Having to say farewell to our instructor Dana, a space nerd with a personality the size of Olympic Mons, we excitedly welcome a new instructor, Rick Cole.