Category: Journalist Report

ENGLISH

Sol 04

Planet of the Apes

Yesterday night didn´t end with movies and popcorn. The habitat became a forum for discussion and opinion where the seven crew members tried to describe the observable universe in all its facets. The conversation went from mysticism to modern physics and then to biology and genetics to end up trying to describe the nature of humanity. Apparently one third of the earth’s gravity has caused the crew’s ideas to fly better.

Today our Sun 4 started ten minutes earlier, 7:13 in the morning and the mats were already on the ground floor of our new home so that our XO made us wake up to the rhythm of 128 bpm as soundtrack.

Two of our Mars mission experiments require soil samples so four crew members went out to collect more than ten kilograms of Martian soil at the same time that our crew scientist tested parts of his space suit made on Earth in the best laboratories of the world and by his own hands. EVA successful, the ziplock bags are almost over.

Commander and journalist visited the solar observatory to find sunspots and some small coronal mass ejections. Who would have thought that the orange circle we see in our telescope would give life to our home millions of years ago but at the same time it seem so insignificant in the vast universe among other billions of stars bigger, smaller, hot or cold.

To summarize our feeling with breakfast, lunch and dinner we can say that we had never before enjoyed healthy food and those little details like a hot chocolate with marshmallows or a homemade bread after a full day of work. The Porg seems happy stealing part of our food ration, luckily our rocket contained enough provisions.

The day concludes with many ideas. Everyone knows their situation, their country of origin and their environment, but if there is one thing we are sure is that borders, titles and names often distance the true success of humanity. And as a clear example, we are here today in red lands representing and speaking for Latin America when nobody ever imagined that it would be possible.

Tomorrow in our Sun 5 a full day of research awaits for us to continue work in our projects although we certainly expect Martian cake.

LATAM II will continue to inform.

Tania Robles, MDRS Crew 187 Journalist

[Sol 03]

[The Force Awakens]

07:20 in the morning on the first floor of the habitat. Apparently someone woke up late but it didn´t stop us from doing the first exercise routine in days since we get Mars. Stretches, flexibility and some strength to start Sol 3. Then a breakfast made of orange and dried egg that looked like a yellow paste. The cooker promises to give it some more flavor tomorrow.

The day of the first Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) for all Crew 187 arrived. Armed with our suits, helmets, oxygen tanks, gloves, boots and communication system the seven earthlings traveled to the nearby mountains and valleys with their vehicles to discover red lands and rocky horizons that make anyone sigh. Are we really on Mars? I wish everyone could see what we do.

When we walk outside it is impossible not to see in the sky those lines caused by the meteorites that cross the sky of the red planet that remind us of the stelae of the planes that fly in our home. Still nothing can be compared with the views that gave us the small Spark drone that traveled with us.

Then more than one hour outside for each expedition ended with a few minutes in the pressurization chamber and a pain in the back and shoulders of our XO that guided both EVAs. Objectives met. Success in the first EVA of Crew 187.

Hungry and tired we beg for food to our chefs who prepared rice with cheese and meat that reminded our Mexican crew members of a certain typical dish prepared with tortillas. Everyone asked for double ration but it was impossible because this will be our dinner.

After lunch we received a visit from the Habitat Director to conclude to understand and know the map of the area surrounding the habitat. There are many roads, many areas and many possibilities. We already have some expeditions in mind that will surely give us large amounts of information. Tomorrow four crew members will go to EVA to collect 15 kilograms of samples of analogue ground for their experiments.

With the night over us and about to conclude the activities we plan to have our first movies night with popcorn. It should be noted that get bored is not an option in the habitat with board games, space chess and more than 50 films for all tastes.

Those fans of space films will understand our excitement when we realize that a small Porg has nested in the EVA Officer’s bedroom. From now on, not only Earth life live in the habitat but also from planet Crait.

A sea of stars has arrived and now it covers us in this third night sleeping in our new home for another 13 nights surrounded by Martian red colour everywhere you see. LATAM II will continue to inform.

Tania Robles, MDRS Crew 187 Journalist

Picture of the day:

518800_425700 15Jan2018 Red Planet.jpg

[Sol 02] [Interstellar]

The day began with the farewell and boarding of the Crew 186 in their spaceship to our planet and old sweet home, Earth. From this dawn we became Martians coming from distant lands between each other: Peru, Colombia and Mexico, but in this desert planet we only represent the Earth and some of its forms of life.

We grew up thinking that astronauts only eat tubes of dehydrated food but on this trip to Mars we discovered that macaroni with cheese, tuna and chocolate cookies will also be part of our diet. Important: We receive food from the Russian Space Food Laboratory, thank you.

In our arrival to the habitat we have settled in our small rooms that barely reach a few square meters that daily will see us sleeping while thousands of stars shine in the sky and a body similar to the satellite of the Earth rises between the Martian mountains illuminating together with the Sun our mornings.

Today the habitat director showed us every corner of the station and the operation. Also we use of Spirit, Curiosity, Deimos, the Red ATV and the three Blue 350 vehicles to explore some roads and nearby lands. We also were showed the Science Lab and the solar observatory for in the next few days be able to use them.

When we returned to the habitat we made our first pressurization test where for five minutes we locked ourselves in the airlock to discuss which songs will be the ones that relax us during the minutes that the process will take. Apparently telling jokes will also be allowed.

Finally the night fell and after writing the reports and planning the activities of the next day we will sit down to eat pancakes and food experiments as well as continue knowing the pleasures and expectations of each crew member.

We hope to start our first EVA tomorrow morning and use our suits along with the helmets to train but not without first performing a morning exercise routine and taking a nutritious breakfast.

LATAM II will continue to inform.

Tania Robles, MDRS Crew 187 Journalist

Sol 12 – Harvest

Today was our final EVA. A small team consisting of Melanie Grande (crew engineer), Sam Albert (health and safety officer), and myself, departed the habitat around 11 am and embarked on a long and bumpy drive out to Skyline Rim. We did not arrive until well past noon. What initially seemed like a row of jagged teeth along the western horizon soon grew into a towering mesa of red stone that commanded our admiration. It was a humbling vista.

Our purpose was to collect and analyze samples of shale on behalf of our geologist, Cesare Guariniello. To do so, Sam and Melanie ascended an escarpment to the layers of stone strata. Though their height was hardly even half that of the monolithic ridge, Sam reported that he was able to see all the way to the habitat. But given the long drive back, we couldn’t stay for long. By 2:30 pm we had returned to the habitat with only a short break along the way.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew has been busy measuring the yield of Mark’s microgreens experiment. Though most of the crop was reserved for his experiment, a portion was kept for tonight’s meal. The whole team gathered early this evening to partake in the harvest of fresh radish, lettuce, dill, cilantro, and green beans. It will be the first fresh food we’ve had since the mission began. For the graduate students on the team, the wait has been even longer!

The meal will be one to savor, for it will be our last dinner in this habitat. Mission control confirms that the refueling of our ascent vehicle using in-situ resources has completed and that the vehicle registers nominal on all system checkouts. Tomorrow at noon our crew will depart the habitat, travel to the ascent vehicle, and prepare for launch at dawn on Sunday morning. It will be the culmination of our grand adventure to the Red Planet. But until then, a frenzy of cleaning and preparation awaits!

Justin Mansell, MDRS Crew 186 Journalist

P.S. Photos attached. Photo of the day: 515300_4251200 12Jan2018 Skyline Rim.jpg.
(Sorry for the huge photo, but it really is incredible. The credit goes to Melanie Grande for taking it!)

[Sol 10] [The
Lost Astronaut]

The day began with our usual order of activities – yoga and breakfast followed by EVA prep. The purpose of this EVA was a dedicated test of the radio navigation experiment. But unlike the previous tests, the astronaut using the antenna would have their vision restricted to only their immediate area by a cardboard visor strapped to their helmet. This, combined with the flat lighting of the gloomy sky, meant there was no possibility of using visual cues to return to the hab. Furthermore, the antenna would not be in the hands of her designer, but the crew’s greenhab scientist, Mark Gee, who possessed no previous experience using the antenna. It was out closest simulation yet of a real lost astronaut imperiled by low-visibility conditions.

Due to the risk of precipitation in the morning, the EVA team did not depart until slightly past noon when the weather began to stabilize. Cesare Guariniello and Melanie Grande supported Mark on EVA (i.e. ensured he wouldn’t accidentally walk off a cliff) and led him on foot to the east until he was thoroughly disoriented. At 1 pm, we switched on the habitat’s navigation beacon. Thirty minutes later, the EVA team emerged from behind a distant ridge within sight of the habitat. Melanie and Cesare later reported that they struggled to keep up with Mark as he aggressively chased the signal back to the hab. But before the test could proceed to completion, a freezing Martian snow began trickling from the skies. By mission rule the team was forced to abort and return immediately.

The team made use of the extra time to relax and prepare for an evening teleconference with the Purdue chapter of the Mars Society. It went splendidly. Since then, Mark has been cross pollinating plants in the greenhab, and Sam Albert, the health and safety officer, made preparations to take additional microbial samples tomorrow. The rest of us are gearing up for another test of the navigation antenna soon.

Justin Mansell, MDRS Crew 186 Journalist

P.S. Photos attached. Photo of the day: 10Jan2018 Preparing the lost astronaut.jpg

Sol 7 – Back to the Grind

Today’s clear skies allowed the warm sun to erase any lingering Martian frost and set the stage for our most ambitious EVA yet. The vast canyon surveyed in EVA 3 was but a tantalizing preview of the wonders that lay below. We had to return.

A team of 4 led by our commander, Max Fagin, suited up and departed the airlock around 10:30 am, reaching the turn-off to the Maxwell Montes around 11:15. But instead of walking north along the canyon’s ridge as we had done previously, the team searched eastward for a safe passage into the canyon itself. They succeeded and soon found themselves immersed in a sprawling labyrinth of rocky channels. Invigorated by the thrill of discovery, the team pressed on, and after some wandering was able to locate the base of the enormous stratified walls identified in EVA 3. The team’s geologist, Cesare Guariniello, studied the crossbeded layers of sandstone and salt with a trained eye, but the wander through the maze of chasms had cost the team time. Before long it was time to head back. The EVA team returned at 3:30 pm, exhausted, but with smiles on their faces.

Nothing exciting is planned for this evening and I’m sure today’s EVA crew will appreciate the downtime. Last night we played our first few trial runs of the self-made cooperative Mars-themed card game which we have named “Mars Quest”. We plan to iterate on the rules slightly, as the game felt a little too easy. But the team still greatly enjoyed the experience.

Justin Mansell, MDRS Crew 186 Journalist

[Sol 6] [Astronaut’s Day Off]

Today was a cold and gloomy day. Even if this wasn’t our day off, I reckon that the crew would have been less than enthusiastic about any EVAs. But the weather has been a perfect excuse for a slow day around the hab.

Our commander, Max Fagin, allowed the crew to sleep in past the usual wake-up time of 7:30 am. Instead of an early breakfast, he cooked us a brunch of French toast and scrambled eggs. The crew was skeptical of the powdered and freeze-dried eggs at first, but warmed up to the taste after a few bites.

Members of the team have since spent the day tending to odds and ends for our various experiments. A sprinkling of tenuous Martian snow dusted the landscape in the late afternoon and has served to make the metallic bulkheads and thick pressure doors of our habitat feel almost cozy. Tonight our executive officer, Kshitij Mall, will treat the crew to a dinner of noodles and fish. Afterwards the crew will relax over a cooperative Mars-themed card game written by myself during today’s free time.

All in all, though the day has been slow, it is a welcome break before we continue with our second EVA to the distant Maxwell Montes tomorrow.

Justin Mansell, MDRS Crew 186 Journalist

[Sol 5]

Temperatures have plummeted and the night left a thin dusting of frost that lingered in the shadows throughout the day. Last night the team planned one of our most complex EVAs yet. One that would require the maximum compliment of 5 crewmembers on EVA at once. The goal: locate elusive hematite “blueberries” (named for their rounded shape and color) that could indicate the presence of liquid surface water in the distant Martian past.

The convoy travelled south to revisit areas explored on EVA #2. This time the team focused our search around a possible ancient stream bed. But alas, the search was unsuccessful. Still, the EVA traversed a variety of terrain and allowed all members of the EVA to gain experience identifying the different geologic formations. Back at the hab, our health and safety officer, Sam Albert, has begun cataloguing microbial samples from around the hab to better understand the microbial environment.

I am also happy to report that last night’s pizza was a hit, if not only due to Cesare’s magic touch that saved the dough. The crew was able to fit in some astronomical observations of the double Martian moonrise before relaxing over a television show. Tomorrow we will continue these leisure activities and have dedicated the day to relaxation to mark the halfway point of our mission.

Justin Mansell, MDRS Crew 186 Journalist

P.S. Photos attached. Photo of the day: 05Jan2018 Building a microbe catalogue.jpg