Category: Mission Summary

ARES Mars Desert Research Station Mission Summary

ARES MDRS Scientific Research and Engineering Testing

Astrobiological Research and Education Society (ARES)

 

Mission Overview:

            The exploration of Mars has a myriad of physical and technical challenges that will demand the greatest ingenuity and moxie ever displayed by human explorers. To meet these challenges, STEM professionals use Mars Analogs like the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) to evaluate their procedures and technologies in a setting where challenges occur in real time. This provides feedback that permits space agencies to conduct safe and effective missions to Mars.

The Astrobiological Research and Education Society (ARES) was established to unite astrobiology scholars in the search for life and the study of Earth-born organisms that leave Earth. ARES engages in Mars analog studies for two justifications: to define the methods that which might detect life on Mars and to study biological sustainability techniques that facilitate long-duration habitation. Crew 219 came to MDRS with a variety of scientific and engineering-related challenges to expand on this work.

 

Crew Member Names and Roles:

Commander: David Masaitis

Executive Officer: Nathan Hadland

Lead Science Officer: Hannah Blackburn

Health and Safety Officer: Keith Crisman

GreenHab Officer: Cynthia Montanez

Astronomer: Robinson Raphael

Geologist: Abdul Elnajdi

Engineer: Alejandro Perez

 

Acknowledgments:

MDRS Crew 219 is supported by international partners including Florida Tech, Ball State University, Compass Equipment LLC, and Anker. We would also like to thank The Mars Society for providing three Scholarships to our IESL Crew 205 Veterans for this year’s visit. Outreach programs are ongoing using the following networks: ARES, Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, and the Student Astronomical Society. We would like to thank several people: Dr. Andrew Palmer for his guidance, our outreach coordinator David Merced, Dr. Daniel Batcheldor, Dr. Sam Durrance, Dr. Saida Caballero, David Handy, MDRS Crew 205 (IESL), and you too!

 

Overview of Research

EVA Operations:

Crew 219 executed eighteen Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVAs), serving five of our seven projects. These projects collected data and we will begin post-mission analysis after our return. EVA’s consisted of geologic sampling for both mineralogical analysis and biological viability. We implemented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which are available as separate appendices.  After each EVA, biometrics data were collected for evaluation by the HSO.

 

Biometrics and Neurobehavioral Research Pertaining to Cardiovascular Health during EVAs

This was a two-series data collection taken concurrently: Series I focused on collection of biological metrics and Series II focused on collection of neurobehavioral metrics on varying schedules. Data collection for this research is nearly complete.  It should be noted that some metrics were skipped or eliminated at the discretion of the HSO:

• Respiratory Rate (B4)
• Modified DAN OSNE (N3)
• Lower Extremity Measurements (B2)

Data collected was compiled in individual folders and broken down by Average (AVG) of individual metrics minus the Preliminary Collected Individual Metrics, Minimum Value (MIN), Maximum Value (MAX), Variation between MIN and MAX, and Variation from AVG and Preliminary Collected Individual Metrics.  The latter values were recorded on a master spreadsheet to compare crew metrics by averaging each and deriving the deviation from the average for each crewmember at each metric.  These will be combined with EVA data (time, duration, difficulty) and Sleep Logs to determine if the variations in and between crew members for each EVA were indicative of correlation between EVA and cardiovascular health decrement due to the high stress (physical and neurological) of long duration EVAs.

Further research would utilize in-situ recording devices during EVA, allowing for persistent data collection.  One could then derive EVA duration and cardiovascular workload within simulated environments such as MDRS and extend into real-world off-planet science.

 

UAV Transport and Deployment

The objective of this project was to flight test a specialized quad-rotor UAV developed at Florida Tech. This preliminary phase of development is focused on the transportation, assembly, and deployment in a field environment. While later phases will focus on the more specialized performance aspects of the UAV, this mission sought to evaluate challenges involved in transport, deployment, and flight testing.

The UAV was assembled, and its camera assembly tested. During initial power-on, motors 1 and 2 tested successfully, but motors 3 and 4 failed to turn. Computerized diagnostics reflected the presence of the failing motors, so it was determined that further testing should be postponed in favor of fault isolation.

Fault isolation continued through the duration of the mission and revealed mechanical and electrical quality control issues that were not apparent when the UAV was collapsed into transport configuration. Due to a thorough investigation by the Engineer and his documentation of discovered issues, the UAV’s design team will have an evaluated list of repairs and improvements to make before it returns with next year’s mission.

 

Dust Mitigation for Optical Mirrors

Many telescopes rely on the detection of light after being reflected by mirrors. Environmental dust on these mirrors can cause obstructions or distortions of captured imagery. Removing it without damaging the mirror is time consuming. In this project, we tested known cleaning methods for optical mirrors in a Mars-like environment. We brought two 135 mm mirrors and a mount which were set up outside the Hab for 4 Sols. This served as a baseline for the effects of weather on an open optical mount. The mirrors were brought inside and given several days to remain undisturbed. Dust was introduced to the mirrors manually and 4 cleaning methods were tested. These methods are listed from most to least effective:

• Contact method (no cleaning solution): Optical brushes and cotton fiber swab
• Contact method (non-alcoholic): Lens tissue with optical screen cleaner (altura)
• Contact method (alcoholic): Cotton swabs and balls with rubbing alcohol
• Non-contact method: Blower

Methods were evaluated for time, simplicity, and effectiveness. Overall, the optical mirror brush proved the simplest and most effective for dust mitigation on Mars.

 

Astrophotography of Celestial Bodies

Using the MDRS-14 telescope, we observed celestial bodies to investigate the effect of various filters. Calibration and stacking of images was performed with AstroImageJ. Procedures were implemented to account for weather and atmospheric distortion. These methods include choosing the best fits file for each filter prior to calibrating and stacking as well as repeating observations for celestial bodies. The Discovery object observations planned were scrapped due to weather.

Observations conducted at MDRS included:

• M32
• NGC 7318
• NGC 1068
• Little Dumbbell Nebula
• Whirlpool Galaxy
• M40
• NGC 4258

Celestial bodies observed had two images generated: one composed of the Johnson-Cousins filter set (B, V, R) and the other composed of a generic filter set (Generic R, Generic V, Generic B). In addition to filters used, the noticeable differences in both images depended on the size and brightness of the object. An example is provided:

                Whirlpool Galaxy (Color Image and Generic Color Image)

Using a set of generic filters alters the appearance of a celestial body from its color as the filters are not a single color. Generic filters made images brighter as opposed to the Johnson-Cousin set, but generic images tend to skew the quality of the image. Future work will test a wider range of celestial bodies with distinct characteristics and a wider variety of filters.

 

Remediation of Mars Regolith

This investigation consisted of regolith samples inoculated by cyanobacteria to examine mineralogical changes through primary and auto-succession. The intent was to take biologically inert regolith and transform it into substrate for food production. Regolith characteristics of interest were clumping, wettability, and chemical and textural changes. Four samples of regolith were collected during EVA missions. The cyanobacteria used in this study was Anabaena cylindrica.

Daily measurements of cellular density were taken to measure population variations. Initial density was 1.78 x 10⁵ cells/mL, an order of magnitude less than laboratory cellular density values. There was a significant change in algal color during transportation, which indicated a decrease in chlorophyll a and cell death. Low cell count and color change likely occurred due to lack of light and low temperature exposure. Cellular revitalization would have exceeded mission duration, so initial counts were taken and regolith samples were immediately inoculated. Three groups for each regolith sample were tested:

9 mL of regolith, 3 mL of media, and 1 mL of A. cylindrica

9 mL of regolith and 1 mL of A. cylindrica

9 mL of regolith (control)

After four days, no viable A. cylindrica were viewed in the samples. A. cylindrica did not survive the inoculation process, due to low initial cell count and continued exposure to temperatures below 15°C.

Upon completion of the Mars analog mission, follow up assessments will be made by using Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to identify changes in the regolith. We investigated the properties of the regolith as compared to controls to observe the effects of A. cylindrica. Though this study did not result in an observable growth or decay in cyanobacteria population, we were able to investigate the regolith’s clumping, texture, and dryness. Further analysis will be completed back at Florida Tech.

 

Chemical and Mineralogical Composition of the MDRS Site

This research used collected samples from the MDRS region to determine chemical and mineralogical compositions of regolith using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis. Through small samples of regolith, we can infer the mineralogy, composition, and grade of the surrounding region.

The following steps have been completed for Crew 219’s mission:

• Collected samples at 13 sites in the greater MDRS region and marked with GPS points.
• Dried in an oven at 100 C⁰ and cleaned of impurities and plant roots. The samples were then sifted to two different sizes: 60m and 5m.
• The samples were placed in special containers for shipment.
• Run XRD and XRF analysis. This will take place in the geochemistry labs at Florida Tech and Ball State University.
• Generation of a GIS map of the mineralogical composition of the site for future crews to use.

 

Protocols for the Discovery of Life on Mars

Crewed expeditions to Mars will need methods to identify and characterize extraterrestrial biology. Given the persistence of water on Mars, it is possible that life has or may exist on the surface. Our research focused on three categories of samples collected:

• Known sources of microbial life (i.e. standing water, lichen, etc.)
• Fossilized invertebrates (i.e. gryphea) as a proxy for extinct life
• Random samples

Samples were photographed and collected for further study using fractal analysis, a possible method in the identification of extraterrestrial life. Previous work has demonstrated that fractals are an indicator of life on a microscopic and macroscopic scale. Using fractal patterns instead of chemical signatures allows us to identify non-standard biology on other planets. We took macroscopic and microscopic images of the types of samples listed above. Using FrAn, a Python program, we will analyze images for their fractal dimension or “D” value (Azua-Bustos and Vega-Martinez 2013).  This analysis will be performed upon return.

Future work will use images taken by our UAV and processed in FrAn. Using a UAV to identify areas with a greater “D” value can prioritize EVA sites as potential habitats, allowing astronauts to focus on the most promising locations.

 

Recommended Standard Operating Procedures and Inventories

Crew 219 tested procedures and checklists developed by Crew 205 (IESL), designed to improve crew efficacy. These procedures focused on improved performance for EVAs, tasks for Crew Engineers, HSOs, and team leaders. These task sheets were printed and laminated prior to rotation and will be handed to the assistant director upon completion of the mission. They will also be available digitally as a collection of appendices.

 

Recommended Update to Pre-Mission HSO Checklist Rationale

Crew 219’s HSO used his extensive safety and human-factors background to make a pointed re-evaluation of the HSO Pre-Mission Checklist, as included in the mission appendices.  The rationale behind these suggestions are based on efficiency and ergonomics of safety systems inspection and inventories, and bolster risk analysis and mitigation.

 

 

Mars Desert Research Station

Mission Summary

Crew 218 – The Next Giant Leap

Dec 21^st, 2019 – Jan 4^th, 2020

 

Crew Members:

Commander and Crew Astronomer: Dr. Cesare Guariniello

Crew Geologist: Pat Pesa

Crew Scientist and GreenHab Officer: Dr. Jonathan Buzan

Health and Safety Officer and GreenHab Officer: Shefali Rana

Crew Engineer: Luz Maria “Luz Ma” Agudelo Urrego

Crew Journalist: Benjamin “Ben” Durkee

 

Acknowledgements:

The entire Crew of MDRS 218 would like to express their gratitude to the many people who made this mission possible: our deepest thanks to Dr. Robert Zubrin, President of the Mars Society; Dr. Shannon Rupert, MDRS Director and Program Manager, who kept an eye on us and was our hero from 1500 miles away; Atila Meszaros and David Mateus, Assistant Directors, who managed and supported our mission in-situ, and helped us troubleshooting the little problems we encountered; Dr. Peter Detterline, Director of Observatories, who trained and assisted our Crew Astronomer before and during the mission; David Murray, GreenHab Team Lead; Michael Stoltz, The Mars Society Liaison, Media and Public Relations; Scott Davis, responsible for Spacesuits; the Mission Support CapCom who served during our rotation: Abhishek Soni, Bernard Dubb, Andrew Foster, Jeremy Sieker, Michelle Espinoza, Simran Mardhani; Purdue MARS, which initiated the crew selection for this mission; Denys Bulikhov, who was selected as commander and, even when he had to drop because of external reasons, gave me valid and very appreciated support; all the departments and people at Purdue University who supported this mission; and all the unnamed people who work behind the scene to make this effort possible, and who gave us a chance to be an active part of the effort towards human exploration of Mars.

 

Mission description and outcome:

MDRS 218 “The Next Giant Leap” is the third all-Purdue crew at MDRS. This mission encountered different challenges than my previous two experiences, with snow and cold keeping the crew indoors for the first 5 sols and making EVAs much more difficult. The logistics of mission preparation were also different, with two crewmembers being unable to participate to preliminary meetings in person. However, the crew reacted very positively to the adversities, creating strong bonds and always giving each other support in every aspect of the mission. Despite the difficulties, all crewmembers performed to very high standards and provided good work on their research projects, as well as support to projects of the other crewmembers. The morale was always high and is visible throughout our mission pictures, up to the very last day. Even challenges like frozen pipes who forced us to use an alternative pump and carry water upstairs in a chain of pots and containers was experienced like a bonding activity. The research described below touched many aspects of human exploration of Mars, including analysis of outdoor features such as underground structure, weather, and radio emissions, and studies of human factors and the importance of environmental and operational comfort. The crew was also involved in astronomy and outreach through social media, and one of their sol was filmed to be featured in inspirational videos.

As commander, I am extremely proud of this crew, which faced adversities with flexibility and patience, and was capable to keep the highest level of fidelity and realism. The crew properly followed safety and research protocols, performed as a tight group, and found an appropriate mix of research activities and personal time, especially when the weather conditions forced us to review some of our goals. The pace kept throughout the mission was also challenging, ranging from slow days in the beginning, where our research activities were limited by the lack of EVAs which were necessary for many of our projects, to days with double EVAs, where the crew performed at very high level of quality and effort. As described in the rest of this summary, the crew collected useful and interesting data during their time at MDRS and has plans for use of the data after the completion of the mission, as well as ideas for laying foundations for further collaboration of Purdue crews with the MDRS program.

 

Summary of Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA)

After being trained in the use of rovers and in the safety protocols for EVA, the crew had twelve excursions during rotation 218, two of which being traditional short EVA to Marble Ritual, and the others being mainly along Cow Dung Rd because of the situation of the roads when covered in snow. Therefore, the EVAs were in areas in the Morrison Formation and Dakota Sandstone. The EVA served seven research projects: seismometric analysis of subsurface, radio measurements, collection of geological samples, autonomy for crew EVA, analysis of biometrics, meteorological observation and evaluation of EMU suits. The crew optimized the time on the field, limiting the driving time to less than 15-30% of the entire EVA duration.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Sol	2	2	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
Duration (h:mm)	0:56	0:49	1:16	1:12	2:44	2:04	2:01	2:02	0:36	1:18	1:49	2:07	18:54
Distance (miles)	1.0	1.0	1.0	2.8	7.4	4.0	4.2	5.9	0.2	1.0	5.3	6.0	39.8
% not driving	89%	88%	100%	69%	74%	87%	83%	86%	100%	75%	81%	72%

Table 1. Summary of EVA, indicating Sol of execution, duration, distance covered, and time percentage spent in the field

 

Summary of GreenHab Activities

Crew GreenHab Officer: Dr. Jonathan R. Buzan

The state of the GreenHab is in excellent condition. Snow peas have struggled during rotation, and the strawberries were eaten by a Martian Field Rodent (caught and released). However, the tomato plants, and cucumber have grown considerably, and the cucumber has flowered. We had nearly daily harvests, regular rosemary bread (until we ran out of flour), spices for sauces and curries, and a large salad for 8 people on December 25th. The GreenHab was multi-functional, providing not only food, but a sense of calm and peace in a small habitat building surrounded by a sea of red and snow-white landscape. Overall, the GreenHab was a great place to learn about taking care of multiple plants and is an excellent opportunity to harvest fresh vegetables.

 

Science Summary

We had 12 separate projects that covered a range of topics. The vast majority were EVA related and were not started until after the first week due to weather related EVA cancellations. The major indoor project evaluated the temperature in a single stateroom for stressful conditions. The EVA projects measured spatial satellite radio strength, rock sampling of surface and seismic mapping of subsurface stratigraphy, real-time measurements of human bio-physiology, EVA suit stressors, field maintenance, decision making, and weather observations. Overall, each project uniquely highlighted each crewmember’s strengths, and brought light to necessity of bringing humans to the surface of Mars for both scientific and engineering related research.

 

Research Projects:

Title: Decision Making in support of autonomy for crew EVAs

Author(s): Cesare Guariniello

Description, activities, and results: Continuing a research project started last year, during EVAs events have been suggested to the crew, which had to decide how to act following disruptions or injuries, loss of communication, or environmental difficulties. The crew had to decide whether to continue the EVA, modify the primary objective, proceed to secondary objective, or abort the excursion based on safety of the crew, current status of the mission, achieved partial goals, and potential further acquisition of data. Due to the weather conditions, most EVAs had similar destinations, length, and objectives, therefore only a couple of scenarios have been analyzed. While most situations have an obvious “right answer”, such as major injuries, some of the grey areas are more difficult. Even a small disruption when three astronauts are in EVA with two rovers might require two of them to separate from the third one, which can cause safety issues.

Title: Mars surface weather

Author(s): Jonathan Buzan

Description, activities, and results: Martian weather observation and prediction are crucial components for evaluating evolving EVA conditions and overall mission safety for a human crew on the surface of the planet. This project took regular measurements during EVAs. 1) Dr. Jonathan Buzan trained crew members in three critical observations for Martian weather prediction: 1) Observe visibility in the four cardinal directions, determining viewing distance; 2) Vertical observations of cloud cover, type, cloud deck height, and visibility; 3) In-situ temperature, humidity, luminosity, and wind measurements were taken. All of these observations become the baseline for the development of weather station instrumentation, and eventually, localized weather predictions. Most notable aspect of field operations was that the weather changed regularly and quickly, which highlights the importance of trained EVA observations and prediction of weather on Mars.

Title: Subsurface structure on Mars

Author(s): Pat Pesa

Description, activities, and results: The goal of the project was to demonstrate the use of instrumentation for structural analysis of potential locations for building on Mars. Several sites in the MDRS area were chosen based on having different stratigraphic layers and were analyzed using seismometric measurements to determine shallow subsurface rock structure. In-situ procedure was setting out a line of geophones to record data after small impacts gathering information on how vibration waves travel through the sub-surface. After the mission concludes the data will be further analyzed at Purdue with professor Dr. Doug Schmidtt. Applications of this data will be better understanding of non-invasive structural testing of Martian surface for building and development for a sustained human presence.

Title: Detecting radio signal strength

Author(s): Ben Durkee

Description, activities, and results: Radiological data was collected on the band of 436 MHz to 438 MHz. Surveys were done in various areas, including directly around the Hab, Cow Dung Rd, Galileo Rd, Kissing Camel Ridge, near White Moon, and more. Preliminary data processing has occurred, and more work is necessary to create the final heatmap of radio signal strength around MDRS

Title: EVA workload analysis

Author(s): Shefali Rana

Description, activities, and results: Feedback was collected from crew for long and short duration EVAs. Variation in score was observed for the exploratory EVAs conducted over a shorter distance versus ones for longer duration where heavier equipment was used for conducting the experiment. Different indicators will be analyzed to identify areas of larger discomfort.

Title: EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) ergonomic assessment

Author(s): Shefali Rana

Description, activities, and results: EMU comfort parameters were scored by the crew for the two suits. There was a difference in score of comfort and ease of egress/ ingress between the two suits (light exploration suit and heavy two-piece suits). Scores also varied among the crew for what concerns ergonomics and ease of use.

Title: Environmental Stresses over MDRS habitat and Crew Members and projection over Martian Terrain Author(s): LuzMa Agudelo

Description, activities, and results: Intending to understand the environmental conditions over Mars Terrain and design habitat structures and instruments that increase the human physical and mental capability, weather observations were performed, and data was collected over the MDRS terrain during Extra-Vehicular Activity (project no. 2). Data was also collected inside the habitat regarding temperature, humidity, wind, and radiation. Preliminary results on the crew engineer bedroom showed the nighttime temperatures with the door close surpassing the threshold of 26.6°C, considered the lower limit for human thermal heat stress, and a nighttime temperature average of 17°C with the door open.

Title: Messier and other space objects for outreach

Author(s): Cesare Guariniello

Description, activities, and results: The rotation saw only two days of clear skies. I managed to perform one day of Solar observations at the Elon Musk observatory, where the Sun did not show any spot or prominence, and one night where M42 (Orion Nebula) and M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) were observed and imaged in the robotic observatory. More observations have been submitted and will be processed after the end of the mission.

Title: Reliability and maintenance

Author(s): Shefali Rana

Description, activities, and results: Reliability of both the habitat structure and the EVA equipment is essential for safety. All equipment has to be installed, maintained and repaired on Mars by the crew and they have to be self-sufficient. For example, the habitat had a failure of the water pump pumping up the water to the tank for daily use. Repair procedure was initiated by crew Engineer. In this project, we simulated failure modes / malfunction of radio and rover during EVAs. Response of affected crew member and adherence / success of repair procedure was studied. This will be used to suggest operational protocols for failure scenarios.

Title: Medical readings in preparation for future crew-wide project

Author(s): Cesare Guariniello

Description, activities, and results: Crew commander wore a Zephyr sensor to monitor heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, and level of activity 24/7 for three days during the mission. Data will be downloaded and analyzed after the mission, to evaluate areas and times of intense effort, and level of comfort and rest at night. The research project, in collaboration with prof. Barrett Caldwell at Purdue, will be extended to full crews in the future.

Title: Collection of clay and shale samples

Author(s): Cesare Guariniello

Description, activities, and results: Six samples have been collected for study in laboratory at Purdue. The samples will be evaluated for water content and geotechnical properties. Snow coverage did not allow for further collection.

Title: Media and outreach

Author(s): Ben Durkee

Description, activities, and results: @PurdueMDRS on Facebook & Instagram have been updated with pictures and progress updates every other sol. The posts and pictures are unique from each other and from the journalist reports and photos to make sure the audience is not receiving repeat content from all media. Video of Christmas celebrations needs final editing touches before being uploaded once back in regions of more reliable wi-fi.

Mars Desert Research Station Crew 218 “The Next Giant Leap”

Crew 216 – Team A.R.E.S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crew Commander: Marc Levesque (United States)

Executive Officer/Crew Engineer: Mike Lawson (United States)

Health and Safety Officer: Andrew Kennedy (United States)

Crew Researcher: Rich Whittle (United Kingdom)

Crew Astronomer/GreenHab Officer: Michael Ho (Singapore)

Crew Journalist/Artist-in-Residence: Evgenia Alexandrova (Russia)

 

MDRS Crew 216 was an international crew whose projects and interests are reflected in their chosen name: Arts Research Education and Science.  This was the initial experience for all crew members at MDRS, and their first priority was for personal safety and that of fellow crew members.  Second was to maintain MDRS facilities, vehicles, and equipment in a safe and operable condition.  Finally, crew members focused on completing their planned projects while living in a Martian analog environment.  Below is a summary of projects, their status, and other activities at mission conclusion.

 

In-situ Fluorescent Mineral Prospecting in a Martian Environment – Mike Lawson

Martian colonists will have to exploit local resources to survive and thrive on Mars.  UV searches can identify possible sources of rare-earth ores, radioactive ores and other useful minerals, such as industrial gemstones for cutting, polishing and abrasive processes.

Traditional rock sampling, either by chipping rock faces or cone and quartering (alluvial gravel) would net only small samples (kilogram or smaller scale).  A large scale survey would take many EVAs.  An in-situ UV search of a rock-face or a gravel deposit can rapidly scan many tons of material in a matter of minutes.  If a target “lights up,” it could then be sampled for further analysis in the Hab.

 

For this project, a portable 6 watt Analytikea Model UVL-48 ultraviolet light source in shortwave UV mode was utilized.  Two key terrain types were favored for the UV survey:  rock faces in cliffs or canyons and alluvial gravel deposits.  The former present an opportunity to rapidly scan multiple layers of rock and identify target-rich epochs in the Martian geologic history.  The alluvial deposit survey capitalizes on Martian erosive forces self-selecting out “harder” materials of interest (in Mohs scale context), such as industrial gemstones.  Four target areas were planned to be selected based on imagery reconnaissance, two rock faces, and two alluvial deposits.  Target priority was to be for ease of access to minimize travel risk during the EVAs.

 

To reduce the risk factor, only two EVAs were conducted for this project.  A morning EVA identified a safe travel route and potential survey site at Robert’s Rock Garden.  That evening, a second EVA was undertaken in partial sim (flight suits only) with permission of the Mission Director for safer nighttime operation.

 

Project status: Samples collected in the field were analyzed in the Science Dome, and a paper detailing the results of the UV survey will be written and submitted to the Mars Society after the completion of the mission.

 

Documentary Film – Evgenia Alexandrova

This project was to capture footage for a one-hour film in the style of a “poetic documentary.”  It was not to be a pure factual coverage of the crew’s MDRS experience with a linear narration.  Rather, questions to be explored included:  What is behind our dream for space?  What are we trying to learn through learning about space? Our future?  Or actually is it about our past, and are we looking for understanding about where we come from and where do we belong?

 

The first years of Mars colonization will hardly be easy for humans: confined space, dehydrated food, heavy spacesuits, no green color of nature, and missing home.  There will be not much intimacy, but there may be solitude.  Still we are driven by some dream, instinct, or curiosity to explore beyond.  One aspect of the film is to capture the evolution of the emotional state of the crew members.

 

Filming was undertaken every day during working hours, meals, spare time, and evenings, as one could never predict when something interesting was going to happen.  Several EVAs also captured the landscape and activities of team members.  Those who agreed to be filmed during an EVA were equipped with a small microphone inside their spacesuit.  Additionally, each crew member participated in a 40-minutes interview, and release forms were obtained from all crew members who were filmed.

 

Project status: All desired film footage was captured. 

 

Human Performance & Analog Mission Evaluation of Environmental Stressors via Behavioral Health Scales – Rich Whittle

Mars analog astronauts undergo a rigorous selection and training process to ensure crew cohesion and mission success.  However, even the healthiest, strongest individuals may face psychological challenges due to various stressors in extreme or abnormal environments. Examples of these stressors include isolation, confinement, close living quarters, monotony of food, delayed communication with ground control, time pressure, scientific or engineering failures, sleep difficulties, fatigue, etc.  In our effort to further human space exploration in a safe and effective way, we must thoroughly understand and protect the psychological and physiological well-being of crew, before, during, and after the space analog mission.

 

This project aimed to study crew member behavioral traits, including anxiety and depression levels, before, during, and after the mission using standard questionnaires at several intervals. This would allow us to better understand psychological well-being in response to known and unknown environmental stressors. This project further aimed to study the correlation between crew anxiety and depression levels and the possibility of a “third quarter phenomena” (TQP), whereby the first quarter of the mission may be characterized by crew excitement or anxiety, the second quarter by boredom and depression, and the third quarter by increased emotional outbursts. An addition to the study was to examine basic physiological changes in subjects over the course of the short duration analog mission to explore transient changes.

 

Five surveys were administered at Sol 1, 5, 10, and mission conclusion prior to departure from MDRS.  These surveys included PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), POMS (Profile of Mood States), Sleep Quality Survey, ICE-Q (Isolated and Confined Environments Questionnaire), and PsychScale.

 

All crew members were contacted prior to mission to receive information and confirm if they would agree to participate.  Once on station, all crew members signed a form detailing the process of the research, any risks, and their consent to participate.  Note: This research was not for clinical findings, but for research only, with the research approved by the Texas A & M University Office of Research and Compliance.

 

Project status:  As of this summary, three-quarters of the surveys were collected, with the final one to be collected prior to departure.  The surveys will then be analyzed once they have returned to Texas A & M University.  

 

Mars Society and MDRS Educational Materials – Michael Ho

This project was to gather material to spread awareness of The Mars Society objectives and the Mars Desert Research Station by developing materials for a public presentation.  Activities included filming crew member self-introductions; recording the experience of maintaining physical and mental well-being living in a confined space with strangers for 14 days; an introduction to the physical structure and utilities of MDRS; a description of meals, water and energy resources, and waste conservation practices at MDRS; EVA procedures; and capturing drone video footage of MDRS, surrounding desert features, and EVAs on rovers.  Each crew member signed a written consent to be filmed for this project.  Additionally, taking pictures and observing celestial objects through telescopes in the Musk Observatory was undertaken in the role of Crew Astronomer, as was maintaining the GreenHab as the GreenHab Officer.

 

Project status: All desired material was gathered. Crew Astronomer and GreenHab Officer duties completed.

 

In-situ Resource Utilization for Medical Applications – Rich Whittle and Andrew Kennedy

This was a continuation of a Crew 215 project to collect gypsum samples to produce Plaster of Paris for application in medical interventions stemming from splinting to preliminary dental impressions.  This project required EVAs to collect and return materials from the field.  Three different ratios of water-to-gypsum were tested to conduct strength tests on the samples.

 

Project status: Using the best ratio of two parts gypsum to one part water, a plaster splint was created as proof of concept.

 

MDRS Communications – Marc Levesque

The current MDRS radio communication system of GMRS (UHF) handheld radios with an output of 2 watts limits how far EVA teams can communicate with the Hab.  A system utilizing VHF frequencies would greatly expand the range of radio communications.  Such a system would include handheld radios with 5 watt output and a solar-powered repeater with antenna located at an optimal site.  The design of this system would be a test bed for similar systems that could be deployed on Mars.

 

Viewshed analyses of various high points around the MDRS using geographic information system (GIS) software were undertaken, followed by EVAs to confirm the effectiveness and accessibility of these sites.  From these, it was determined that the summit of the North Ridge provided the widest radio coverage for those areas potentially explored by MDRS crews.  During an EVA, a team found an excellent site on the summit for a repeater location with direct line of sight to the Hab and confirmed the potential wide area radio coverage.  The team also mapped an accessible route, so that a future EVA (or non-sim work party) could carry the necessary components to the repeater site for installation.

An additional communications project attempted an amateur radio contact with the International Space Station (ISS) when its orbit passed directly over the MDRS.  This utilized a mobile radio in the Crew Commander’s personal vehicle set up in cross-band mode to allow the contact attempt to be accomplished from inside the Hab via a handheld radio.  The project required two short EVAs to set up and turn off the vehicle’s radio.  Crew members Levesque (W5MTS) and Lawson (KN4WOK), FCC licensed amateur radio operators, undertook the contact attempt.

 

Project status:  An optimal radio repeater site was identified for an expanded communications system.  If such a system is desired by The Mars Society, further research could be undertaken to determine the most suitable components for the repeater and handheld radios.  Should the project be implemented, The Mars Society would obtain an FCC license for VHF/UHF commercial frequencies that is available for non-profit and educational organizations and would provide the MDRS with its own unique frequencies. 

 

Contact with ISS was not made, most likely due to no astronaut operating the onboard amateur radio at the time the ISS was passing MDRS overhead.

 

Media visit

A production crew from Al Roker Entertainment spent a mid-mission sol with our crew to film one episode of a planned six-part science series to be aired in 2020.  During their visit, they filmed the area around the MDRS and its facilities inside and out, interviewed the crew as a group and a few individually, and filmed an EVA.  Our crew accommodated their requests in good spirits while maintaining sim.

 

Crew Commander Supplemental Note:

The selection of Crew 216 composition is to be commended, as the team worked extremely well together.  All members adapted in good form to conditions at MDRS and went above and beyond to complete station tasks and support other crew member’s projects, tasks, and activities.  As Crew Commander, I could not have asked for a better complement of bright, talented, creative, and enthusiastic individuals.  Given the steep learning curve that all members, including the Crew Commander, faced in their initial experience with station operations and protocols, I feel all performed exceptionally during the MDRS mission and are to be commended for their efforts.

 

Submitted by: Marc Levesque

Crew 216 Commander

06 December 2019

Crew 215 Sol Summary Report 14-NOV-2019
Sol: 4
Summary Title: Making Progress
Author’s name: Andrew Wheeler
Mission Status: Active
Sol Activity Summary: After ascertaining that Curiosity rover was operational (it was) our approved EVA for this Sol saw us returning to the micrometeorite sample grid in the stream wash at MM5 (518462E 4248949N). There, Guy, Larissa and Steve collected 30 samples before returning to the hab for lunch. 40% of the plots have now been sampled. During this time, gypsum samples collected from the White Moon location (517724E 4254500N) were begun to be cleaned and weighed in preparation for experimentation. This continued through the afternoon where samples from the micrometeorite grid were added to those being processed and packaged. Despite a rehearsal, construction in the hab caused a postponement of the disabled Marstronaut evacuation during the evening engineering EVA and, consequently, a ‘picnic’ dinner was held in the Green Hab.
Look Ahead Plan: Planning an EVA to MM5 (518462E 4248949N) to resume collection of micrometeorite samples and a demonstration of returning a disabled astronaut into the hab during the afternoon engineering EVA that had been postponed from the previous sol. See EVA requests. Continue monitoring of psycho-social stressors.
Anomalies in work: N/A.
Weather: Marginally below freezing overnight, light winds, clouded over during the day.
Crew Physical Status: Healthy
EVA: Micrometeorite sampling EVA. See EVA report
Reports to be file: Sol Summary Report, Operations Report, Science Report, GreenHab Report, EVA Request, EVA Report, Journalist Report, Daily Photos.
Support Requested: N/A

Sol:9

Summary Title: Collecting Gypsum & Seeding Mars
Author’s name: Guy Murphy
Mission Status: Active.
Sol Activity Summary: A new phase of EVA research commenced today with Andrew Wheeler locating gypsum deposits and collecting samples with Dianne. Seeds were planted in the Greenhab for the first time this season. Three cooked meals were prepared. Salmon was fish of the day. Sandy cooked the first loaf of bread in the Hab bread machine.
Look Ahead Plan: The remaining EVA’s this week will focus on completing micrometeorite collection. Andrew Wheeler will process the gypsum samples collected today in the science dome and Dianne will continue with her food waste study.
Anomalies in work: Micrometeorite study was compromised by at least one bipedal life form intruding within the study area and compacting the undisturbed study surfaces.
Weather: Another clear sunny day on Mars.
Crew Physical Status: Crew continue to be in excellent health.
EVA: See EVA report.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, Journalists Report, Science Report, Operations Reports, Greenhab Report, Photos.
Support Requested: None at present.

Crew 213 Mission Summary 24-May-2019

This course was our largest and most extensive iteration of our combined medicine and engineering education program. It went extremely well. Our crew enjoyed the simulations and clearly learned a lot about medicine and engineering as it relates to spaceflight.We continue to be grateful to the Mars Society for the opportunity to use this facility and all the resources it offers in our educational efforts. The major challenges we encountered were unpredictability with weather and managing a larger than normal number of students. The media team was an asset to our course and assisted us with arranging lighting and effects for our simulations.

As has been typical of our missions the daily EVA scenarios were handled safely and effectively and the emergency simulations were coupled with debriefs to ensure effective transfer of each learning objective. The feedback received from the crew both informally and through our own feedback process indicated a high level of enjoyment, respect for the facility, the course, and the challenges of a mission to Mars.

Our experience teaching doctors in previous versions of this course have lead us to a robust didactic, simulation, and discussion based curriculum. The landscape and the difficulties of living in the habitat are well known to us so there were few additional surprises. However, the weather was uncommonly rainy which forced us to amend our day to day operations on a near continuous basis. In the future, we will plan for back up activities to keep students engaged even when the weather precludes outside activities.

As this is the third time we’ve incorporated research projects into our curriculum, it has become a relatively routine part of our instruction. The crew was very receptive as were outside parties and we are looking forward to expanding this work in future missions. Our research is primarily focused on habitability, rapid iterative design, and feedback from task saturated personnel. We hope to present this at future meetings and continue to solicit more projects that can benefit from our unique population of medical professionals. Our projects for this year included a training and testing session of just in time training for ultrasound guided nerve blocks.

As always the realism of the EVA landscape is the most impressive feature of the MDRS site. The habitat facilities, EVA suits, and food supplies are well suited to the experience, however we have noticed a need for maintenance in both the habitat and space suits. Thank you for the continued opportunity to work with you on this project, we look forward to our continued collaboration.

Mission Summary Report

 

Mars Desert Research Station Crew 211

UCL to Mars

 

Crewmembers:

Dr. Carl-Henrik Dahlqvist
Simon Collignon
Julien Amalaberque
Eléonore Lieffrig
Nathan Pechon
Chloé Peduzzi
Benjamin Flasse, Maxime Bernard

 

Scientific Program           

 Cubelanders swarm (Carl-Henrik Dahlqvist)

Mars presents a dynamical environment that cannot be fully described by measures taken by a small number of probes. In order to get a more comprehensive view of Mars climate evolution, we proposed to rely on miniaturized landers, called CubeLanders that could be deployed on large strand of Mars surface via drones. Those landers would include several scientific instruments to characterize the environment and provide new insights into its evolution. In contrast with CubeSats which could deploy large solar panels and antennas, CubeLanders have a single solar panel covering one of their sides. We, therefore, have to limit as much as possible power consumption especially regarding the information transfer. We relied on an ultra-low power RF transceiver for short range communication and on the creation of a lander communication network to transfer the information to the deployment unit using only nearest neighbors.

The proposed concept has been tested during this rotation 211. The CubeLanders structure has been 3D printed while we used the Arduino platform for the electronic system. An algorithm has been developed in order to transmit the information via the CubeLanders network. It has been successfully tested in the Science Dome before a field experiment near the MDRS campus. The deployment of the Cubelanders have been made via drone using a new fully mechanical capture system composed of a fork attached to the drone and a rail system on the sides of each Cubelanders. The field experiment was a success even if the iron rich soil challenged the communication system.

 

Simultaneous location and mapping algorithm using a depth camera (Julien Amalaberque)

On Mars, the lack of a global positioning system and the unreliability of the magnetic north means that other solutions needs to be found to provide positioning and orientation. To do this for our drones, rovers and EVA suits, we decided to use an innovative algorithm called Simultaneous Location And Mapping, also already used with autonomous cars, with a depth camera (Intel RealSense D435i, released earlier this year). The basis used was RTabmap, an open-source implementation of the algorithm maintained by the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada). It works by creating a cloud of 3D points by extracting features from the image, and then by statistically computing the difference in position from the previous result.

The first step needed to be tweaked in order to allow feature extraction to work on a red, deserted environment which is very different from the classic urban use cases usually described in literature.

Once this was working well, another problem was that computing differences in position between images is an intensive task for a computer. Different image resolutions and frame-per-second settings had to be thoroughly tested to guarantee a reliable service. As a conclusion, the algorithm and the camera now work very well both inside the station and outside in the field. Its positioning ability can be used to automate the movements any kind of unmanned vehicle or as a tool for astronauts.

 

Study of Brownian motion of colloidale particles (Eléonore Lieffrig)

The Brownian motion of colloidal particles is the motion of tiny particles in a fluid at rest. Several experiences regarding to that field are currently running in the International Space Station, which offers the unique property of microgravity. The interest in studying the behavior of colloidal particles is that it finds applications in sectors such as environmental sciences, petrochemistry, chemistry and so on, including daily life. For example, we could be able to create a kind of plastics with better possibilities of recycling, or, a bit funnier, a vinaigrette that we would never have to shake for the components to be blended.

We first built hermetic enclosures containing colloidal particles in water. The chosen colloids had the property to absorb light at 540 nm et reemit it at 560 nm. Therefore, a fluorescence microscopy technology allowed us to observe the reemitted light by placing a camera on the trajectory of the beam. That way, we were able to get the course of many particles on camera and then track them one by one to verify certain properties we were expecting. For example, the motion of the colloids is independent with regards to gravity and the position distribution around the initial point is a gaussian curve.

Regarding the Musk observatory, the sun was very calm during our rotation, but we could observe little prominences on SOL 3. It was such a great opportunity to use this telescope.

 

Muon telescope (Maxime Bernard)

This project is based on the upgrading of a compact telescope based on small and gastight Glass Resistive Gas Chambers (“minigRPC”) build last year by Sophie Wuyckens and is aimed at performing a feasibility study of possible research on Mars geology. The first part of the project will be an improvement of the software used to to collect and analyse the data. The second part will be the eventual refinements we could perform on different parts of the detector to make sure the data we get are the most reliable possible. The third part will consist of the collection of in-field data at the MDRS, and its analysis. The goal will then be to make a study of the muon flux generated by interactions of primary cosmic rays and, if time allows to proceed to a radiography or tomography (3D) of the landscape (mountains, hills, etc.) of the Utah desert with “muography”. This technique is very interesting for planets exploration. For instance, we could radiograph Mars and characterize its interior and tell about the planet evolutionary state and history as well as even finding some places geologically well-adapted places for future colony implantation.

The idea of this year experiment was to compare the data I acquired right before coming to Mars with a brand new gaz mix in order to see if I could see a difference in the Muon count and therefore establish the efficiency of each detector to compare them and see if any modification were to be planed. Unfortunately, it appeared a problem occurred with the gaz mixed as I had way less Muons than expected. Despite a lot of effort to find the source of the problem, I could not find one.
It led me to the fact that it must be the gaz mix that was not efficient enough.

 

Martian constitution (Nathan Pechon)

Our research consisted in the drafting of a Martian constitution. As of today, no rules or legislation apply to Mars. However, law is necessary to organize the human society, as Martian missions are going to grow in scope.

We drafted it together with the crew because a text of such importance needs to gather all different opinions in order to be as democratic as possible. Nevertheless, Nathan played a central role in it. His project consisted in writing articles and submitting them to the crew for a vote. Of course, he took into consideration the crew’s opinions and he was very thankful for every idea coming from them.

Finally, we adopted 20 articles which are applicable on Mars. The Crew was very enthusiastic about debating them.

 

Geolocation with UWB antennas (Simon Collignon)

Here on Earth, GPS technology brought various tools to our society in a wide tech area. Up there on Mars, it might be as useful to implement GPS-like devices and keeping track of what’s going on in our new Martian civilization. Nowadays, there are different geolocation technologies for different purposes. In regard of the relatively small size of our facilities and the precise experiments undertaken, the most relevant setup is the one which maximize accuracy at the expense of the detection range. Using this configuration, we will be able to monitor near EVA, conducted by our astronauts and rovers.

The system required to meet those specifications is based on the emerging UWB (Ultra Wide Band) technology, brought by the IoT field. It will help us to develop an accurate geolocation system capable of tracking multiple devices of interest on our experiment site. In a further stage, the system could be extended for a wider UWB coverage.

 

In conclusion we achieved good results for tracking items in the science dome and in an outdoor environment. We collected a large amount of tracking data which will be further analyzed with more advanced post-processing technics. Moreover, we were able to visualize in real time the location of our tracked item during our experiments.

 

Sleep study (Benjamin Flasse)

A correct and regular sleep is essential for the recuperative power of the crew. For a long-term mission, the recuperative power is crucial for the preservation of the reflexes, the cognitive functions and the general health of the members of the crew. The harsh conditions of such a mission which are among others the stress, the confinement, the lack of privacy,  the seclusion and the closeness with the team 24 hours a day, could have a serious impact on the quality of the sleep and of the health of the members of the team.

This is why I analyzed the quality of sleep and the general health condition of the crew, through complete polysomnography (DREAM from MEDATEC), actimetry (E-tact from Bodycap), Critical Flicker Fusion Frequency (B-checkers), neuropsychometric tests (physiopad + MARES) and body parameters analysis (BiodyXpert).

Each morning and each night, each member of the crew went through a quick poll of tests enumerated here above, and 2 crew members were analyzed at night with a DREAM monitoring device. This machine allows to perform a complete polysomnography, they were wearing it every two nights. Since the DREAM analysis will be scored by a doctor in Belgium, I am not able to give any conclusion yet concerning the sleep quality. The other tests will continue in the few days following the mission, but some preliminary observations can be noted.

Firstly, every member of the crew can witness of an increasing fatigue during the mission, even so that naps had to be taken by some members. The weight and the measurements of the crew members does show a loose of body mass during the mission, even though this last one was probably affected by the unusual diet. The percentage of fat mass decreased while the percentage of muscle mass appeared to stay constant. Unsurprisingly, the stress and the brain fatigue appeared to be higher than in normal conditions. Some crew member experienced a water retention a few day after the beginning of the mission. No noticeable change was monitored concerning the cerebral arousal.

 

Spirulina as space food (Chloé Peduzzi)

As water is a limiting factor on Mars, lots of questions related to how to grow food on the Red Planet remain unsolved. On this purpose, current scientific researches focus on developing technologies to grow highly nutritive food requiring small amount of water. One possible option is spirulina! Indeed, those cyanobacteria are highly prospective for astronauts’ alimentation during future martian explorations. Not only can it be taken as a dietary supplement enriched in proteins, but it has also therapeutic properties. In that sense, we propose to establish a spirulina culture during our mission. The experiment will study the effect of space mission conditions on the culture system, including the small amount of space, materials and water available, the monitoring of the system and finally considering alternatives to improve the culture in such conditions.

10 spirulina cultures were prepared in 10 cell culture flasks. An artificial lightening made by white led was placed behind those culture flasks according to 2 different treatments (24h of light/day and 12h of light/day). The spirulina cultures were agitated manually each day. Cells were checked regularly using a microscope at various cultures’ stages. The cultures were observed at magnification 40X, 100X and 400X. Those observations confirmed the spiral shape of the spirulina’s trichomes. Resulting from HCO3 depletion through photosynthesis, the culture pH tended to rise continuously throughout the 2 weeks of simulation. This rise is positively correlated with the photosynthetic efficiency of the spirulina strain in the operational conditions of the experiment. The temperature variations throughout the 2 weeks of simulation were monitored continuously in the Science dome. The optimum temperature for spirulina growth is around 26°C-32°C (79F-90F) and should not exceed 38°C (100F). The contamination of the culture was monitored using axenicity tests in petri dishes. At the end of the 2 weeks of simulation, all spirulina cultures were harvested. Harvest occurred in the morning as temperature is the coolest and the proteins content (%) in the spirulina is the highest at this time of day. The filtration of spirulina cultures was easily accomplished by passing the culture through a PVC and polypropylene screen (40 microns in mesh size), using gravity as the driving force. The harvested spirulina was then washed with distilled water several times. Spirulina was carefully collected with a sterile spatula and stored on filter papers in petri dishes and was dried at 45°C during 5h. Finally, the wet and dry weight were measured for each of the 10 spirulina cultures. Further analyses will enable us to measure the protein content of the harvested spirulina.

 

Enhancing leguminous plant nutrition via mycorrhiza symbiosis in a Martian simulated environment ( Chloé Peduzzi)

As a one-way trip to Mars is estimated at 6 months at the shortest, a round-trip mission to the Red planet could last years. Therefore, setting up technologies to grow food in complete autonomy seems crucial. One main issue remains enhancing plant nutrition and increasing their resistance to stress and drought.

To elucidate that point, we propose to study beneficial mycorrhizal fungi connecting with plant roots and forming a network of fungal fibres, bringing water and nutrients to the plant. They support the plant for its entire life and improve yield. On one hand, we will study how this network develops in a Martian simulated soil. On the other hand, we will measure the effectiveness of the symbiosis with a leguminous plant in such conditions. Through this research, we aim to expand scientific knowledges on how Martian conditions affect symbiotic relationships between terrestrial organisms.

Seeds (bean + tomato) were soaked into water for 24h. Soil samples were collected in the Utah desert and were sieved. 16 treatments were repeated 4 times and placed into the GreenHab. The treatments were the followings: Irrigation (dry – Wet), Treatment (control – mycorrhiza – hydrogel – mycorrhiza + hydrogel) and Soil (50% Martian soil + 50% Compost – Compost). This part lasted 10 days. Then plants were harvested. Several crucial measures were taken. Further analyses with the harvested plants will enable us to quantify the mycorrhizal colonisation of the roots.

Treatment :	Treatment	Soil :	Humidity
N°1	Control	50% Mars + 50% Compost	Humid
N°2	Control	50% Mars + 50% Compost	Dry
N°3	Control	Compost	Humid
N°4	Control	Compost	Dry
N°5	Mycorrhize	50% Mars + 50% Compost	Humid
N°6	Mycorrhize	50% Mars + 50% Compost	Dry
N°7	Mycorrhize	Compost	Humid
N°8	Mycorrhize	Compost	Dry
N°9	Hydrogel	50% Mars + 50% Compost	Humid
N°10	Hydrogel	50% Mars + 50% Compost	Dry
N°11	Hydrogel	Compost	Humid
N°12	Hydrogel	Compost	Dry
N°13	Mycorrhize + Hydrogel	50% Mars + 50% Compost	Humid
N°14	Mycorrhize + Hydrogel	50% Mars + 50% Compost	Dry
N°15	Mycorrhize + Hydrogel	Compost	Humid
N°16	Mycorrhize + Hydrogel	Compost	Dry

Table 1: 16 treatments testing Mycorrhiza-Leguminous plant symbiosis in martian condition

 

Mission Overview

Crew 211 is the 9th crew of the UCL to Mars project. UCL to Mars is a non-profit organization that sends researchers and students from the Université de Louvain to the Mars Desert Research Station. The objective of UCL to Mars is twofold, organize annual research stay at the MDRS and promote science to a younger audience through publication in the press and on social media as well as conferences in universities and schools. Both objectives have been fulfilled during this rotation 211, as we have had the opportunity to welcome schoolchildren on the 24th of April and a PBS crew on the 29th of April to increase awareness of the MDRS and its mission and more broadly to promote Science.  Beyond these visits, we conducted successfully nine scientific experiments in various fields of Sciences to answer concrete problems that future space travelers may encounter. Thanks to the variety of profiles we had in our team this year, we adopted an interdisciplinary approach to many problems, bringing added values for several experiments.

Mission Summary Report

Mars Desert Research Station Crew 210

Martian Biology

Crewmembers: Dr. Shannon Rupert, David Murray, Paul Sokoloff, Samantha McBeth, Mike Irvine

Mission Overview

Crew 210 was an international team made up of scientists and outreach professionals from the United States and Canada, who conducted an assessment of the ecology and botanical diversity of the MDRS Exploration Area from April 13-20, 2019.  This was the first non-simulation mission in a planned multi-year biological research program planned for the station; our overarching goal is to increase the ecological and biological knowledge about this unique Martian analog, and bring it up to the level of geological and planetary science research conducted by previous missions.  The three planned peer-reviewed publications stemming from this year’s research program will provide useful data to future crews focused on astrobiology, as well as important scientific data for local scientific and government agencies.  We also sought to increase awareness of MDRS and its mission through a robust online outreach campaign, including images, social media posts, video content, and interactive livestreams.

Scientific Program           

Ecological Classification of the Exploration Area

To assess the different ecosystems within the station area, our team conducted vegetation transect and quadrat surveys at four locations (Copernicus Valley, Hab Ridge, and two sites along Cactus Road).  At each location we plotted three 10-meter transects and surveyed five 1-meter-square quadrats along each transect in a zig-zag pattern.

For each transect we recorded GPS coordinates at the start and end, the air and soil temperature at the center of the transect, measured the height of the tallest plant on the line, and took a central sample for soil moisture, pH, and salinity. Within each of the five quadrats, we estimated percent cover of vascular plants, and named the top three species (by abundance) inside the square-meter.

By analysing the physical characteristics of the soil samples taken from our transects, we hope to discover the factors driving plant diversity (or the lack thereof) in the quadrats, and by extension, the different ecological areas around MDRS.

Plant Sampling

Continuing work started by crew 143 in 2014, our team sampled new vascular plant and lichen specimens within the MDRS Exploration Area to better continue building a floristic baseline for the station. By pressing plant specimens between cardboard and drying them out, the team is left with a flat plant that, of stored correctly, will last for hundreds of years.  The 64 new plant samples collected during this mission, accompanied by a label indicating the location and date of collection, will serve as the proof that these plants were found growing at a specific place and time. Once identified to species, these plants will make up the backbone of our first planned publication from this program.

Outreach Program

Our outreach program took advantage of the extensive network of Live It (liveit.earth) to educate the public on our mission and MDRS.

During one week of outreach the MDRS210 and Live It reached:

• 150+ classrooms during 2 livestreamed presentations in the field, roughly 3,000 students from K-12 participated. These presentations were recorded and continue to climb in viewership.
• 36 posts on Twitter with 10,000+ impressions
• 30+ posts on Facebook with 1,000+ interactions
• 22% increase in likes on the MDRS Facebook page

A combination of photo, video, 360 photo/video capture and livestreams were used to create content that was shared over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Live It and Discover the Universe’s networks.

We conducted an “Ask A Martian Anything” on Reddit, where we responded to about 50 questions (over 400 interactions on the website).

Looking Ahead

Our immediate plans are to publish the ecological and plant data in peer-reviewed journals, and to continue our outreach efforts using photos and videos taken on this mission.  We are currently putting together a plan for future biological survey missions at MDRS, branching out into new groups including reptiles, birds, mammals, mosses, and microbial life.

 

 

 

Crew 208 Medical Makers – Mission Summary

Commander: Julielynn Wong
Executive Officer: Dean Jin
Health & Safety Officer: David Kim
Engineer & Astronomer: Amanda Manget
GreenHab Officer & Journalist: Erika Rydberg

 

Medical Makers is a global community of innovators, patients, and healthcare providers who use low-cost technologies to make sustainable solutions to save lives, time, and money.  Medical Makers host Medical Make-A-Thons worldwide to crowdsource low-cost, high-quality, life-changing 3D printable solutions for 3D4MD’s digital library.

Our MDRS mission dates were from March 28, 2019 to April 7, 2019. We completed a total of 7 EVAs.

                  

Crew 208 Medical Makers Projects at MDRS

Project #1: 3D printing drone maps of MDRS and the surrounding Mars-like terrain

Crew 208 Medical Makers XO and GHO processed Crew 207 Medical Makers drone maps and 3D printed contour scale models of MDRS. Two 3D printed MDRS elevation models will be provided to the Mars Society.

 

Project #2: Testing a new drone controller designed by a retired NASA astronaut, physician, explorer, pilot, and inventor

Crew 208 Medical Makers compared the performance of a traditional and new drone controller during flight tests. Post-flight surveys were completed and qualitative feedback was obtained.

 

Project #3: Evaluating a low-cost, high-fidelity, 3D printed thoracentesis trainer designed to allow Crew Medical Officers, their back-ups, and healthcare professionals to attain and maintain life-saving surgical skills to serve astronauts on long space missions and the 5 billion people who lack access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care

Five crew members used a low-cost, high-fidelity thoracentesis trainer 3D printed on-site to acquire or maintain life-saving procedural skills to decompress a tension pneumothorax on a simulated patient. Three performance metrics were measured; performance score, procedure time and learner’s confidence.  Crew 208 Medical Makers data has been compiled for analysis and manuscript preparation.

 

Project #4: Demonstrating the technical feasibility of bike-powered 3D printing by six Martian analogue astronauts — who are following the International Space Station cycling ergometer schedule — to empower the 1 billion people without access to electricity to use portable 3D printing technologies and biodegradable plastic filament

Crew 208 Medical Makers showed that a renewable, green energy source can power a 3D printer to use biodegradable plastic to make customized medical devices that were previously printed on the ISS. Five crew members cycled for 1 hour per day for a total of 2 days per crew member on a bicycle to charge a battery that was used to power the 3D4MD 3D printing system.  Crew 208 Medical Makers used this bike-powered battery to 3D print two customized mallet finger splints out of food-safe, biodegradable plastic. Crew 208 Medical Makers data has been compiled for analysis and manuscript preparation.

 

Project #5: Testing a wearable sensor that monitors wear time for 3D printed prosthetic hands to reduce the risk of complications

Crew 208 Medical Makers provided feedback on a wearable sensor prototype for 3D printed prosthetic hands.

 

Project #6: 3D printing essential items on demand locally to save lives, time and money for the 3.75 billion people who live in remote or rural areas, the 136 million people who require humanitarian aid, and astronauts on long space missions

Crew 208 Medical Makers 3D printed the following 3D4MD catalog items;

1. A parameterizable funnel for the Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders Green Catalog and MDRS Greenhab
2. Toy ambulances requested by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders that are made out of biodegradable plastic that changes colour in sunlight or with temperature

 

Project #7: 3D printing low-cost, high-quality medical devices for healthcare providers who serve the 3.75 billion people who live in remote or rural areas and astronauts on long space missions

Crew 208 Medical Makers 3D printed the following 3D4MD catalog items;

1. A ninja star two-point discriminator that meets Health Canada guidelines to diagnose and treat an injured astronaut on a long space mission
2. An IV line protector requested by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders
3. A sexual and reproductive education model to promote HPV vaccination rates and reduce the risk of cervical cancer

 

Project #8: Testing a reusable and simple 3D printable ostomy system for stoma patients who cannot afford disposable ostomy appliances, a growing global industry that costs healthcare systems $2.5 billion a year

Crew 208 Medical Makers 3D printed two components of this ostomy system on-site at MDRS.

 

Project #9: Using reusable, personalized 3D printed straws made out of food-safe biodegradable plastic to conserve water at MDRS and reduce the amount of plastic waste in landfills and oceans

All five crew members were using 3D printed colored straws to identify their personal cups for re-use all day to conserve our water resources at MDRS.

 

Acknowledgements

Crew 208 Medical Makers is grateful for the financial support of Dr. Robert Milkovich and Mrs. Marijana Milkovich, Ron Rivkind at Filaments.ca, and Schulich Leader Scholarships, Canada’s most coveted undergraduate STEM scholarships.  Our MDRS projects are also made possible thanks to Atila Meszaros, David Mateus, and Shannon Rupert at the Mars Desert Research Station, Dr. Scott Parazynski and George Guerrero at Fluidity Technologies Inc., Jade Bilkey, Crew 207 Medical Makers, and members of the Medical Makers YGK, YHM, YKF, YMM, YVR, YYT and YYZ Chapters.

Crew 207 Medical Makers  – Mission Summary

Commander: Julielynn Wong
Executive Officer: Dean Jin
Health & Safety Officer: Kevin Ho
Scientist: Tiffany Ni
Engineer & Astronomer: Tom Baldwin
GreenHab Officer & Journalist: Diane Rothberg

 

Medical Makers is a global community of innovators, patients, and healthcare providers who use low-cost technologies to make sustainable solutions to save lives, time, and money.  Medical Makers host Medical Make-A-Thons worldwide to crowdsource low-cost, high-quality, life-changing 3D printable solutions for 3D4MD’s digital library.

Our MDRS mission dates were from March 16, 2019 to March 27, 2019. We completed a total of 7 EVAs.

         

Crew 207 Medical Makers Projects at MDRS

 

Project #1: Printing open-source designs of lower-cost labware to provide more accessible STEM learning opportunities for the 90% of the world’s population who do not have a university education

Crew 207 Medical Makers Scientist and HSO 3D printed 17 labware items and tested their functionality in the MDRS Science Dome. Many of these print files were prepared by 34 participants of the inaugural MMYMM Medical Make-A-Thon hosted at Keyano College in Fort McMurray, Alberta on March 10, 2019.

On March 22, Crew 207 Medical Makers experienced a brief power interruption at MDRS while 3D printing a slide drying rack out of biodegradable plastic.  Fortunately, our 3D printing system was able to continue and finish printing this functional item after power was restored.

 

Project #2: Demonstrating the technical feasibility of bike-powered 3D printing by six Martian analogue astronauts — who are following the International Space Station cycling ergometer schedule — to empower the 1 billion people without access to electricity to use portable 3D printing technologies and biodegradable plastic filament

Crew 207 Medical Makers showed that a renewable, green energy source can power a 3D printer to use biodegradable plastic to make an ISS medical inventory item, a customized medical device that was previously printed on the ISS, and a spare part for a self-replicating replicator on-site during a Mars analogue mission.

Six crew members cycled for 1 hour per day for a total of 2 days per crew member on a bicycle to charge a battery that was used to power the 3D4MD 3D printing system.  Crew 207 Medical Makers used this bike-powered battery to 3D print a tongue depressor and customized mallet finger splint out of food-safe, biodegradable plastic and a replacement knob for the 3D printer’s LCD out of recyclable, biodegradable plastic.

Crew 207 Medical Makers data has been compiled and been transmitted home for analysis and manuscript preparation.  Data collection will continue with Crew 208 Medical Makers.

 

Project #3: Identifying essential items that can be 3D printed on demand locally to save lives, time and money for the 3.75 billion people who live in remote or rural areas, the 136 million people who require humanitarian aid, and astronauts on long space missions

Crew 207 Medical Makers identified 30 items that would be useful to 3D print at MDRS. These items will be distributed as design challenges to Crew 208 Medical Makers, Medical Make-A-Thon participants and 250+ Medical Makers in 10 countries.

Crew 207 Medical Makers 3D printed the following items on demand locally at MDRS:

1. Coat hanger
2. Bag clip
3. Stackable storage bin
4. Funnels (3 sizes)
5. Soil sieves (2 sizes)

Crew 207 Medical Makers Journalist, Diane Rothberg, observed that it would be helpful to use a clip to re-seal our opened bags containing flour and brown sugar.  On March 20, Crew 207 Medical Makers Commander, Dr. Julielynn Wong, reached out to members of the Medical Makers YHM Chapter who have been re-designing and testing a watertight, reusable, 3D printed pouch clamp for stoma patients.  They immediately uploaded their print files to the Medical Makers shared drive and Crew 207 Medical Makers was able to 3D print and use their design to re-seal a food bag at MDRS on the same day.

On March 23, Crew 207 Medical Makers Scientist, Tiffany Ni, used an open-source design and freeware to create and 3D print customized funnels matching the dimensions of 3 different funnels found in the Science Dome at MDRS. By creating 3D printable designs of useful items at MDRS, Medical Makers can add files to 3D4MD’s digital archive to benefit remote and low-resource communities in need.

Crew 207 Medical Makers also 3D printed the following 3D4MD catalog items out of biodegradable, washable plastic:

1. High-quality, safe, UNICEF early childhood education kit items for children caught in conflict zones or humanitarian emergencies
2. Low-cost, high-quality, 3D printable United Nations Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum teaching models for voluntary medical male circumcision, a procedure that has been shown to reduce HIV transmission by 60% in high-risk areas
3. A special Mars edition of “Lego-style” Braille Bricks to help educate the 1 billion children and adults who are visually impaired
4. Medical supplies that meet FDA and Health Canada guidelines to diagnose and treat an ill or injured astronaut on a long space mission
5. Low-cost and high-quality spare parts and accessories for our self-replicating “Star Trek Replicator”

 

Project #4: Using reusable, personalized 3D printed straws made out of food-safe biodegradable plastic to conserve water at MDRS and reduce the amount of plastic waste in landfills and oceans

Crew 207 Medical Makers observed that each individual crew member was using multiple cups per day because the cups provided at MDRS are identical in design and color. This meant that the crew had to wash extra cups every day. This led to an increased consumption of water which is a limited and valuable resource at MDRS. By March 21, all six crew members were using 3D printed colored straws to identify their personal cups for re-use all day. This helped conserve our water resources at MDRS.

 

Project #5: Testing a low-cost, high-fidelity, 3D printed thoracentesis trainer designed to allow healthcare trainees and professionals to attain and maintain life-saving surgical skills to serve the 5 billion people who lack access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care

Five crew members with no prior surgical training used a porcine and 3D printed thoracentesis trainer to acquire life-saving procedural skills to decompress a tension pneumothorax on a simulated patient. Three performance metrics were measured; performance score, procedure time and learner’s confidence. Data collection will continue with Crew 208 Medical Makers.

Three out of seven components of 3D4MD’s thoracentesis trainer were successfully 3D printed at MDRS during the Crew 207 Medical Makers mission.  The remaining four components will be 3D printed during the Crew 208 Medical Makers mission.

 

Project #6: Piloting drones to survey and print a 3D map of MDRS and the surrounding Mars-like terrain

Crew 207 Medical Makers Part 107 pilots used a camera drone to complete four pre-programmed drone mapping flights of MDRS and the surrounding region. Map processing and 3D printing will continue with Crew 208 Medical Makers.

 

Project #7: Testing a new drone controller designed by a retired NASA astronaut, physician, explorer, pilot, and inventor

Crew 207 Medical Makers flew a camera drone to conduct an outdoor inspection of the MDRS Habitat roof during a simulated emergency. Four novice drone pilots compared the performance of a traditional and new drone controller when flying in a square pattern (60 feet for each side) at an altitude of 20 feet. Post-flight surveys were completed and qualitative feedback was obtained. Preliminary feedback has been submitted to the drone controller manufacturer. More flight testing is planned for Crew 208 Medical Makers.

 

Acknowledgements

Crew 207 Medical Makers is grateful for the financial support of Dr. Robert Milkovich and Mrs. Marijana Milkovich, the University of Toronto Collaborative Specialization in Resuscitation Sciences – Institute of Medical Sciences Travel Award, Ron Rivkind at Filaments.ca, and Schulich Leader Scholarships, Canada’s most coveted undergraduate STEM scholarships.  Our MDRS projects were also made possible thanks to Atila Meszaros, David Mateus, and Shannon Rupert at the Mars Desert Research Station, Dean Vincella Thompson at Keyano College, Marius Kintel at OpenSCAD, Dr. Scott Parazynski and George Guerrero at Fluidity Technologies Inc., Jack McCandless, Jade Bilkey, Crew 208 Medical Makers, and members of the Medical Makers YGK, YHM, YKF, YMM, YVR, YYT and YYZ Chapters.