Category: Sol Summary

Sol: 4
Summary Title: A Mystery on Mars and a Disaster in the Kitchen
Author’s name: Jilian Welshoff
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
Crew 288 started the day off at 8:00AM for a breakfast of pancakes made by Riley (XO) and Ryan (GHO). They came up with some fun toppings and mix and matched to make the perfect pancake. The crew got heated in a few rounds of Bananagrams to get energy high for another long day of EVAs and Hunter (GEO) lead some group stretches to get our bodies prepped. After popping and locking, 4 crew members, Cesare (CMD), Hunter (GEO), Jesus (ENG), and Lipi (JOU) prepped to go on EVA #4 to Kissing Camel Ridge and Barainca Butte to collect more geology spectrum data. The crew found abundant volcanic rocks of multiple types on the EVA and collected more spectrum data.
The crew that stayed behind had a good time learning proper form for pushups, FINALLY taking showers, and harvesting some parsley and sage for lunch, while remaining responsive and attentive COMs. They (Ryan) attempted to make Carrot cake but created a sugar mass instead induced by an error in the recipe book.
After returning from EVA, the crew got to enjoy the cooking/baking efforts from the rest of the crew and got to take their showers too. Ryan went to the Greenhab to harvest more greens for a salad and dinner. The EVA crew had a debrief to figure out how to execute data collection more efficiently after today’s attempt. While we completed reports and uploaded photos, we had a delicious redemption dinner made by Ryan (GHO) of Pad Thai and await a proper carrot cake in the oven.
Look Ahead Plan: Continue to go on Geology EVAs to collect more data, CO2 continue soldering, begin EVAs for other research, continue collecting data for overall research. Start Greenhab research
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Beautiful day outside, started out cloudy then sunny in the afternoon.
Crew Physical Status: Feeling squeaky clean and ready for a new day of EVA
EVA: Successfully performed EVA #4 to Kissing Camel Ridge and Barainca Butte
Reports to be filed: Eva Report, Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Sol Summary, Eva Request, Astronomy Report, Photos
Support Requested: None

Sol: 1
Summary Title: A Muddy Start (Drone Rescue Gone Bad)
Author’s name: Jilian Welshoff
Mission Status: Get prepped to start EVAs, started on Greenhab maintenance
Sol Activity Summary:
We started sol 1 at 7:30 woken by the lovely Apollo 13 music played by Commander Cesare followed by a breakfast of eggs and potatoes made by Jesus and Lipi! We took our time getting ready after breakfast because we were ahead of schedule and then suited up to take sponsor photos at 10:00AM. We took many fun shots for our sponsors and got to try out the drone for video. That is when disaster struck. The drone had flown out of range but was programmed to fly back to the landing zone when it does so. However, that is far from what happened. Cesare and Sergii decided to take the hab car to go retrieve it since it was a very far distance while the rest of the crew got to try on the official EVA suits, take more photos, and get adjusted to moving in them.
After we had gotten close to our original sim start time, the crew decided to come inside for lunch, not including Cesare who was still on the Rescue Mission for the drone. We had an assortment of snacks for lunch including honey-roasted peanuts, bananas with peanut butter, and a newfound snack of graham crackers with Nutella and freeze-dried blueberries and strawberries. Completing lunch we got correspondence from Cesare. Yet another disaster had struck. After reaching the drone’s destination, the hab car got stuck! Cesare and Sergii tried to release the car by themselves but needed some extra hands and requested help. This officially put EVA #1 and EVA #2 on hold. We waited for Cesare and Sergii to walk back, and then sent Jesus and Ryan to go help! They took Sergii’s car and after a lumpsum of time, they made it back! Officially, it was too late to go on any EVA, but we were able to start on other tasks including working with the Greenhouse. Ryan, our HSO, Lipi, and I went to the Greenhouse and were able to harvest some plants, decide on what to plant next, and water what was already there!
We had a long day with many challenges and changes but morale is high and dinner is cooking!
Look Ahead Plan: Start EVA and sim officially. We plan to get more used to suits and go to Marble Ritual to start us off. We hope to set up CO2 sensors and plant peas tomorrow to get research started!
Anomalies in work: Lost drone and stuck hab car!
Weather: Sunny with some streaky clouds! Beautiful!
Crew Physical Status: People retrieving the drone and car have some fatigue and Lipi had a headache.
EVA: #1 and #2 were not completed but will be tomorrow.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary Report, Mission Plan, Operations Report, Green Hab report, Journalist Report, EVA Request, Astronomy Report
Support Requested: Coffee grounds (instant or grounds), chicken bouillon, powdered milk } all were at lower supply level when arriving, not in dire need of.

Sol: 2
Summary Title: Finally on Mars
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary: after a little delay on Earth yesterday, which provided the crew with some breathtaking stargazing time, crew 288, named after Phobos (in conjunction with the twin crew 289 Deimos), finally woke up on Mars. Ryan, our Green Hab Officer, prepared a tasty and healthy breakfast of oatmeal and dehydrated fruit, flavored with honey and Nutella. Despite the delay in communication between the Earth and Mars, some crew members managed to receive important transmissions, including the questions for a final exam!
And then, finally the first experiences with Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA). For the first excursion to Marble Ritual, the Executive Officer Riley, Crew Geologist Hunter, and Crew Journalist Lipi suited up and experienced the first rover ride and the first walk outside the habitat in a space suit. Meanwhile, the remaining crew at the habitat listened to the comments by the EVA crew on the geology of the surroundings. After the ingress of the first EVA, the Crew Commander Cesare, Crew Engineer Jesus, Health and Safety Officer Jilian, and Green Hab Officer Ryan donned their suit to reach Marble Ritual and explore the surroundings.
The afternoon was spent playing card games, writing Christmas, and planning for the next days. While working on the daily report, the crew enjoyed a wonderful dinner with mujadara (based on lentils and rice), prepared by Jilian. Funfetti cake is in the oven right now, courtesy of Hunter, and the crew is working hard on their research project.

Anomalies in work: one headset works intermittently.
Weather: Sunny and cold in the morning, increasing clouds in the afternoon.
Crew Physical Status: Everybody is in great health and happy mood.
EVA: Successfully performed two Marble Ritual EVAs today.
Reports to be filed: Sol summary, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA reports, EVA Request, Astronomy Report, Photos.
Support Requested: None.

Sol: 6

Summary Title: Bonding

Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The crew is getting more and more accustomed to Mars. We are also getting more and more comfortable with each other. The longest friendship within the crew is 20+ years, and the shortest is 4 years; we have all worked together on various projects and are very much familiar with each other, and our bonding experiences in this remote and isolated place are that much more nuanced. The environment never ceases to amaze us, and we still stand in awe of the scenery thus far.

The morning started at 7 AM today at the Hab. We had oatmeal soup for breakfast, did leg and back exercises, and tried out a different meditation technique. This morning routine has been as ideal as it could get—light breakfast to nourish our bodies; physical exercises to get our blood pumping; breathing exercises to get it back down; meditation to calm our minds. This took a bit longer than usual despite starting the day earlier. We then headed out for EVA #6 around 10:30 AM.

The EVA crew of 3 led by HSO Duluu headed for Overlook but stopped midway on Brahe Hwy 1572. CAPCOM was led by Muggi, who was also operating the drone from inside the Hab. He warned against going farther than 55% on the rovers, but the team stopped at 48% after discussion amongst themselves to get closer to the muddy part of the site. Soil sampling was successful—Davaa and Tungaa have started geological and microbiological work today. The returning batteries on both rovers were at 32% which led us to believe that we can start testing out the battery capacity of the rovers to their limit.

Lunch was prepared by Sunny. It was fried beef with vegetables, with rice on the side. Delicious and nourishing. We then played a team bonding game. There were some cries and lots of hugs. Dinner was couscous soup with a salad harvested from the Greenhab. Nutritious and heartwarming.

Our water consumption has been excellent, and we plan to keep it that way. The evening will be individual free time to work on their respective projects. Mars is not an alien place anymore. It is already filled with warm memories, exciting challenges, and lots of lessons learned. I just hope we can absorb this experience as much as we can while we are here before looking back on this incredible experience from our comfortable home and indulged life back on Earth.

Look Ahead Plan: We are expecting good results from Duluu’s hydroponic wick system. Muggi is getting proficient at operating the drone; he will be documenting the scenery around Zubrin’s head tomorrow. Davaa’s building blocks from different muddy soil types will be ready in 3-4 sols. Tungaa is starting her experiments on the soil samples tomorrow at the Science Dome. Sunny’s journalism and public outreach work is excellent as always. I am positively hoping to gain access to Musk Observatory in the next two days. My plan is to take the full image of the Sun detailing out the granules and prominences and generate a close-up video of possible flares.

However, my priorities as the commander are to keep my crew productive, stress-free but reasonably challenged, healthy, and happy. Onwards and upwards!

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny with abundant cloud cover. Forecast suggests we’ll be getting rain for the next 12-24 hours.

Crew Physical Status: All healthier and happier than yesterday.

EVA: Successfully completed one out-of-sim EVA.

Reports to be filed: Mid-mission research report, Sol summary, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA report, EVA request, Photos.

Support Requested: Requesting a break of protocol. The rovers are all coming back from long-distance EVAs with 30+ battery percentage. Please lower the 55% limit down to 40%. We realize there are inherent risks to doing this—such as rovers getting stuck on the way back to the Hab. The risk management we’re planning is to have two of the remaining rovers on standby to pull them back to the Hab. The goal here is to (1) test out the battery capacity of the rovers to their limit (2) explore farther areas (3) simulate a challenge for ourselves. Hoping for a positive and flexible reply to this.

Sol: 7

Summary Title: Momentum

Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The day started a bit late today around 9 AM. We had oatmeal breakfast, exercised, and meditated together and started the EVA preparation around 10:50 AM. The EVA #7 crew headed out to the field at 11:25 AM, visited White Rock Canyon, and returned to the HAB 20 minutes after 1 PM. Lunch was prepared by Duluu, who made a delicious full course meal for us. Dinner was prepared by Muggi, and we had a delicious spicy penne soup. At the time of writing, the crew has had dinner and are working on the research report we plan to compile at the end of the mission.

Davaa has started his testing on the mud samples. Duluu is intently caring for the Greenhab. Sunny is keeping up the public outreach work. Muggi is becoming more and more proficient at drone operation. Tungaa would have started her microbiological work, but she needs petri dishes, which we can’t seem to find around the station. Any support on this from Mission Support would be greatly appreciated. I still haven’t heard from Peter regarding opening the Musk Observatory. Hopefully I’ll get to have some telescope time before the end of the rotation.

Each day brings us closer to the culmination of our research, weaving together the individual threads of our work into the rich tapestry of this mission’s legacy.

Look Ahead Plan: Today, we’ve started focusing more intently on our goals and the results we want to achieve by the end of the rotation. Our goal is to have one comprehensive file elaborating on each of these areas which will lay the foundation for MARS-V analog station in the Gobi. These are, respectively:

· Improving the development of the MARS-V training program.

o Challenge Takers;

o Science Takers;

o Experience Takers;

· Experimenting with the freeze-dried Mars analog food.

o How to improve the packaging, cooking instructions, variety, and quality.

· Testing out the MARS-V analog suit.

o How the helmet can be improved. What the simulated LSS should include. How to make it ergonomically comfortable.

· Developing and improving the general structure of a Mars analog station.

· Learning from the operational structure of MDRS.

o Protocols. Mission support system.

Anomalies in work: We had a bit of a mishap with the charging of the rovers today, but Ben promptly mended the situation. No anomalies to report otherwise.

Weather: Sunny with abundant cloud cover. It was quite warm today with the warmest part of the day showing 16 degrees Celsius.

Crew Physical Status: All healthy.

EVA: Successfully completed one EVA.

Reports to be filed: Mid-mission report, Sol summary, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA report, Photos.

Support Requested: I want to request the crew car for tomorrow if possible. Our destination is beyond Overlook and Sea of Shells, to the area around White House and Lith Canyon. This will be an out-of-sim trip for the crew for the purposes of photo shooting and drone videos.

Sol: 8

Summary Title: Settling

Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The day started today around 8:30 AM for the crew. We had the best sweet rice with milk for breakfast which is a Mongolian traditional meal. HSO Duluu and I got promptly to work in the morning since we had a long trip planned for the afternoon. She tended to Green Hab, and I started my work as the newly appointed crew astronomer. Tungaa, Davaa, Sunny, and Muggi performed our usual morning routine, starting the Sol with energy and vigor. Muggi has been appointed as the trainer/coach for the crew, and he has been leading the morning exercises.

Lunch was prepared by Sunny and Davaa, which took meticulous preparation—Martian lasagna made completely from a freeze-dried recipe. It was made with beef, potatoes, penne, and cheese. Nutritious, delicious, and groundbreaking. It has been chosen as the second-best meal we’ve had since coming to Mars. Competition is fierce in the kitchen.

We had our first and only 6-person out-of-sim EVA today with the crew car and headed out to Lith Canyon and Whitehouse. The view is amazing, and we managed to perform extensive drone footage and photo shooting. Capcom was Ben, and our communication was cut off somewhere around Whitehouse, but all went well.

We had a warm and nutritious soup for dinner and got to work immediately afterwards. We have now gotten completely accustomed to Mars, and it is hard to believe we’re already beyond halfway through our rotation. Our work efficiency is going up day by day as we get more and more adapted to our new lifestyle, environment, and workflow. This could be how it feels to actually settle on Mars. It’s invigorating.

Look Ahead Plan: We are now planning to hold off on doing EVAs for a while and focus on our research reports in the 5 priority areas we’ve been working on. Tungaa and I are the appointed chefs for tomorrow, and we plan to hold our own amongst the culinary skills of the crew. We have T-bone steak menu for Sol 10, but we are planning to save that for when the Netflix crew arrives, and the crew is very much looking forward to their company on Mars.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny. Almost no clouds. Very warm.

Crew Physical Status: All healthy.

EVA: Successfully completed one EVA.

Reports to be filed: Sol summary, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA report, Photos.

Support Requested: None.

Sol: 9

Summary Title: The Case for Hot Spicy Curry

Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: We had spicy beef curry for dinner which took the number 1 spot for the meal contenders, hence the title. Lunch was Korean beef bulgogi, which was also delicious. We had another harvest from the Greenhab today, and it really brings life to our palate.

We had a game night yesterday before bed, and the morning started leisurely for us a bit after 9 AM today. We decided to have brunch, after which we exercised until noon. I introduced the crew to the Musk Observatory afterwards. The crew then went onto individually work on their research and reports.

We noticed that the day was much more relaxed with no EVAs. We now have only two sols until our sim ends, and it feels like time blew past us too quickly. We’re trying to make time for team bonding every night after 8-9 PM to enjoy each other’s company, and hopefully afterwards when we return to Earth, we’ll positively reminisce about the time we shared a hot spicy curry on a distant, yet familiar planet.

Look Ahead Plan: Duluu’s hydroponic wick system has been working wonders in the Greenhab, and her newly sprouted plants seem fragile yet strongly willing to grow. Davaa has made two different types of bricks from the soil samples today—he mentioned that the clays were of such good quality that they can be used to make vases. He is now planning to make a geological map of the area around Cowboy Corner. I’ve encountered a solar prominence on the telescope today but haven’t managed to capture a good image of it. I’m planning to make use of all the programs on the astronomy laptop tomorrow and improve the quality of the pictures. Everyone is working on their respective reports to combine it at the end of the rotation. Hopefully we’ll see good results from these past two weeks.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny. Almost no clouds. Very warm.

Crew Physical Status: All healthy.

EVA: No EVA was performed today.

Reports to be filed: Sol summary, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA report, Photos.

Support Requested: None.

Sol: 10

Summary Title: Regathering

Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: I woke up feeling queasy in the morning today. The crew made a nutritious soup for me, and let me stay in bed until afternoon, for which I am very grateful. I was not able to use the observatory today and will not be submitting the Astronomy Report.

Everyone else started their day leisurely at 9 AM today, had breakfast, exercised, and headed out to EVA #9 in the afternoon. Led by HSO Duluu, accompanied by Geologist Davaa and Journalist Sunny, performed a test run for the geological mapping task that would later be performed in the Mongolian Gobi as part of the training program. Our goal is to come up with a guidance protocol for mapping out the surrounding area of the analog station.

Today’s meals featured garlic soup with dumplings for lunch, and Mongolian traditional dumplings called “buuz” for dinner, which usually takes extensive preparation, but the crew has gotten proficient at preparing meals in the Hab at this point. Our experiences here are sure to further the product development from freeze-dried recipes at the MARS-V project.

We had a meeting with the UCCS team currently working on the MARS-V analog helmet and was introduced to their final design concepts. Muggi and Davaa have finalized their ideas for the general structure of MARS-V analog station, and we plan to work on these further with the technology team back at the MARS-V project in the coming year.

Sunny, Duluu, and Tungaa are working on further developing the training programs to be implemented at the MARS-V analog station. The experiences we have gathered at MDRS during the rotation have given us a tangible handle on what being an analog astronaut is like.

We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have participated at the station as Crew #287, and we have had a great time and experience here that is sure to further the development of the MARS-V project going forward. Here’s to more future collaborations between Mars Society and Mongolian Aerospace Research and Science Association!

Look Ahead Plan: This is the last day of full sim for us. We’re planning on doing a bit of photo shooting and drone footage tomorrow morning, and we’ll end the sim in the afternoon. The day after that, we’ll receive the Netflix documentary crew on station, and show them around. We will then hold an online meeting with the team in Mongolia and recap the Alpha Mission. We plan to do the cleaning in the evening and head back out first thing in the morning on 9th of December.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny. Almost no clouds. Very warm.

Crew Physical Status: I seem to have caught a bit of cold today and stayed in bed until afternoon. Everyone else is completely healthy.

EVA: Successfully performed one EVA today.

Reports to be filed: Sol summary, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA report, Photos.

Support Requested: None.

Sol: 11

Summary Title: Departure

Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin “Dono” Doyodkhuu

Mission Status: Completed

Sol Activity Summary: After a quick game night yesterday, the crew went to bed early and the sol started promptly at 7 AM. We had a couscous soup for breakfast, exercised, meditated, and headed out for our last EVA. We walked about 500m north of Hab and did photo shooting, portraits, and drone footage. Alas, this marked the end of our simulation.

We invited the on-site managers—Ben and Jewels—for lunch and got straight to working on reports and cleaning afterwards. Our plan tonight is to finish our final mission summary and cleaning, record a final crew log to be shared amongst the MARS-V members club, and run a comedy night. Tomorrow, we will receive the Netflix documentary crew on station and show them around. We will then complete the final check-out list in the evening, finish cleaning, and move out first thing in the morning.

This will be our final sol summary. It is bittersweet to have to say goodbye to Mars, but there is still much work to be done on Earth to support the next generation Martians, so that humankind may become multiplanetary species. Hopefully Earth will welcome us with open hands.

Onwards and upwards!

Look Ahead Plan: More collaborations amongst the Mars Society International Chapters! MARS OR BUST!

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny. Minimal cloud cover. Very warm.

Crew Physical Status: All healthy.

EVA: Successfully performed one EVA today.

Reports to be filed: Mission summary, Sol summary report, Journalist report, Operations report, Greenhab report, EVA report, Photos.

Support Requested: We could use all the help we can get for tomorrow with the Netflix documentary crew on site.

Sol: 1

Summary Title: “Alpha Mission Initiation”

Author’s name: Enkhtuvshin Doyodkhuu

Mission Status: All is nominal except the fact that we lost our drone on the way to the station. Currently looking into possibilities of retrieving the lost drone or having a new one sent to Hanksville.

Sol Activity Summary: The crew woke up around 8:30 am in the morning and did morning exercises. Made breakfast and started our training. Instructor Ben explained in detail the HAB operations starting with the second floor continuing onto the first floor. We then did a tour around the station. Ben took us to the RAM, Science Dome, Musk Observatory, and the greenhab. After that, we took a lunch break and made steak with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and a cranberry sauce. We then continued onto Rover training. All 6 crew members along with Ben took 4 of the rovers and visited Marble Ritual. After that, we finished EVA and COMMS training. All in all, it was a very successful training day, and we are officially in sim. Looking forward to our time on Mars.

Look Ahead Plan: We plan to perform 2 test EVAs tomorrow. We will test out our analog suit in both EVAs. We might try timing how long it takes for 2 members to put on both suits using a buddy system. We also plan to make a Zoom call with the Netflix documentary crew in the evening.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Cold and humid in the morning,

Crew Physical Status: Crew commander has a bit of a runny nose. All nominal otherwise.

EVA: –

Reports to be filed: Sol summary, Journalist report, Greenhab report, Operations report, Photos.

Support Requested: None