Category: Sol Summary

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 08Mar2023

Sol: 24

Summary Title: Panic at the aquaponics

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Yesterday, we were very lucky that the surgery of the injured crewmember could take place so quickly. Everyone was back at the Hab before midnight, and we spent some time debriefing our respective days. Even if we are happy to all be back in simulation. We can all feel that we are exhausted by the 24 days of the mission and all the events that have happened in the meantime.

To make matters worse, another fish has been found floating dead in the aquarium today. The indices of water quality are still normal, except for a slightly high pH, so we do not really understand what happened. The remaining fish have been placed in another bucket, with new water and separated from the hydroponics system. We all hope that this will solve the problem. Since the fishes are no longer used to grow the plants and they are now in a relatively small bucket, maybe Donald would like to retrieve them before the end of the mission. The situation is far from ideal for them at the moment.

As the end of the mission is close, we have trained for one of our last experiments: the emergency protocols assisted by AI. In particular, we have rehearsed a protocol aimed at repairing a fictive hole causing a depressurization. Starting now, an alarm may ring anytime and any day between 14:00 and 18:00. When the alarm rings, we will have to proceed with the rehearsed protocol.

Look Ahead Plan:

We would like to perform an exploration EVA to the Special Region tomorrow (Sol 25), and another EVA dedicated to the disassembling of the atmospheric instruments on Friday (Sol 26).

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Cloudy, low -3°C/27°F, high 9°C/49°F.

Crew Physical Status: One crewmember recovering from surgery after a broken collarbone.

EVA: None.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 07Mar2023

Sol: 23

Summary Title: Keeping the (space)ship afloat!

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

With three crewmembers leaving to the hospital early in the morning, only four crewmembers remained at the Hab today. Since we knew that things will be more difficult in this context, especially with the presence of journalists onsite, we planned mainly routine activities.

Due to the late arrival of the journalist, we had to slightly delay the EVA dedicated to changing the batteries of the atmospheric instruments and retrieving their data. As planned, we also took some time to go to North Ridge and shoot nice videos with the journalists, including drone footage. The afternoon was then mainly dedicated to showcasing our different experiments and touring the different buildings of the campus with the journalists.

With the temperature in the GreenHab close to 40°C/100°F, we noticed that the leaves of the tomato crops were turning yellow. We are also very sad to announce that one of our fishes has passed out for an unknown reason. The water tests seem to indicate that this event was not linked to the quality of the water. The GreenHab officer will keep an eye on this in the next few days.

Some news also from our injured crewmember. After another X-ray and an appointment with a surgeon in the end of the morning, they have directly proceeded with surgery in the afternoon. It was a success, and they feel well. Everyone feels relieved to know that the three missing crewmembers will be back to the Hab in a few hours!

Look Ahead Plan:

With the three missing crewmembers back to the Hab in a few hours, we will be able to go back to our nominal planning. No EVA is planned for tomorrow, but we would like to perform an exploration EVA on Thursday (Sol 25) and another EVA dedicated to the disassembling of the atmospheric instruments on Friday (Sol 26).

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny, low -3°C/26°F, high 11°C/52°F.

Crew Physical Status: One crewmember injured (broken collarbone / clavicula). Together with the Health & Safety Officer and the Crew Scientist, they left for the hospital in the morning to see a surgeon at the Sevier Valley hospital. The surgery was successfully conducted in the afternoon, and they are about to come back to the MDRS.

EVA: EVA # 19 was successfully conducted, after requesting a delay due to the late arrival of the journalist team from France Televisions. The batteries of the atmospheric instruments have been changed and the data retrieved. Then the EVA crew went to North Ridge to shoot some nice videos with the journalists.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 06Mar2023

Sol: 22

Summary Title: “The last week’s a smooth ride”, they said!

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Another 4-hour EVA left three crewmembers very tired today. They went to Candor Chasma and successfully performed the photogrammetry EVA, based on a 3D render of the region. Only one crewmember could take part as a subject, since the other subject was injured. Before reaching Candor Chasma, they stopped to install the LOAC, and then to change the batteries and retrieve the data of the other atmospheric instruments. They noticed that MegaAres was off, as it ran out of battery. We have noticed that about 3 hours of recording are missing. This is due to the fact that we did not have enough time and enough chargers to completely charge the batteries of all the atmospheric instruments.

With the GreenHab officer in EVA, the Crew Astronomer watered the crops. We then spent some additional time in the GreenHab to perform a few cognitive tests, while the temperature there was very close to 100°F/40°C.

The injured crewmember is feeling slightly better, and we managed to get an appointment with a surgeon for her. We will drive her to Richfield tomorrow. However, the fact that a few crewmembers will not be at the MDRS required us to modify the schedule and to perform additional activities today.

Look Ahead Plan:

Today, we managed to get an appointment with a surgeon in Richfield. The injured crewmembers will have to be at the Sevier Valley hospital tomorrow (Sol 23) at 10:40 for a second X-ray and then to see the surgeon. We requested Mission Support to use the CrewCar to do so. The plan is to leave between 7:00 and 7:30 with the Crew Journalist, the Crew Scientist, and the Health & Safety Office, so that two drivers can accompany the injured crewmember. In the absence of the Health & Safety Officer, the Commander will take this role. The tasks of the Crew Scientist and of the Crew Journalist will be shared between the four crewmembers remaining at the MDRS.

A media visit is planned for tomorrow (Sol 23) with a crew from France Televisions. They will arrive at 9:00 and leave at 17:00. In the morning, we plan to have them following us during our EVA, first to change the battery and retrieve the data from the atmospheric instruments, and then to shoot nice videos at North Ridge. In the afternoon, we will show them the different buildings and the rest of our experiments.

We would also like to perform an exploration EVA on Thursday (Sol 25) and another EVA dedicated to the disassembling of the atmospheric instruments on Friday (Sol 26).

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Windy, low 1°C/34°F, high 12°C/54°F.

Crew Physical Status: One crewmember injured (broken collarbone / clavicula). Appointment with surgeon is planned tomorrow (Sol 23) at 11:10 in Richfield. Surgery should soon follow.

EVA: EVA # 18 dedicated to the photogrammetry experiment based on a 3D render was successfully performed. Some anomalies were observed regarding the batteries of the atmospheric instruments.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 05Mar2023

Sol: 21

Summary Title: Sunday Slumber

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

With the high winds, we decided to limit our EVA to changing the batteries and retrieving the data of the atmospheric instruments. The weather bothered the two EVA crewmembers, but they still managed to conduct all the operations required. Onsite, they noticed that the LOAC and the Mega-Ares were both off. Apparently, the LOAC stopped working after being turned on during the last EVA, while the Mega-Ares worked for about 40 hours before it was out of battery. We are currently inspecting what may have caused the dysfunction of the LOAC.

It was definitely a strange Sunday. While they are usually dedicated to getting some rest and cleaning the Hab, this time we had to get back on track with all the activities that have been delayed due to the medical event of Friday night. The good point is that the station had already been fully cleaned prior to the arrival of the journalists on Friday.

Unfortunately, the weather was also too windy for astronomy activities to be conducted. The afternoon was then dedicated to other activities: some crewmembers watched a movie, while others did some physical activity, and others took a nap. We finally took some time to do some data processing and to train with AI4U, an AI tool aimed at assisting the astronauts in their daily tasks.

Look Ahead Plan:

All the EVAs involving the injured crewmember have been cancelled until the end of the simulation. The optimistic plan is to see the surgeon as early as tomorrow (Sol 22), so that they can potentially have surgery on Tuesday (Sol 23). We will know more about this plan when we can call the surgeon tomorrow at 9:00. We will make sure to keep close contact with Mission Support, to communicate all the information that may be relevant to the health of this crewmember as well as to the continuation of the simulation. So far, we plan to use the CrewCar to proceed with the transport of the injured crewmember.

Tomorrow, we are also planning to do the photogrammetry EVA that had to be postponed following the medical event of Friday evening. We will take this opportunity to change the batteries of the atmospheric instruments, since they apparently have problems lasting even 48 hours.

A media visit is planned for next Tuesday (Sol 23) with a crew from France Televisions. They will arrive at 9am and depart at 5pm.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Windy, low 2°C/36°F, high 12°C/54°F.

Crew Physical Status: One crewmember injured (broken collarbone / clavicula), awaiting appointment with a surgeon early next week (Sol 22) in Richfield.

EVA: EVA # 17 was successfully performed, even though some anomalies were observed onsite.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 04Mar2023

Sol: 20

Summary Title: Safety first!

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

During a common sport session with the rest of the crew, one of the crewmembers got injured at the shoulder at approximately 23:30. Once we were able to slightly calm them down and have a look at the injury, we immediately understood that the situation was serious and decided to not move them until the emergency services would be there.

We called Mission Support approximately 15 minutes after the event. Sergii was very reactive and arrived at the Hab with an additional first-aid kit. Since he was also the only one to have a proper cellular connection, he contacted 911. He also prepared the arrival of the emergency services by placing light signals on the road, so that the ambulance could understand which road to follow up to the Hab. While waiting for the ambulance, we made sure that all the formalities related to health insurances were correctly done, to avoid any additional bad surprises. The sheriff arrived approximately one hour after the call to 911, soon followed by the ambulance. We proceeded with banding the arm to immobilize it, while we helped the victim stand up and reach the ambulance. The Health & Safety Officer accompanied her in the ambulance, leaving at approximately 2:00.

In the meantime, Sergii had parked the CrewCar in front of the Hab and informed us that it was available for us to use should we need it. He also helped us to reach the insurance company of the victim, using his personal phone. They arrived at the Sevier Valley Hospital (Richfield) after more than two hours of driving and were then able to give us information about the situation. At approximately 5:30, the results of the X-ray scanner confirmed that the collarbone (clavicula) of the victim was broken and that they would need to see an orthopedic surgeon. The Commander and the Crew Scientist took the CrewCar in direction of the Sevier Valley Hospital to repatriate the victim and the Health & Safety Officer to the MDRS. During this time, the responsibility of the 3 remaining crewmembers and the station was given to the Crew Engineer / Executive Officer. The CrewCar arrived at the hospital at approximately 9:00.

We ensured with the staff of the hospital that the victim could safely be brought back to the MDRS. They gave us the contact of an orthopedic surgeon located in Richfield, mentioning the fact that it would certainly be possible to have an appointment there as early as on Monday (Sol 22) and to proceed with surgery on Tuesday (Sol 23). This still requires confirmation, until we can contact the surgeon on Monday and have an appointment. In the meantime, the victim is taking painkillers.

The 4 crewmembers left the Sevier Valley Hospital at approximately 10:00, taking turns driving. At their arrival in Hanksville, they filled the tank of the CrewCar and they were back at the MDRS at approximately 14:30.

Overall, the simulation had to be broken during approximately 15 hours. We discussed the event and its consequences as a crew and took the decision to continue the simulation as much as possible, while making sure that the injured crewmember will have the necessary medical support. We would like to very sincerely thank Sergii for his perfect reaction and support at all times.

The rest of the day was dedicated to getting some rest, as most of the crewmembers did not have the opportunity to sleep at all because of this event.

Look Ahead Plan:

All the EVAs including the injured crewmember have to be cancelled until the end of the simulation. The optimistic plan is to see the surgeon as early as on Monday (Sol 22), so that they can potentially have surgery on Tuesday (Sol 23). We will know more about this plan when we can call the surgeon, whose contact has been given by the Sevier Valley hospital, on Monday (Sol 22). We will make sure to keep close contact with Mission Support, to communicate all the information that may be relevant to the health of this crewmember as well as to the continuation of the simulation. So far, and with your approval, we plan to use the CrewCar to proceed with the transport of the injured crewmember.

In the meantime, we will have to change the batteries of the atmospheric instruments, since they cannot last for more than 48 hours in cold weather. We are planning a very short EVA dedicated to these operations tomorrow (Sol 21), with only two crewmembers.

A media visit is planned for next Tuesday (Sol 23) with a crew from France Televisions. We will keep you updated as soon as we have more information regarding their planned arrival and departure.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Cloudy, low -3°C/26°F, high 9°C/48°F.

Crew Physical Status: One crewmember injured (broken collarbone / clavicula), awaiting appointment with a surgeon early next week (Sol 22) in Richfield.

EVA: EVA # 16 was cancelled, because four crewmembers were away from the MDRS at the moment the EVA should have happened.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 03Mar2023

Sol: 19

Summary Title: Under the spotlight

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Finally, a day when we wake up and don’t see the landscape covered with snow or mud! The flipside of this coin is that the temperature in the spacesuits got higher than usual and the EVA crew was very tired after their 4-hour EVA. We are no longer used to walk 10 000 steps a day, and even less in a spacesuit! An exhausting EVA, but a very fulfilling one, as all the objectives have been accomplished in perfect agreement with the planned timeline. The LOAC has been re-installed, while the batteries and the SD cards of all the other atmospheric instruments have been changed. All the checkpoints of the photogrammetry experiment have been identified by the subjects onsite at Candor Chasma, where the terrain was still slightly muddy.

The main event of the day was the presence of a journalist crew from BBC. They accompanied us during the first hour of our EVA. They then filmed the activities in the Upper Deck, the lunch, and finally they spent the whole afternoon interviewing us at our dedicated workplaces: the Science Dome, the GreenHab, etc. It was honestly a bit strange to see other people after three weeks just among us, but we are happy that they were very cooperative and respectful regarding the simulation. We are looking forward to seeing the output they can get out of their footage.

Look Ahead Plan:

Tomorrow (Sol 20), we would like to have our third EVA to Candor Chasma. The EVA crews will have to find specific checkpoints based on a 3D render. We would like to take the opportunity of this EVA to change the batteries of the atmospheric instruments, since they cannot last for more than two days, and we are not planning any EVA for Sunday.

Another media visit is planned for next Tuesday (Sol 23) with a crew from France Televisions. We will keep you updated as soon as we have more information regarding their planned arrival and departure.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Cloudy, low -5°C/23°F, high 8°C/46°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: EVA # 15 was successful, both the main (photogrammetry) and secondary (atmospheric instruments) objectives have been fulfilled.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, Astronomy Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 02Mar2023

Sol: 18

Summary Title: When space exploration brings philosophy to the table

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

With the precipitation of the last few days, we knew that the ground would be too muddy today to conduct EVAs, which is why we decided to wait a bit before performing our second EVA to Candor Chasma. It was apparently the right choice, as we can see from our windows that the mud is quickly drying out.

We conducted routine operations in the Hab, the GreenHab, and the Science Dome, finalizing most of the Human Factors experiments planned for Week 3. With the sunny weather, our Crew Astronomer was finally able to take his first pictures of the Sun. He has been waiting for this moment for so long and is very happy with the result!

The end of the afternoon was dedicated to cleaning the different modules, as we want to make a good impression on the BBC tomorrow. They have also sent us a list of questions that we have started to prepare for tomorrow’s interviews. Some of these questions were actually the topic of a very interesting discussion that we all had together after lunch.

Look Ahead Plan:

Tomorrow (Sol 19), we would like to have our second EVA to Candor Chasma. We then plan to go back there on Saturday (Sol 20). The EVA crews will have to find specific checkpoints based on a 2D map or a 3D render, respectively. We would like to take the opportunity of these EVAs to change the batteries of the weather instruments, since they cannot last for more than two days, especially in cold weather. In addition, since no precipitation is expected, we would like to re-install the LOAC next to the other atmospheric instruments.

The BBC is planned to arrive at the MDRS tomorrow (Sol 19) between 8:30 and 9:00. They will follow us on our EVA to Candor Chasma, then film inside the station in the afternoon, and leave at around 17:00.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny, low -1°C/30°F, high 7°C/44°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: None.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, Astronomy Report, HSO Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 01Mar2023

Sol: 17

Summary Title: Saving Private LOAC

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

The weather surprised us again today and we had to cancel our exploration EVA to Candor Chasma, initially planned in the morning. When it stopped snowing, Mission Support agreed to let us put on our spacesuits to quickly change the batteries of our atmospheric instruments and retrieve the LOAC device, as it is very sensitive to precipitation. With the rainy afternoon that we had, we were indeed happy that the LOAC was safe within the Hab!

All these changes in the schedule give additional work to our Crew Scientist, who is responsible for planning our scientific activities. At least, we all hope that the ground will soon be dry so that we can go back on EVA, especially during the visit of the BBC on Friday (Sol 19).

Today, we have finished equipping everyone with the tracking system, so that we are aware of our position at anytime of the day and correlate this with other information. We have also continued the human factors protocols, as well as the tests of the ultrasound device based on virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

Look Ahead Plan:

We would like to reschedule today’s EVA at Candor Chasma. The plan would be to have a first EVA on Friday (Sol 19) and another one on Saturday (Sol 20). The EVA crews will have to find specific checkpoints based on a 2D map or a 3D render, respectively. We would like to take the opportunity of these EVAs to change the batteries of the weather instruments, since they cannot last for more than two days, especially in cold weather.

The BBC is planned to arrive at the MDRS on Friday (Sol 19) between 8:30 and 9:00. They would follow us on our EVA to Candor Chasma, then film inside the station in the afternoon, and leave at around 17:00.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Rainy, low 0°C/32°F, high 8°C/46°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: The objectives of EVA #14 were changed due to the bad weather conditions. This EVA will have to be rescheduled.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 28Feb2023

Sol: 16

Summary Title: An extraordinary routine

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

With a probability of precipitation of 0%, I must say that we were all surprised to see that the surroundings were covered with snow when we woke up. Since no EVA was planned for today, we took some time to relax a bit in the morning with a longer sport session including 30 minutes of yoga.

With the anchors of the location tracking system fully deployed, we have started equipping the crew with tags that they have to always keep on their arm or on their belt. This system enables us to check who is in which part of the station at which time. Later on, it will allow the scientists to correlate these locations and the environmental conditions at these locations with other parameters such as stress levels extracted from heart rate variability.

With the yesterday’s harvest, everyone is delighted to have the opportunity to eat fresh food. Our Crew Botanist and our Health & Safety Officer have prepared some delicious meals that recharged our batteries. We then discussed about more profound topics, which we did not really have the opportunity to do so far. These small things are extremely important for the mood, as we have already entered our third week here, and the end of the mission still looks relatively far.

In the afternoon, the crewmembers assigned to tomorrow’s EVA have taken some time to prepare for their mission with a 3D render of Candor Chasma. Tomorrow, they will only be allowed to read their notes to find the checkpoints defined during the previous EVA there.

Our Crew Astronomer also took the opportunity of today’s weather to visually observe the Sun. Unfortunately, he could not record any video of his observation. On his first attempts, the Sun hid behind some clouds, while on the second attempt, it hid behind the landscape, as it was already getting late.

Look Ahead Plan:

We plan an EVA at Candor Chasma for tomorrow (Sol 17) and another on Friday (Sol 19). The EVA crews will have to find specific checkpoints based on a 2D map or a 3D render. We are also planning to have a second geology EVA on Sol 20, to further test the MetMet instrument. We would like to take the opportunity of these different EVAs to change the batteries of the weather instruments, since they cannot last for more than two days, especially in cold weather.

The BBC is planned to arrive at the MDRS on Friday (Sol 19) between 8:30 and 9:00. They would follow us on our EVA to Candor Chasma, then film inside the station in the afternoon, and leave at around 17:00.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Windy, low -5°C/23°F, high 7°C/44°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: None.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist

Report, GreenHab Report, Astronomy Report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 27Feb2023

Sol: 15

Summary Title: Cosmic Chasma

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Today we performed our very first 4-hour EVA at Candor Chasma. The aim of this ambitious EVA was to define checkpoints and perform photogrammetry of the area using Anafi drones. This time, the area of interest was much wider and required more pictures (the computer is still working on building the 3D render of the terrain). The EVA crew was amazed by the landscapes that they had the opportunity to see, and the four remaining crewmembers are looking forward to seeing that for themselves later during the week.

With the clear sky of last night, our crew astronomer thought that the observations he had planned would have been performed, but he was disappointed to see that it was not the case. Unfortunately, it was also too windy to observe the Sun today…

At the GreenHab, it was time for an intense harvest. New seeds have also been planted. We are all looking forward to seeing them grow as we get closer to the end of our mission every day.

Look Ahead Plan:

After today’s EVA, some post-processing is needed to prepare the two next EVAs to Candor Chasma. The first one would take place on Wednesday (Sol 17) and the second one on Friday (Sol 19). The EVA crews would have to find specific checkpoints based on a 2D map or a 3D render. We are also planning to have a second geology EVA on Sol 20, to further test the MetMet instrument. We would like to take the opportunity of these different EVAs to change the batteries of the weather instruments, since they cannot last for more than two days, especially in cold weather.

The BBC is planned to arrive at the MDRS on Friday (Sol 19) between 8:30 and 9:00. They would follow us on our EVA to Candor Chasma, then film inside the station in the afternoon and leave at around 17:00.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny and windy, low -2°C/28°F, high 8°C/46°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: None.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Report, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, Astronomy Report.

Support Requested: None.