Category: Sol Summary

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.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 26Feb2023

Sol: 14

Summary Title: Halfway through

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Here we are! Exactly halfway through our mission. Even though we decided that Sundays should be rest days, some of us found themselves busy with work-related activities. But we made sure to also take the opportunity of this day off to clean the station, play games, etc.

In the early afternoon, we were surprised when we heard people speaking Japanese on the Channel 1 of our radios. When looking at the window of the Hab, we indeed saw two pickup trucks on the road. Two days ago, while on EVA, we saw a helicopter turning around us and around the MDRS at a very low altitude. We were not aware of how close we were from the other Martian stations!

Our crew journalist and crew engineer worked hard on the mid-rotation video, and we are very happy about the result! With the weather getting better, the crew astronomer is excited to finally be able to start his observations. The crops in the GreenHab are very pleasing to see and we all look forward to the next harvests. Everything is set for this third week to be fantastic!

Look Ahead Plan:

Next week, we would like to plan 3 additional EVAs dedicated to photogrammetry in Candor Chasma. The first one would take place tomorrow (Sol 15) and would be dedicated to the mapping of the area. In the two following ones (on Sol 17 and Sol 19), the EVA crews would have to find specific checkpoints based on a 2D map or a 3D render, respectively. 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.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny, low -1°C/30°F, high 10°C/50°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: None.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA Request, Operations Report, Journalist Report, GreenHab Report, Mid-mission research report.

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 25Feb2023

Sol: 13

Summary Title: Field Day for Crew 275

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

After almost two weeks at the MDRS, all the crewmembers are getting more and more efficient in all their tasks. This gives a little bit more time to relax between activities, which is appreciated by everyone. Today was the first geology EVA and it was a success. It started by a first stop at the atmospheric instruments site to change the batteries and retrieve the data, before heading to Kissing Camel Ridge W. The EVA Crew had the opportunity to test an instrument to easily measure both the magnetic susceptibility and the conductivity in real field conditions.

On the campus, everyone is now very happy to be able to follow the past and current temperature, humidity, and luminosity in all the buildings. Human factors experiments have continued, while our crew journalist has started working on our mid-rotation video. We are all looking forward to seeing the results!

As we are reaching the end of this second week, I also decided to spend some time to see each crewmember individually and talk about how they felt so far. I know that the third quarter of any long-duration challenge (like a Marathon, for instance) is the most difficult. It is also the case for analog missions like ours, and I want to make sure that everyone is in the best condition for this period.

Look Ahead Plan:

Today we have changed the batteries of the atmospheric instruments. This means that tomorrow can be a real rest day without any EVAs. Next week, we would like to plan 3 additional EVAs dedicated to photogrammetry: One for the mapping of the area, one for the exploration with a 2D map, and the third one for the exploration with a 3D render. This time the target area would be Candor Chasma.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny, low -4°C/25°F, high 6°C/43°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: EVA #12 was successful. All the objectives have been accomplished and the collected samples will soon be analyzed.

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

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 24Feb2023

Sol: 12

Summary Title: When stomachs are full, hearts are too!

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

The day started with a big misunderstanding regarding the conditions of the simulation. Indeed, even if we are very aware that a pressurized tunnel starts from the door of the engineering airlock, we were using it in the context of EVA to store material to be retrieved by EVA crews when there was not enough space in the main airlock for both the EVA crew and the material. We were very aware that this was a limitation of the simulation, but we were considering this as a virtual “third airlock” dedicated to transfer of material from the inside to the outside of the Hab, while the crew was either in the Hab or in a pressurized suit. I have been instructed to do so during my first mission at the MDRS in 2016, and last year’s Supaero crew was also operating this way. I reckon that the good practice would have been to include this in the EVA request, so that we could have had this important discussion beforehand. We have never tried to hide this procedure from Mission Support. For all our EVAs dedicated to the atmospheric instruments, our communications (in English) on channel 1 included sentences like “Request permission to open the door of the Engineering Airlock”, but I understand that this may have been lost in the middle of communications in French between the EVA crewmembers on channel 2. We now understand very well that we are not allowed to use the Engineering Airlock this way. From now on, do you confirm that we must wait for 5 minutes of re-pressurization to open the internal door of the main airlock, before putting the equipment there, and then wait another 5 minutes of depressurization before the EVA crew is allowed to open the external door of the main airlock and retrieve the equipment?

Besides this misunderstanding, the EVA was very successful: both the re-deployment of the instruments and their functional tests have been successful. We now have a fully functional set of atmospheric instruments.

The other good news of the day is the food resupply. It is always very impressive to observe how food can boost the crew’s morale!

Look Ahead Plan:

Tomorrow (Sol 13), we would like to perform our first EVA dedicated to the MetMet experiment. The plan would be to collect geological samples based on the information given by a user-friendly instrument measuring the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity of rocks (the aim being to check the interest of a rock sample before collecting it). In addition to this, we would change the batteries of the atmospheric instruments, because we do not plan to go on any EVA on Sunday (Sol 14), and the batteries cannot last more than 48 hours in cold weather.

Next week, we would like to plan 3 additional EVAs dedicated to photogrammetry: One for the mapping of the area, one for the exploration with a 2D map, and the third one for the exploration with a 3D render. This time the target area would be Candor Chasma.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Windy and cloudy, low -3°C/27°F, high 5°C/41°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: EVA #11 was successful. All the objectives have been accomplished and we now have a fully operational set of atmospheric instruments.

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

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 23Feb2023

Sol: 11

Summary Title: The sweetness of success

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Today, the EVA Crew going to North Ridge had the opportunity to study a 3D map of the area before starting their exploration tasks. They reported that they felt almost like they already knew the place and managed to reach all the targeted checkpoints very quickly. This seems to show that such 3D maps generated by drones are very effective in training crews to explore a place they have never been to before. It was actually so effective that they came back about an hour earlier than planned. We decided to spend this spare time cooking, and ended up with a very tasty brioche and an amazing cake!

Inside the Hab, we continued our activities, including installing the software dedicated to AI-assisted echography on a more powerful tablet. It is now even easier for non-trained subjects like us to perform ultrasounds on each other.

In the context of our experiment with the Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), our Crew Engineer is now working on a location tracking system that will enable the possibility to correlate our stress and emotions to our position in the station.

Look Ahead Plan:

If the weather conditions allow it, we would like to perform the tasks planned for EVA #9 (which was cancelled) tomorrow morning (Sol 12). We would thus re-install the antenna of Mega-Ares and the weather instruments that have been removed during EVA #7. As no rain is forecasted for the next few days, we will also re-install the LOAC.

On Saturday (Sol 13), we would like to perform our first EVA dedicated to the MetMet experiment. The plan would be to collect geological samples based on the information given by a user-friendly instrument measuring the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity of rocks (the aim being to check the interest of a rock sample before collecting it). In addition to this, we would change the batteries of the atmospheric instruments, because we do not plan any EVA for Sunday (Sol 14) and the batteries cannot last more than 48 hours in cold weather.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Windy,low -6°C/22°F, high 3°C/37°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: EVA #10 at North Ridge went smoothly, and the EVA Crew managed to reach all the desired checkpoints very quickly.

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

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 22Feb2023

Sol: 10

Summary Title: Wuthering Heights and Rainy Nights

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Since yesterday evening, our activities have been highly impacted by the weather conditions. The noise of the wind was very impressive and impaired the sleep of some crewmembers. We were all very afraid for our atmospheric experiments, especially for the LOAC instrument that is very sensitive to rain. In the morning, we were authorized to leave the Hab for EVA #8 and stopped on our way to check the status of our instruments, as per EVA request. We noticed that both the meteorological mast and the LOAC had toppled over. We only retrieved the LOAC and left the meteorological mast, because we were aware that the wind speed would remain quite high. The crew of EVA #8 then reached North Ridge to perform their main mission, but after about 40 minutes they decided to come back because they were too cold, and the wind speed was too high to safely conduct their operations.

Following this event, we decided to also cancel EVA #9 that was planned for the afternoon.

On the campus, the environmental sensors have been fully deployed on all the buildings and can now give us information about temperature, humidity, pressure, and luminosity.

Look Ahead Plan:

We had to adapt our plans because of the weather. We will wait for better wind conditions to put back the antenna of Mega-Ares back at its initial place.

Today, two crewmembers have trained with the 3D map of North Ridge obtained by photogrammetry. Tomorrow, we would like to test their ability to reach some specific checkpoints there, as compared to the EVA crew of today (using only a 2D map). We are thus planning an EVA tomorrow morning (Sol 11), should the weather conditions allow it.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Very cloudy and very windy,low 0°C/32°F, high 9°C/48°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: Because of the bad weather conditions, the team of EVA#8 had to retrieve the LOAC instrument, which was done successfully. They had to shorten their EVA because of high wind, which means that the scientific objectives were only partially achieved. EVA #9 was cancelled because the LOAC instrument was already retrieved, and the weather conditions were not good enough to safely leave the Hab.

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

Support Requested: None.

Crew 275 Sol Summary Report 21Feb2023

Sol: 9

Summary Title: Aluminum foil and zip ties are an astronaut’s best friends

Author’s name: Jeremy Rabineau, Commander.

Mission Status: Nominal.

Sol Activity Summary:

Even if the food stocks are quickly decreasing, which makes the crew quite anxious about the fact that they will have to limit their food intake more than they already do, several successes have managed to keep our spirits high.

Another EVA dedicated to the atmospheric instruments was successfully conducted today, with the installation of the LOAC, measuring particles in the air. Following the failure of some tests during the previous EVAs, the antenna from Mega-Ares was also retrieved so that we can fix it from within the Hab. A smart fix based on aluminum foil and aluminum tape has indeed been found and all the atmospheric instruments should be fully functional very soon.

In the meantime, the photogrammetry team has finished generating 3D and 2D maps of the terrain explored yesterday at North Ridge. They started training the crewmembers taking part in the next EVAs to explain the tasks they will have to perform onsite, so that it is possible to evaluate the added value of a 3D map over a 2D map.

We started a human factor experiment whose purpose is to evaluate the impact of the architecture of an extraterrestrial station on the overall performance of the crew. To do so, we conducted very demanding cognitive tests at different locations through the campus: the Upper Deck of the Hab, the Science Dome, and the Green Hab. This experiment includes also other protocols that will be implemented progressively.

In the evening, because of the wind, the external door of the main airlock was blown open and we had to secure it with a rope. For safety’s sake, the door of the engineering air lock was also secured with a screwdriver.

Look Ahead Plan:

With the 2D and 3D maps of the terrain explored yesterday fully rendered, we are planning to send two teams to the exact same location to check the added value of the 3D map to ease the ability of astronauts to identify some specific features onsite. We thus plan to send an EVA crew to North Ridge with a 2D map tomorrow morning (Sol 10) and another one with a 3D map on Thursday morning (Sol 11).

As explained yesterday, we would like to perform another EVA tomorrow (Sol 10) in the afternoon to put back the antenna of Mega-Ares back at its initial place. The antenna has indeed been fixed today.

With the LOAC instrument now deployed, it should also be noted that we would like to have the possibility to perform an “emergency EVA” in case too strong precipitations are announced, or at least to take the opportunity of another EVA to retrieve it. Indeed, this instrument is not only very expensive, but also very sensitive to precipitations and could be damaged if it rains or snows too much.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Cloudy and windy, low -4°C/24°F, high 8°C/47°F.

Crew Physical Status: Optimal.

EVA: The team of EVA#7 successfully deployed the LOAC instrument and retrieved the Mega-Ares antenna to repair it inside the hab.

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

Support Requested: None.