Category: Sol Summary

 

 

Crew 272 Sol Summary Report 10-01-2023

Sol: 9

Summary Title: Operation Rescue Grogu and his buddy Chewy

Author’s name: Kshitij Mall

Mission Status: All nominal

Sol Activity Summary: After completing another third of the Bollywood movie Lakshya (means Objective) past night, the crew got ready for their objectives for the sol and woke up by 7:30 am. The crew completed some morning stretches led by me. The breakfast (bread, Nutella, and peanut butter), was made by Megan and supported by Madelyn. The EVA crew then got suited up for the rescue operation. Following the buddy system, we thought not to leave the lost astronaut, whom we named Chewy, out alone. So, we also had Grogu’s (whitish) box as a moral support for Chewy. Chewy comprised a cardboard box with a white t-shirt and blue flag taped using a masking tape. After a briefing, the EVA team got ready to launch the rescue operation by 10 am. The rescue operation today was more so a competition between the drone Garud flown by Crew Engineer Mason versus the human team comprising XO Arly and Greenhab Officer Madelyn. I served as the referee for this Martian competition. We reached the Kissing Camel Ridge and conducted the Search and Rescue mission twice. The first time Madelyn and Arly found and rescued Grogu and Chewy (the boxes), while the second time Mason was hovering over the box before the humans, but the video was slightly grainy. While everyone was in line of sight, the drone had some connectivity issues, which were intermittent. The final score was Humans 1.5 – Drones 0.5.

While the EVA crew was out, Adriana organized the rocks in the Science Dome. After getting back to the hab from a relatively simple EVA, we were back to completing the daily personal surveys and cognitive performance tests. Madelyn watered and monitored the growth of Martian plants in the Greenhab. She also got us some green beans and carrots in the hab, which was quickly devoured by me and Arly. Mason is going to investigate the connectivity issues with Garud the drone. The video saved by the drone clearly shows where Grogu and Chewy boxes were identifiable, just not in the live feed. A specialized drone primarily meant for Search and Rescue operations would perform much better on Mars. We had a debriefing session to go over the EVA and the plan for tomorrow.

Madelyn prepared delicious quesadillas for dinner and was assisted by Kenneth. We also celebrated the birth-day of our backup Greenhab Officer, Ian Rimer, with a cake and a green balloon representative of the greens in the Greenhab. Irrespective of who won today: humans or drones, Grogu and Chewy were very happy to be rescued and back to Hab Sweet Hab. The night plan is to complete the final third part of the movie Lakshya and then sleep by the quiet hours. We’ll also complete Andres daily questionnaire. Tomorrow will be another rescue operation, but of the BTS. And that won’t be a competition, but a collaboration between the humans and the machines (drones). Part of the crew also plans to walk to Hab Ridge and support Adriana’s geological experiment upon approval of our EVA request.

Look Ahead Plan: Retrieving BTS and then exploring the Hab Ridge area

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Overcast, Strong Winds

Crew Physical Status: Good

EVA: One

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

Support Requested: None

Sol: 10

Summary Title: Down day

Author’s name: Marc Levesque, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Because of uncertain Martian weather, the crew took a day off from its usual project activities to recoup and prepare for the end of the mission. Games, exercise, harvesting, and naps were among the various activities throughout the sol as we awaited a favorable weather report for tomorrow.

Look Ahead Plan: Two EVAs are planned. The morning will see a reconnaissance of the North Ridge to scout for a possible route up the ridge and site for relocating the radio repeater as part of Levesque’s project. A second afternoon EVA will explore the area around Summerville for Guariniello’s geology project.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Cloudy, damp, and cool

Crew Physical Status: Good

EVA: None

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

Support Requested: None

Sol: 11

Summary Title: End of sim

Author’s name: Marc Levesque, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Our mission wound down today with one EVA in the afternoon after it was decided to postpone a morning one because of poor ground conditions from yesterday’s precipitation. In the afternoon with the ground firmer, an EVA team walked to Skyline Rim for Guariniellos’ geology project, concluding our planned EVAs for the mission. Tonight, our last dinner in sim was topped off with a Goodbye Mars cake for dessert.

Look Ahead Plan: Our crew will be going out of sim in the morning and start preparing for our return to Earth by packing, cleaning, and report writing. Depending on the weather in the morning, we’re planning a non-EVA reconnaissance of the North Ridge for a possible repeater relocation route.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny and cool

Crew Physical Status: Good

EVA: One

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

Support Requested: None

Crew 272 Sol Summary Report 08-01-2023

Sol: 7

SummaryTitle:Relaxing Sol at the Hab

Author’s name: Kshitij Mall

Mission Status: All nominal

SolActivitySummary:The crew decided to take a day off mid-mission very similar to what happens with the astronauts on the ISS. Since the EVA crew yesterday performed very well, I rewarded them with their first showers, which all have taken by today. I also rewarded them with extra sleep, which most of them desired, especially our Crew Geologist Adriana who has been on all EVAs but one. The crew slept last night by 11 pm so they were allowed to wake up at the latest by 9 am. Since I was the chef for the morning, I thought of sharing traditional Indian breakfast with the crew. This was the first time I made Poha (a popular flattened rice breakfast) on Mars and it served more as a brunch item for the team, satiating their hungry stomachs. To spice things up as my Poha recipe had no green chilli, I shared Indian Spice Tea (akin to the ones we find on tapri or street side tea stalls in India) with the crew. Indian biscuits were also offered, and it was the first time for most of threw to have this kind of a breakfast that too on Mars. While preparing tea, I encountered an issue: I accidentally left my tea strainer back on Earth and I knew no emergency interplanetary cargo ship was available today to deliver me this very important item. Thinking like a Maritan the breakfast crew comprising myself, XO Arly, and Crew Journalist Kenneth found a jugaad (Indian word for a makeshift solution) to address this problem. In the kitchen, we identified a very small strainer unit, which seems to be for some type of tea, but certainly not for the humungous amount I made. We poured the tea to be strained in one of the measuring beakers to gain a steady flow out of it and then strained tea carefully to 7 cups. Two of these cups were Martian Kulhads (traditional unpainted and unglazed handle-less clay cups being used for over 5000 years in India and now being made on Mars using Martian clay). The breakfast was followed by Mission Clean Kitchen, in which all crew members participated. After all this is our home on Mars and sanitation is of high importance. We plan on vacuuming the upper and lower decks today. We also completed our daily human factors tests and reports for Arly and Andres. Even though the crew gulped lot more water and did cleaning sessions, we consumed only about 23 gallons of water. The crew did get used to Martian world by mid-mission.

The Greenhab Officer watered the plants and monitored their growth. She also harvested some beans and chives for the crew to feast upon after the sumptuous breakfast. On the 3D printing front, Megan got the rock hammer ready, and another hammer would be ready by the end of the mission for use in one of our upcoming EVAs. Adriana turned Science Dome into a rock party place by hammering some rocks. Kenneth, Megan, Arly, and Madelyn joined the procession. Megan, Arly, and Madelyn returned while Mason and I went to continue the rock party.

The crew led by Kenneth then solved some crossword puzzles. Teamwork was at display once again as was it during the EVAs or any other activity our crew has been a part of. Adriana took half of the crew to the science dome to perform a water cleaning session of her new geo-baby she named Petrie. The dinner for tonight was Chili, which was prepared by Megan and Madelyn. The crew is planning on watching a Bollywood movie (most likely half of it as it is slightly longer, and Kenneth wants to practice the dance steps from this movie). The crew also decided to play a card game called Monikers. We plan to sleep early, and part of the crew will head out to the first Search and Rescue operation.

Look Ahead Plan: First search and rescue test at the end of Gateway to Candor

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Overcast, Winds Calm

Crew Physical Status: Good

EVA: None

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

Support Requested: None

Sol: 12

Summary Title: Mission conclusion

Author’s name: Marc Levesque, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Our crew went out of sim this morning to prepare for our departure tomorrow with station cleaning, packing, and final report writing. With the weather cooperating, we began the sol by scouting and finding a passable route up to North Ridge for the possible relocation of the MDRS radio repeater. Before continuing our cleaning and packing this evening, our crew enjoyed one last dinner together in town.

Look Ahead Plan: Final packing and cleaning before departing for our homeward travels.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Cloudy and cool

Crew Physical Status: Good

EVA: None

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations, and End of Mission reports.

Support Requested: None

Sol: 6
Summary Title: Rock the Chasma
Author’s name: Kshitij Mall
Mission Status: All nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
The crew woke up slightly later than the usual wake up time of 7:30 AM. At 8:15 AM we conducted a brief stretching exercise session. The breakfast for the sol was Oatmeal and rehydrated fruits, prepared by Crew Geologist Adriana and supported by XO Arly. Three crew deaths (including me in yestersol’s EVA) followed by one-time-resurrection performed by the remaining crew members using the Sanjeevani Buti (a resurrection technology from ancient India provided to us by the Mission Support) forced our crew to re-approach the EVAs with more caution, which any Martian crew would do. The EVA today comprised Adriana, Arly, HSO Megan, and Crew Engineer Mason, each with a particular objective. The EVA crew made out of the hab toward the rovers in time, but just like yestersol, the comms issue kicked in. Mason and Megan both had comms issue, which were fixed by the Hab team comprising me, Crew Journalist Kenneth, and Greenhab Officer Madelyn. The EVA crew was then off to hammer some rocks in Candor Chasma that we ventured a bit yestersol. The primary objective of the EVA crew was to find paleoflow indicators and sampling Candor Chasma. Megan was taking photos while Arly was noting down the information of the samples collected by Adriana. The drone, Garud, was used for some group videos, and then was used to identify the most interesting site and the best route to that site. All the EVA objectives were successfully met without any casualty this time. Lots of rocks were collected and brought back to the Hab.
The 3D printer (named PIMA by our HSO Megan whose full form she knows the best) was working full force to create a rock hammer, which should be ready by tomorrow for use in our future geological EVAs. Madelyn planted more seeds, harvested Dill, Basil, Micro Greens and Chives, watered twice the existing Martian crop in the Greenhab during the day. I finally approved the first showers for the crew and 4 crewmates including myself got lucky to wash off some Martian dirt from our bodies. We did feel fresh and light after the much-awaited showers. Even with 4 showers, the crew was able to just use 26 gallons of water.
Mission Support got emergency replacements for our radio headsets using an interplanetary cargo ship. Mason and I checked the new headsets. Megan also performed our mid-mission Covid tests, and a positively energized crew did turn out to be negative on the Covid test, which enables us to complete the mission safely. Dinner of the sol was (delicious) Dill Bread and Mediterranean Powerbowls prepared by Madelyn using food resources from the Greenhab and Hab Sweet Hab. The crew is excited to take a break from the EVAs tomorrow and enjoy the Martian vibes at the Hab while having even more crew bonding sessions comprising watching a Bollywood movie (first time for most crew members), playing games, napping, and showers for remaining unbathed members.
Look Ahead Plan: Taking a day off tomorrow
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Sunny day with few clouds, winds calm
Crew Physical Status: Good
EVA: One
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Journalist Report, EVA Report, Greenhab Report, HSO Covid Test Report.
Support Requested: None

Crew 272 Sol Summary Report 06-01-2023

Sol: 5

Summary Title: First Taste of Chasma

Author’s name: Kshitij Mall

Mission Status: All nominal

SolActivitySummary:The crew woke up after having seemingly delicious Black Magic birthsol cake from the previous night. The HSO, Megan, and I conducted a brief warmup exercise session to physically get ready for the EVA. The breakfast of the day, Egg Quiche, was prepared by our XO Arly assisted by Crew Engineer Mason. The EVA preparation commenced after a quick briefing session to let each member know the objectives and responsibilities of EVA for the sol. Crew Geologist Adriana, Crew Engineer Mason and Crew Journalist Kenneth joined me for this Martian voyage. The crew headed to commence the EVA in the front air lock, but soon after I had some finicky comms issue where the crew could barely hear me out. The Mission Support immediately came to rescue me out of the LOS situation. Shannon from Mission Support advised to recheck the audio jack connections and that actually resolved my comms issue.

For the EVA, checkpoints were defined and the two EVA subteam marked these checkpoints off. Also, the crew went super slow to test the batteries on the Martian rovers. Opportunity rover that I was driving performed the best while Spirit rover was not far off. We have significant SOC savings by gong very slowly. However, we noticed that the rovers consume more charge while going toward Gateway to Candor than while coming back. The comms issue resurrected when I parked Opportunity at the intersection of Cow Dung Road and the Gateway to Candor, but it got resolved over time without any major issue. My Crew then had a small hike to the BTS at the boiler ledge (next to the Galileo Road on the map) to turn on Transmitter #2 that we placed in EVA 3. I then requested Habcom to turn on transmitter #1. The Yagi Uda antenna receiver system was then tested at the boiler ledge near the BTS. In the meanwhile, Adriana (Rocky) hammered down some rocks and collected some samples. When everything appeared nominal the crew went back to the rovers and got the drone. Another spot was chosen for testing the Yagi-Uda antenna system and success was reported but only after hiking to a higher elevation spot to the right of the gateway to candor. This proved that the receiving system works only when transmitters are in line of sight. On the side, Garud the drone was in action and took some amazing video shots of Candor Chasma for scouting purposes. The range of the drone significantly increased today when it was flown at 400 ft (121.92 m). The range increased from around a 100 ft (333.33 m) to around 2600 ft (792.5 m). We eventually reached the Candor Chasma area where Adriana tested the geological abilities of Kenneth by asking him questions regarding the geological processes around that area. The EVA turned out to be a success as all the objectives were met.

This became personally my toughest EVA, even more so than the Yagi Uda antenna-based EVA that I did with my previous crew commander, Max Fagin, when my suit started fogging after the air vent and cooling unit in my suit started having issues and eventually stopped. My precious experience with suits without any air venting system came handy today. I was happy that I was still able to get everything done in time. The air venting system on my suit was nominal until I was driving the Opportunity rover. Mason and I will be checking it and will report Mission Support about our findings. The EVA crew quickly debriefed the EVA to Arly upon return. As if the EVA was not enough, the EVA crew was then summoned by Arly to complete her daily personal survey and cognitive performance tests. The EVA did impact the performance of the EVA crew, but personally I scored high on many of those tests due to post-EVA adrenaline that made me quite awake and attentive. The Greenhab officer, Madelyn reported to me and Mason about an anomaly at the Greenhab. The cooling system became non-nominal and the temperature of the Greenhab rose to 90 degrees Fahrenheits (32.2 degrees Celsius). Mission Support told us not to worry about it as it was a very sunny day and the temperature rise was boind to happen. A minor issue with the 3D printer was also fixed by Megan while the EVA crew was out. The crew’s water saving abilities and strategies led to a record low usage of only 13 gallons. I have awarded the crew their first quick shower as a reward for this record. During the evening, I gave a Bollywood 101 quick course to the remaining crew who heard/saw some of the Bollywood dance songs from India. Kenneth has been practicing some Bollywood dance steps too in his free time to destress. The dinner tonight will be on me and Adriana, as again, as if the EVA was not enough for the two of us. But we both happen to be the major foodies on this crew. So, the crew will be having some Japanese delicacies including ramen and miso soup. I stole some recipes from my wife from Japan, Sawako, and that is going to save the sol for the crew, at least for tonight. Quiet hours will kick in from 10 PM, but some crew members have been quietly playing Space Chess and solving crossword puzzles.

Look Ahead Plan: Venture further into the Candor Chasma to document Trough Crossbedding

Anomalies in work: None

Weather:Very foggy in the morning but very sunny during EVAs, winds calm

Crew Physical Status: Good

EVA: One

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

Support Requested:We wanted to know if there is a possibility of having resources shipped to us during the rotation

Thanks
Kshitij

Crew 272 Sol Summary Report 05-01-2023

Sol: 4

SummaryTitle: EVAProtocols Revision andBirthsol Celebrations

Author’s name: Kshitij Mall

Mission Status: All nominal after a comprehensive EVA preparation session

SolActivitySummary: The crew woke up at 7:30 AM after getting a baby-like sleep necessitated by a long EVA with some navigational issues requiring the EVA crew to walk more than driving on a sunny day. I then played a birthday song for our Crew Journalist, Kenneth, who had his first birthsol on Mars. After many valuable suggestions by the Mission Support team, for safety and training purposes, the EVA today was called off. The crew completely understood the gravity of precise navigation and accurately telling the Mission Support about the routes chosen. A comprehensive EVA preparation session was carried out by me and Crew Geologist, Adriana, to teach all members about using navigational instruments and maps to not lose way on Mars. Chapters 5 and 6 of the handbook were also revised by the crew to better prepare for future EVAs. The breakfast for the day comprising pancakes was prepared by Greenhab Officer, Madelyn, and assisted by Kenneth. Anew bread recipe comprising cinnamon and brown sugar, which turned out to be a success. The Crew Journalist, Kenneth also covered video interviews of Arly (our XO) and Adriana while they have no way to escape his cameras. Each team member also took the daily personal survey and cognitive performance tests for Arly’s human factors experiments.

The Science Dome turned into a rock party (in literal terms) when Adriana analyzed samples collected from Marble Ridge and Compass Rock and undertook rock tutorial sessions for other crewmates. She organized each sample collected and began a spreadsheet of descriptions of each sample including its mineralogy, lithology, and any other notable features. She identified minerals such as azurite, malachite, garnet, and quartz-filled geodes and fossils including an ammonite, bivalve, and gryphaea specimen, as well as a bryozoan stem. Adriana also began to test her depositional environment interpretations by using 0.1 Molar hydrochloric acid to see if there was carbonate material in any of the samples she had collected. Adriana also examined other rocks that crewmates had collected and offered her best interpretations of the mineralogy and lithology.

In the GreenHab Madelyn was in action, monitoring the growth of Martian plants. She also planted “Black Nebula” carrots. The Crew Engineer, Mason brought the good news that the crew has resolved water consumption issues and created a personal record of around 20 gallons water consumption, which is 40% of what the crew gulped yestersol. In another news, Grogu, the cheerful Yoda, was finally roused from his slumber to participate in the birthsol celebrations of Kenneth. I secretly prepared the Black Magic cake, while leaving the decoration part to the more artistic crew member, Adriana. My idea was to create a black magic on Kenneth to write even more enthralling Journalist Reports. Kenneth has no complaints whatsoever as he feels younger and lighter on Mars. Arly and Mason helped inflate the balloons and also Grogu to decorate the Hab Sweet Hab. The crew is balancing life on Mars completing their research, learning how to be better and more efficient on EVAs, and celebrating crewmate’s birthsol. The dinner includes Cheese Raviolis and Garlic breads prepared by Mason and assisted by Arly. After the dinner, the crew plans to complete the daily survey requested by Andres. Tomorrow will be a challenging sol for the crew as they embark on their mission to successfully navigate to Candor Chasma.

Look Ahead Plan: Complete an EVA to Candor Chasma based on the input provided by MDRS Mission Support

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Overcast conditions and colder temperatures for most of the day, calm wind conditions

Crew Physical Status: Good

EVA: None

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

Support Requested: None

 

Crew 272 Sol Summary Report 04-01-2023

Sol: 3

Summary Title: Elusive Gypsum but finally BTS on Mars

Author’s name: Kshitij Mall

Mission Status: All nominal

Sol Activity Summary: After having a good sleep of 8 hours to digest the delicious Pizza prepared by Hemingway/Kenneth (recipe courtesy MDRS veteran Dr. Cesare Guariniello), the crew indulged in the daily routine of short warm up exercises lead by HSO Xerox (Megan). The crew then savored bagels of two flavors along with rehydrated eggs prepared by Hemingway and Xerox. Crew Engineer Scout (Mason) kept tabs on the water usage since the crew consumed more than nominal yesterday. After a briefing session at 0930, the EVA crew started preparing for the EVA. Due to minor anomalies in the GPS device and a minor hiccup with the radio comms, the EVA crew’s departure got slightly delayed. But since safety is of topmost priority, the EVA crew ensured it was completely ready to embark instead of hurrying up. On the side, I used the 3D printed toll made by Xerox to make a hole in the box to place the transmitter.

Thinking like a Martian was need of the hour and the EVA crew implemented it whenever a tough situation was presented. The EVA crew slightly got lost on the way after spotting (and possibly getting intimidated by) an alien ship comprising two aliens. After recovering the way, the EVA crew went ahead but the Perseverance rover reached 60% state of charge and the EVA crew chose to walk on foot to carry on the mission, The EVA crew the climbed on the top of a ledge that they described as the Boiler Ledge. At this ledge they placed a temporary transmission system comprising Microfox 15 transmitter antenna system of 147 MHz frequency. They named it the Boiler Transmission Station (BTS). I used a Yagi-Uda antenna to test the BTS as well a Microfox 15 transmitter placed in the Hab operating with 146 MHz frequency. While the BTS was being established, Scout started what his call sign exactly suggest: Scouting. For this he used a drone named Garud. The performance test of the drone was below nominal, so we counted it as a partial success. The EVA crew then embarked on Mission Gypsum on the approved EVA route but on foot to get some gypsum for the Greenhab Officer, Sprout (Madelyn). Crew Geologist Rocky (Adriana) served as the tour guide for Mars explaining about several Martian rock and river formations. Although gypsum eluded us throughout, other resources were collected to be used at the Greenhab. Rocky kept collecting rocks all along the way and the sampling bag was filled with plethora of rocks. Although the EVA crew had partial success in all the objectives, they felt nice that it was not a complete failure.

The EVA crew embarked on the journey back to the hab and this time tested the discharge rate of the battery on the rovers. We found that driving very slow without many acceleration changes indeed saved the charge on the rovers although more time was needed to cover the required distances. So, it will be a tradeoff. The EVA crew still made it back around 45 minutes before the requested arrival time. After coming back the whole crew filled in the cognitive performance test and the personal survey requested by the XO and Crew Scientist, Maple (Arly). By this time, it was also identified that there was no water leakage of any sorts in the hab, but it was indeed the crew using more water than nominal. The crew has taken a note of it and has taken all necessary actions to bring the water usage down to nominal. Scout and Rocky crashed to bed after an eventful EVA. But I had to forcibly wake up Scout to complete another mission: empty the toilet, which he successfully completed. Scout also completed vacuum cleaning the lower deck, while I am going to vacuum clean the upper deck. Hemingway and I practiced our Russian language skills for a small time, while venturing on some Spanish words on the side. Maple and Scout are on the dinner duty tonight and preparing sweet potato and cauliflower along with rice.

Look Ahead Plan: Continue the range test and scouting operations of Garud (our drone) and to see the BTS in action on Mars

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny, Clear, Winds Calm

Crew Physical Status: Good

EVA: One

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

Support Requested: None