Category: Sol Summary

Crew 238 Sol Summary Report 09Jan2022

Sol:7

Summary Title: Welcoming a Visitor to MDRS

Author’s name: Sionade Robinson

Mission Status: Ongoing

Sol Activity Summary: Today we welcomed Oliver Conroy, a feature
journalist with the Guardian newspaper, to MDRS. The visit had been
proposed by the Mars Society prior to our rotation, and accommodated
by the crew. After some final COVID testing by our HSO, we admitted
our visitor into the Habitat, shared our research work, gave him a
tour of the campus and entertained him to a lunch of lentil soup, bean
casserole and cinnamon apple crumble. He also greatly enjoyed
sourdough wholewheat bread cooked by Aga Pokrywka. He remarked he
hadn’t expected we would be eating so well. After lunch our visitor
accompanied three crew to walk the temporary labyrinth drawn yesterday
and witness an Emergency Drill (astronaut rescue) successfully
executed. The journalist left us at 4pm with an invitation to share
further crew experiences post rotation.

Look Ahead Plan: Two sequential afternoon EVA requests – the first a
visit to Area D for geologic, bacterial and radiation sampling and a
second short EVA to transport Dr Sandor to visit temporary labyrinth
drawn yesterday under her tuition and record walking experience.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny and warm. No wind

Crew Physical Status: Nominal.

EVA: Afternoon walking EVA (Robinson, Turner, Pokrywka) to walk
temporary labyrinth, followed by Emergency Drill exercise with two
person rescue team and prone astronaut recovery back to Hab.
Debriefed.

Reports to be filed: Sol, Operations, EVA Report, Journalist and HSO report.

Support Requested: Approval for two afternoon EVAs, one to Area D
(Pokrywka, Werner and Turner) for sampling and one to transport Dr
Sandor to record a walk in the temporary labyrinth drawn yesterday
under her tuition.

Additional Support: Collection and disposal of burnable and
non-burnable rubbish in the airlock. Thank you.

[title  Sol Summary – January 8th]

Crew 238 Sol Summary Report 08Jan2022

Sol:6

Summary Title: Walking Mars Mindfully: Back to the Future through the Labyrinth

Author’s name: Sionade Robinson

Mission Status: Ongoing

Sol Activity Summary: Group and individual research projects
continuing. Briefing and training on drawing and walking a labyrinth –
an ancient meditative ritual for mental health and wellbeing. Session
led by crew mate Dr Kay Sandor. A temporary labyrinth marked in soft
sand north of Science Dome and completed by crew. Cleaning and
maintenance ongoing. Two walking EVAs successfully completed.

Look Ahead Plan: Visit as requested by the Mars Society expected
tomorrow between 9am and 4pm. Journalist to be hosted is Oliver
Conroy of the Guardian (UK).

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny and warm. Cloudier than recent days and winds increasing.

Crew Physical Status: Nominal.

EVA: Morning EVA to campus area directly outside Hab to draw a
labyrinth. (Turner, Pokrywka and Sandor) in an area suggested by
Mission Support. Unfortunately the ground was too compacted.
Afternoon EVA (Robinson, Werner, Marcellino) successfully drew and
walked a temporary labyrinth in an alternative location north of
Science Dome.

Reports to be filed: Sol, Operations, two EVA Reports, Journalist and
HSO report.

Support Requested: Approval for an afternoon walking EVA (Pokrywka and
Robinson) to view and walk temporary labyrinth north of Science Dome
with journalist (see EVA Request) Please note we also plan to
initiate a crew Emergency Drill at this time (injured astronaut
rescue, previously noted in Crew Mission Plan). This will require
extraordinary approval for departure of three further team members to
recover injured astronaut from near the Science Dome back to the Hab.

Additional Support: Request collection of burnable rubbish from rear airlock.

Crew 238 Sol Summary Report 06 Jan2022

Sol:4

Summary Title: A Long Day’s Journey into Night
Author’s name: Sionade Robinson
Mission Status: Ongoing

Sol Activity Summary: A busy day for Crew 238 with individual and group research projects underway including a briefing on fire fighting for Mars (and Earth); crew research comparing with latency generated messaging vs a new method to solve for latency, and an afternoon data
collecting EVA. We rounded off with a workshop on the wellbeing benefits of lavender (both ingested and inhaled). After dinner we’ll be continuing with a briefing to prepare for further group exercises.

Look Ahead Plan: Continuation of research activities including two EVA requests for tomorrow subject to approval by Mission Support.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: Sunny and warmer than expected on the EVA

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: A long and successful EVA to Special Region for Robinson, Werner
and Pokrywka. Left at 12.47 and returned at 15.30.

Reports to be filed: Sol, Operations, EVA Report and Journalist report.

Support Requested: Mission Support – having searched our equipment we believe we left an important instrument in Crew Transportation. It looks like a hoe. We would be grateful if it could be located and arrangements made for its return.

Sol: 03

Summary Title: Rest, Recharge, Regroup

Author’s name: P.J. Marcellino, XO

Mission Status: Underway, Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Crew 238 took Sol 03 to reassess our research and logistical priorities and to reorganize and maximize the remainder of our time on Mars, taking into account what we now know about the physical demands of the interior and exterior space/activities.

All crew stayed on-site, but Eng. Werner spent much of his day in the RAM, while others set up an upcoming activity in the GreenHab and the Science Dome.

This was Day 2 of our Braided Communications study through City Univ. of London, the first of its kind, observing the effects of latency communication in feelings of connection with loved ones — an essential tool for further long-distance exploration.

Look Ahead Plan: Looking forward to implementing Crew 238’s planned activities, starting on Sol 04.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny, Clear Sky, Crisp

Crew Physical Status: Nominal, if slightly exhausted (recovering)

EVA: N/A today. The request will be sent for Sol 04

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

Support Requested: Final resupply with oatmeal (this AM). Thank you for the coffee filters. We couldn’t survive without them.

[Commander Report Sol Summary – January 4th]

Sol:2

Summary Title: The Beginning of Life on Mars

Author’s name: Sionade Robinson

Mission Status: Underway

Sol Activity Summary: Two EVAs to Marble Ritual and the commencement
of crew research projects in

Look Ahead Plan: Day of project work underway in the hab

Anomalies in work: None in work, but significant anomalies experienced
in units of measurement used by an international crew when calculating
dinner ingredients- resolved on this occasion.

Weather: Crisp and clear

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Morning and afternoon EVAs to Marble Ritual

Reports to be filed: Sol, Operations, two EVA Reports, and Journalist report.

Support Requested: Coffee Filters requested? We are out!

[end]

Sol:1

Summary Title: Reaping the Benefits of Productive Anxiety

Author’s name: Sionade Robinson

Mission Status: After two years of anticipation, Crew 238 have been
getting acclimatised to MDRS and has been working hard to complete
training to support our mission.

Sol Activity Summary: Crew 238 completed training with suits, campus
map, Mars Rover care and driving practice, and living in Sim with MDRS
Mission Support.

Look Ahead Plan: Mission Control recommended two rehearsal EVAs
tomorrow to Marble Ritual – we request one at 11am and one at 2pm.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Crisp and clear

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Practice drives for all crew with Spirit, Opportunity and
Curiosity to Galileo Road.

Reports to be filed: Sol, Operations, HSO and EVA Request (see above)

Support Requested: Support for two practice EVAs.

Crew 236 Sol Summary Report 20-DEC-2021

Sol: 1

Summary Title: Living Martian

Author’s name: Kasey Hilton

Mission Status: Nominal, sim started this morning

Sol Activity Summary: Today was the first day of simulation. After our first Martian breakfast, we headed to the lower deck of the Hab to prepare for the two training EVA to Marble Ritual. While part of the crew was on EVA, ENG had the amazing opportunity to practice emptying the toilet tank! We settled down this evening to discover a little more about each other over dinner (like the fact that everyone else in the crew puts the toilet paper roll facing the wrong way).

Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow will be spent in the Hab working on research and outreach projects inside. More EVA are planned in the following days.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny and clear all day, high in the upper 30s.

Crew Physical Status: Crew Scientist accidentally inhaled a whole Thai pepper during dinner, but besides that everyone is still feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed.

EVA: We had two EVA today to train the crew. Both went to Marble Ritual and the nearby hills. All members of the crew felt confident and comfortable with both EVA attire and protocol after.

Reports to be filed: Operations Report, GreenHab Report, EVA Report, Health and Safety Initial Report, Sol Summary, and Journalist Report (with photos).

Support Requested: None

Crew 236 Sol Summary Report 28-DEC-2021

Sol: 9

Summary Title: One Hab to Rule Them All

Author’s name: Kasey Hilton

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The crew awoke at a modest 8:00 and by 9:00 was eating crepes with Nutella and sweetened condensed milk. Not a bad way to start the morning. By 10:00, it was time to start preparing for today’s EVA, which took Vladimir (GHO), Ben (JOU), and I to Candor Chasma in search of alternate habitat locations. Our descent into Candor Chasma felt a lot like Bilbo Baggins’s trek into the goblin caves in the Misty Mountains. Except it wasn’t dark. And there weren’t any goblins. And instead of a ring, there was a potential location for another Hab hidden somewhere. But besides that, it was the same. There was even a weird, pale creature following us the whole way! I guess you could call him Gollum, but we normally just call him Ben… Anyways, after EVA, the crew fell into their same routine of a short nap and continuing to chip away at research and outreach projects. After a dinner, we plan to watch the rest of Apollo 13!

Look Ahead Plan: The first half of tomorrow will be spent starting to wrap up research and outreach projects and then there’s an EVA scheduled for the afternoon. The crew on EVA will be going back to Barianca Butte for additional thermal readings and scouting for additional Hab locations.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Overcast, windy, with temperatures in the 30s

Crew Physical Status: Health and Safety Officer, Cesare, yelled “good!” from downstairs, so we must be in pretty good shape!

EVA: EVA to Candor Chasma was successful although it did not yield the results for Vladimir’s (GHO) project on finding alternate habitat locations as hoped.

Reports to be filed: Operations Report, GreenHab Report, EVA Report, EVA Request, Health and Safety Report, Sol Summary, and Journalist Report (with photos)

Support Requested: None

Crew 236 Sol Summary Report 30-DEC-2021

Sol: 11

Summary Title: The One Where They Leave Mars

Author’s name: Kasey Hilton

Mission Status: Nominal, last day on the fourth rock from the Sun

Sol Activity Summary: Today was the last day of sim. It’s bittersweet. On one hand, we dreamed of hot tubs and gin and tonics over our oatmeal breakfast, while on the other, we reminisced over the past EVAs while waiting to depressurize in the airlock. Once the crew left for the last EVA, Dylan (ASTRO) spent some time in the Musk Observatory, while Pavi (ENG) and I chatted about life sitting by the downstairs heater. After EVA and chowing down on some hot soup, the crew gathered around the kitchen table and took turns painting each other’s nails a cheddar cheese color, galaxy, or a combination of the two. The remainder of the afternoon was spent finishing up some research and outreach. Cesare (XO) baked some rocks to analyze the water content in the ScienceDome, I filmed a video answering questions from a third grade class, and some others studied the back of their eyelids. Our last dinner in the Hab was homemade pizza made by our resident Italian and we’ll probably spend the next few hours in a heated debate about which movie we should watch as our last on Mars. When we wake up, we’ll be back on Earth!

Look Ahead Plan: We will be out of sim tomorrow at 8am. Majority of tomorrow will be spent cleaning the Hab, completing the food inventory, and shedding a few tears when thinking of leaving the place we’ve called Hab, sweet Hab, for the last two weeks.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Partly cloudy, temperatures in the low 40s F

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Today’s EVA was originally planned for Summerville Overlook, but was rescheduled to Candor Chasma. The EVA ended early due to two space suit fans dying, but was still considered successful because Cesare (XO) finding four rocks composed of salts and Vladimir (GHO) found one potential Hab location.

Reports to be filed: Operations Report, GreenHab Report, EVA Report, EVA Request, Health and Safety Report, Sol Summary, and Journalist Report (with photos)

Support Requested: None

Crew 236 Sol Summary Report 21-DEC-2021

Sol: 2

Summary Title: A Slow Day

Author’s name: Kasey Hilton

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: With no EVA scheduled for the day, the crew had a late wake up finished off with pancakes and Nutella for breakfast. With full bellies, everyone spent the afternoon working on research and outreach projects, processing images captured in the observatories, and harvesting a long awaited carrot and cucumber. By the end, everyone felt refreshed and recharged. Today was indeed a slow day in the Hab for crew 236.

Look Ahead Plan: There is an EVA planned for tomorrow for collecting rock samples. Everyone else at the Hab will be continuing to work on research and outreach from inside the Hab.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Partly overcast, temperature in the 30s

Crew Physical Status: Everyone is happy and healthy. However, crew journalist, Ben, is quoted saying that he “cannot be defeated by conventional weapons”, but I guess a metal stair to the shin does not fall into that classification. No physical injury occurred, just an injury to his pride and a short moment of pain.

EVA: No EVA today

Reports to be filed: Operations Report, GreenHab Report, EVA Request, Health and Safety Report, Sol Summary, and Journalist Report (with photos)

Support Requested: None