Category: Sol Summary

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 01-03-2024

Sol: 12

Summary Title: A Sol in March

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

The HSO and I had high hopes for this morning’s EVA, and rightfully so! We came back from North Ridge, all checkpoints reached, our GreenHab Officer treading in our wake and making note of our progress. The data gathered (number of steps, GPS tracking, time intervals) will be used by Earth-based researchers to determine the added value of a 3D map compared to a 2D map to prepare for an exploration EVA. Today’s results are bound to be interesting, as we (the 2D team) did better than the 3D team!

I spent the afternoon in the Science Dome, as a subject for EchoFinder, TILT and Orbital Architecture. Now that most experiments are running nominally, all Crew members follow a very specific schedule coordinating all of the studies. During the occasional unoccupied time slot, we have all found productive things to do: the Crew Engineer is currently editing an amazing mid-rotation video, and the Crew Astronomer is writing scientific outreach articles for our website.

It’s great to witness this crew at work. After only 12 Sols, it already feels like we have made the station both our workplace and our home.

Look Ahead Plan:

Tomorrow will officially mark the mid-rotation point, at which we hope to submit our video. In the morning, I will interview each Crew member individually, to check that everyone is feeling in shape, and ready to forge through the second half of our mission. An atmospheric instruments EVA is also planned in the afternoon to change the instruments’ battery (if the weather and wind conditions permit it).

Anomalies in work: EVA suits 3,4,5,7,9, Solar Observatory offline

Weather: Sunny, Low -5°C, High 20°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Photogrammetry, North Ridge

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Report, EVA Request

Support Requested: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 27-02-2024

Sol: 9

Summary Title: Draw me a Mountain

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

A particularly studious Sol for everyone, especially for our Crew Scientist, who worked incessantly to find and place all virtual checkpoints on the generated 3D map, before giving it to the team designated to go out on EVA tomorrow. The Crew Journalist and HSO had one hour to study the map, take notes and try to situate the checkpoints which they will have to reach on-site, during their EVA.

As a crew, we filmed a series of videos to present the station and our experiments, as part of our outreach initiative for middle and high-schoolers. The Crew Astronomer and I also spent our morning drafting scientific outreach articles for our website!

Routine operations included data handling for the HSO, GreenHab maintenance for our GreenHab Officer, and an EchoFinder session for myself. And to the entire crew’s delight, the HSO took it upon herself to bake cookies for the entire crew, just in time for a mid-afternoon snack; they were delicious!

Look Ahead Plan:

Tomorrow, the first EVA team, composed of the Crew Journalist, Crew Astronomer and Crew Scientist, is scheduled to go to North Ridge to find the previously established checkpoints. This will be done using the 3D map, generated on Sol 8, while the second team will use the 2D map on Sol 12.

Anomalies in work: EVA suits 3,4,5,7,9 ; Solar observatory offline

Weather: Sunny & windy, low 5°C, high 20°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: NA

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Request

Support Requested:

Regarding the GreenHab water tank resupply, the GreenHab Officer discussed it with the crew, and we have decided it was not necessary for us to participate in the resupply.

However, regarding the food resupply, we were wondering if it was possible to do it during a short EVA? The food boxes could be left near the Hab, 3 crew members could suit up to retrieve the cartons, place them in the airlock, and reenter the station through the RAM airlock (for example). Would something like this be possible?

Thank you!

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 24-02-2024

Sol: 6

Summary Title: A “One in a Hundred” Crew

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

This morning, I participated in my first post-training EVA, with the Crew HSO and Crew Scientist. After setting down the drone in sight of our pilot in the Science Dome, I headed back towards the rovers to join my crew members. We then headed down to the atmospheric instruments site to retrieve the data collected over the past two Sols, to change the batteries and to try troubleshooting the Field Mill. The latter objective was unfortunately not achieved, but after debriefing with us, the Crew Engineer and Crew Astronomer believe they have found the source of the problem. This will be addressed at the beginning of our first Photogrammetry EVA, programmed for Sol 8.

Today’s EchoFinder session was a success; our Crew Journalist managed to use the ultrasound aiding software to scan images of all five organs in record time ! The GreenHab Officer continued working on deploying the AI4U experiment, of which we will all be subjects starting next week. Preparations for photogrammetry are also well underway.

After a long first week, the Crew was starting to feel a bit weary; two hours of downtime were scheduled in the afternoon, for all crewmembers to rest, indulge in various artistic activities and a workout session. We are all looking forward to a good night’s rest, with a little extra sleep tomorrow morning: wake-up at 8:30 instead of 6:45 !

Look Ahead Plan: Sol 7 has been declared a rest day. Our Crew Scientist will also start his weekly station-wide data centralization for all experiments, and we will use the AMI interface for the entire Sol, as another test run. Next week, the first series of Photogrammetry EVAs will take place (Sols 8, 10, 12). The (tentatively) chosen location is North Ridge.

Anomalies in work: Suits 3, 4, 5, 6, Solar observatory offline

Weather: Sunny, then mostly cloudy in the afternoon. Low -5°C, High 15°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Atmospheric instruments

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Report

Support Requested: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 25-02-2024

Sol: 7

Summary Title: Carpe Diem

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

For our first rest day of the mission, we allowed ourselves a little more sleep than usual; for the first time since our arrival on Mars, I was awoken by sunlight rather than by my alarm. Our Crew HSO had prepared an hour-long workout session, which only made us enjoy the pancakes even more afterwards.

After an efficient and thorough clean, the Hab is as good as new ! The Crew then spent the rest of the afternoon in the Hab, resting for some, working on personal projects or on data collection for others. We are ready for a productive and intense second week, marking the start of the photogrammetry experiment and the launch of AI4U

Look Ahead Plan:

Our first photogrammetry EVA at North Ridge is planned for Sol 8, which will be dedicated to generating a 3D map of the area. This map will be given to part of the Crew to prepare an exploration EVA, during which the team will need to identify pre-defined checkpoints. The objective is to compare the performance of a team given a regular 2D map (Sol 10), and a team given a 3D map (Sol 12) of the same area.

Anomalies in work: EVA suits 3,4,5,6, Solar observatory offline

Weather: Partly cloudy, Low 10°C, High 20°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: NA

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Request (Photogrammetry)

Support Requested: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 26-02-2024

Sol: 8

Summary Title: Who runs the Hab: Girls !

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Everyone was very excited for the beginning of the photogrammetry experiment this morning. This was the first of three EVAs scheduled this week to North Ridge. Using an Anafi AI Parrot drone, the GreenHab Officer performed a 3D scan of the entire North Ridge area, while the Crew Engineer and Scientist decided where they would place the checkpoints on the map. The EVA was successful; as soon as the team (composed of the three boys of the crew!) was back at the Hab, they started uploading the images and generating the map, which will be used by one of two teams to explore the area. Their performance in finding the checkpoints will be compared to that of a second team, given only a regular 2D map.

The morning EVA team also took advantage of their outing to change the atmospheric instruments’ battery, and troubleshoot the Field Mill. It is now fully operational!

This afternoon, we reached two milestones; all crewmembers are trained for the EchoFinder study, and the AI4U experiment is officially launched. Our Crew HSO also finished handling the data from the first week of Orbital Architecture, reaching a grand total of 25 GB !

A routine has slowly started to settle, bringing with it almost a sense of belonging. The whole team is invested, and putting the mission first. Nevertheless, we never miss an opportunity to remind each other to take care of ourselves.

Look Ahead Plan: Two EVAs are scheduled to take place at North Ridge this week, one with the 2D team (Sol 10) and one with the 3D team (Sol 12)

Anomalies in work: EVA suits 3,4,5,7,9

Weather: Sunny, low 5°C, high 19°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Photogrammetry at North Ridge

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Report

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 20-02-2024

Sol: 2

Summary Title: Slowly Settling Down

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

No EVAs were planned today, in order to continue setting up experiments in the Hab and other modules. After breakfast and a workout session prepared by our HSO, everyone got to work on their different tasks and experiments. The EchoFinder experiment has been set up in the Science Dome, and all location tracking anchors and most environmental sensors are in place. The crew has started taking cognitive assessments in different locations around the station; the data will then be correlated to environmental, location and physiological data as part of the Orbital Architecture study. Atmospheric instruments are also ready in the RAM, and have collected data during the night between Sol 1 and Sol 2.

Unfortunately, the solar observatory is still unusable, for the broken part of the telescope could not be replaced. This is a hard blow for our Crew Astronomer, but she is not letting herself be brought down, and is admirably contributing to other experiments she is responsible for.

Look Ahead Plan:

We are hoping for good weather conditions on Sol 3 to deploy the LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter), MegaAres (designed for electric field measurements) at the location chosen during the first training EVA. We are also planning to do an EVA on Sol 4 to deploy a weather station and the Field Mill near the Hab.

Apart from Observatory operations, everything is looking good science-wise, which has given rise to the question of possibly having to deal with downtime in the next few Sols before other studies are launched (starting , something which had not been anticipated. I am confident that the crew will keep very busy, making the most of our time in this unique environment.

Anomalies in work: Solar observatory offline

Weather: Cloudy, light rain in the morning. High 56°F, Low

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: None

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Request (1)

Support Requested:

As a way to reinforce the simulation, we would like to ask that Ben not specify the reason for his leaving the outpost (e.g. Going on a hike with Jules) if it is not necessary for the crew to know. We understand that for security reasons, the crew must know if Ben is not at the outpost, but we would like to keep communications between the crew and Mission Support as ‘in sim’ as possible.

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 21-02-2024

Sol: 3

Summary Title: Story of an EVA

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

On this third Sol of our mission, our first high-stakes EVA rested on the shoulders of the designated crew, composed of Erin, Léa and Leo. Their task was to set up the main atmospheric instruments : MegaAres and LOAC, which they performed beautifully. Communications between the EVA Leader and HabCom were clear and efficient, procedures were executed efficiently, and all tests of the instruments’ correct function have been validated. The EVA Crew enjoyed a well-deserved rest period after lunch !

In the afternoon, all Crew members continued implementing their experiments: the location tracking system was tested by the Crew HSO, and the Crew Engineer and GreenHab Officer finished deploying all environmental sensors. Part of AI4U experiment (testing of an AI assistant designed for astronauts) is also deployed, allowing crewmembers to request information about the station to the AI.

Léa and I also performed the AMI (Anomaly Monitoring Interface) preliminary tests. This interface, designed by Quentin Royer, former Crew Engineer at MDRS, will be used to simulate basic operations for a space station (resource management, power management, etc.) and trigger simulated anomalies requiring action from the Crew.

Look Ahead Plan:

Tomorrow (Sol 4), the Crew is aiming to perform a second EVA to deploy the rest of the atmospheric instruments (a Field Mill and a weather station). All Crew members will also be trained on the AMI interface, and the EchoFinder sessions are to continue regularly in the coming weeks.

Anomalies in work: Solar observatory offline

Weather: Mostly cloudy in the morning, moderate winds. Low 5°C, High 15°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: EVA #3; deployment of atmospheric instruments (MegaAres and LOAC)

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Report, EVA Request

Support Requested: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 22-02-2024

Sol: 4

Summary Title: First clouds upon the Crew

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

This morning, the second EVA team tasked with installing the remaining atmospheric devices (the Field Mill and a weather station) left the station at 9:15. The team successfully installed a weather station which is now synchronized with a tablet inside the Hab. The data collected by the weather station will be used to determine how the measurements taken by the atmospheric instruments are influenced by wind speed, wind direction, humidity, etc.The rest of the EVA went smoothly, apart from a malfunction with the Field Mill.

One EVA crewmember started noticing an issue with the airflow of their suit as the EVA crew was approaching the airlock. Once inside, they felt their suit was no longer ventilated, and quickly asked the crew to take off their helmet, which they did immediately; sim was broken for safety purposes. The crewmember sat down and had difficulty breathing, as they had been breathing accumulated CO2. The entire crew reacted to the situation perfectly; we called Mission Support, and provided all the correct first aid elements. Mathurin checked their oximetry level, which was back to normal after they went back to the Hab. Once the situation was under control, Leo and Marie performed measurements on the ventilation battery and noticed that the battery level had dropped below 8V, after 3h30mins of use.

After re-reading previous emails between Mission Support and Crew 292, we realized the faulty suit (suit 6) was also reported to have battery issues, and that the battery had already been replaced before. We will make sure that the problem does not occur again by testing every suit (see Operations Report for details on the tests) to identify the ones that might be faulty.

The Crew spent the early afternoon resting after an eventful morning; we then spent time training with the AMI interface, and troubleshooting sensors.

Look Ahead Plan:

Tomorrow will be dedicated to various activities, most notably preparing videos for the schools linked to our outreach program, continuing the EchoFinder experiment, and troubleshooting hardware for Orbital Architecture.

An EVA to retrieve and fix the malfunctioning Field Mill is scheduled on Sol 6.

Anomalies in work: EVA Suit #6

Weather: Sunny, High 15°C, Low 5°C

Crew Physical Status: One crewmember had trouble breathing at the end of the EVA. They have fully recovered.

EVA: Deployment of two Atmospheric Instruments, the Field Mill and a weather station.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), EVA Reports (1), HSO Report

Support Requested: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 23-02-2024

Sol: 5

Summary Title: Science is our AMI*

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Today was a rather quiet Sol; most of the long-running experiments are starting to be a part of our routine, from cognitive tests to daily questionnaires. The Science Dome was put to good use this afternoon, housing EchoFinder, Orbital Architecture and the TILT experiment.

Tests were also conducted on all EVA suits to determine which are safe to use for future EVAs, as our EVAs dedicated to our photogrammetry study will be longer and take us farther away from the Hab.

The AMI interface was tested again this morning and presented to the Crew, who will be tasked with making suggestions for potential edits. The objective is to collect as much feedback as possible for the developers, to prepare the interface for the next crew, and to eventually correlate our reaction times to the data from the physiological sensors we wear at all times.

Look Ahead Plan:

During the previous atmospheric instruments EVA, there was an issue with the Field Mill, and measurements have not started. The instrument must be retrieved for repairs in the RAM, therefore it will be retrieved during an EVA scheduled on Sol 6.

Sol 7 has been declared a rest day, during which we will clean the Hab, treat ourselves to some pancakes, and have a longer sports session than our daily workout.

Next week, we will begin working on the Photogrammerty experiment at a first location (to be determined). The study will require 3 EVAs over the course of Week 2.

Anomalies in work: Suits 3, 4, 6 (see Operations Report for details)

Weather: Some clouds, low 5°C, high 20°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: None

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics)

Support Requested: NA

* "Ami" means friend in French

Crew 292 Sol Summary Report 16-02-2024
Sol: Sol 12
Summary Title: Mangalyatri Crew 292 finishes its rotation at MDRS
Author’s name: Annalea Beattie
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Summary Activity: We finish our simulation today so we are very busy. Clare cooked pancakes and we all were up early(ish). This morning we cleaned and cleaned every corner of the station. We scrubbed everything even under the cupboards in the kitchen. The Science Dome and The Green Hab are spotless. Downstairs the equipment and the area are sparkling. It is incredible really what teamwork can do. Again, we debated where to put biodegradable wipes. Should they be burnt or ? In the end that decision belongs to our engineer who says biodegradable wipes are not paper and are No Burn. That word ‘biodegradable’ is deceptive. Further research and more action needed on this. This morning (after midnight) I also finished our End of Mission Report. We all worked so hard for days to write this and my bad as I missed seeing the word limit on the mission support email. In fact, our actual report with everyone’s research in it is more than twenty pages. So I had to summarise to the short report. We are all happy with the long report however. We decided to turn it into a conference paper as we have really nailed in writing the conceptual breadth and depth of our research here, as well as a real sense of our time together in a simulated Mars environment. What a stunning crew and brilliant work. After lunch we will drive past Skyline Rim to the Valley of the Stars and to the box canyon quarry at White Cliffs, to see at close range authigenic gypsum in the Sommerville.
Look Ahead Plan: Across disciplines we have lots of plans for the Ladakh station to process and a conference paper to submit. We will meet in a few weeks. Mangalyatri Crew 292 will continue to work together. On to Mars Mangalyatri!
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Early, 51% cloud cover, 30F and high humidity. There was a 5% chance of precipitation. This afternoon the maximum is 51F with 39% humidity.
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA: none
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist Report, Green Hab Report, Operations Report, End-of-Mission Report.
Support Requested: None