Category: Sol Summary

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 14-03-2024

Sol: 25

Summary Title: Cake and Confetti

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Last Photogrammetry EVA this morning! I left the Hab with the Crew Astronomer and GreenHab Officer, equipped only with some notes taken from a 2D map of Kissing Camel Ridge. We managed to find 11 of the 12 checkpoints; the terrain was much harder to read than previous locations: we spent more than an hour looking for the last two. As we were going to head back to the rovers, the Crew Astronomer’s suit started malfunctioning, sending very little air. The helmet was taken off for safety, and we made our way back to the Hab.

What I did not know, was that while I was out on EVA, the rest of the crew was preparing a surprise birthday party for me! I came back to an Upper Deck decorated with balloons and filled with a scent of cake. I am lucky to be a part of this group of thoughtful and amazing people!

In the afternoon, we started to feel the end of our rotation creep nearer and nearer… some experiments have been officially wrapped up, such as EchoFinder and AI4U. We swap opinions and feelings about what we look forward to on Earth, but also about what we are going to miss about living at MDRS: contributing to science, the intensity of our life here, and most importantly, being with each other.

Look Ahead Plan:

We aim to dismantle and retrieve all atmospheric instruments on Sol 26 (morning), and to break sim at 6 PM.

Anomalies in work: EVA Suits 6, 7 and 9

Weather: Cloudy, Low 1°C, High 12°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Photogrammetry exploration EVA, Kissing Camel Ridge

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

Support Requested: NA

Sol: 26
Summary Title: A New Chapter
Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
There was definitely a strange vibe when the Crew awoke this morning. Everything was done for the last time: taking our daily measurements, going through our last workout session… But the rest of the Sol did not go according plan. We were supposed to dismantle and retrieve the atmospheric instruments during an EVA this morning. Due to rain and snowfall, conditions were deemed unsuitable to perform this last EVA. The station was also placed in “low power” mode, as the solar panels struggled to keep up.
After finishing wrapping up our experiments, taking our last tests and writing our final reports, we broke sim at 4 PM to dismantle the atmospheric instruments. A seagull flew and circled above us as we worked, welcoming us home, as if we were back from a long journey at sea!
Look Ahead Plan:
We will complete and send the checkout list tomorrow morning. At what time can the HabCar be placed in front of the Hab so that we can start loading it? We plan to leave tomorrow at 12:00. We will fill the tank of the CrewCar in Grand Junction, park it at the Day’s Inn, and give the keys at the front desk.
Anomalies in work: EVA Suits 6,7,9
Weather: Rain, low 0°C, high 5°C
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA: NA
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist’s Report, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Photos (6-8 pics), Mission Summary, Food Inventory, Mission Science Report
Support Requested: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 12-03-2024

Sol: 23

Summary Title: The Calm before the Storm

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Today was our last Sol with no EVA planned, before the final sprint. The Crew is starting to plan for post-mission data collection and analysis, as well as logistical considerations. We spent the day continuing to run experiments, and most notably preparing the last MELiSSA meal. We are looking forward to sharing our results with all of the researchers who are counting on us!

In the afternoon, more coding, more data handling, more work… A routine is definitely established, and it’s almost frustrating to see that we are going to have to leave Mars soon after having found a stable rhythm. But the next three Sols will be far from a smooth ride: all of our studies need to be wrapped up, the last bits of data collected, and preparations for our trip to Earth made.

Look Ahead Plan:

The two exploration EVAs at Kissing Camel Ridge (involving a 2D team and a 3D team) are scheduled on Sol 24 and Sol 25. We aim to dismantle and retrieve all atmospheric instruments on Sol 26 (morning), and to break sim at 6 PM.

Anomalies in work: EVA suits 7 and 9

Weather: Cloudy, low 0°C, high 12°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: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 13-03-2024

Sol: 24

Summary Title: Mission objective: Save the station

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

No Sol on Mars is uneventful, especially when one gets closer and closer to the end of their mission… This morning, the last exploration EVA supported by 3D mapping took place at Kissing Camel Ridge, involving the Crew Engineer, Crew Journalist and Crew Scientist. As the Journalist and Engineer were searching for checkpoints, suit n°5 stopped working. While the Crew tried troubleshooting on site, they could not find the source of the issue, and the EVA had to be continued out of sim for one of the EVA crew members. Once they were all safely back at the Hab, the Crew Engineer was able to figure out the source of the issue.

Meanwhile, after doing some more troubleshooting on the Echofinder tool, we have decided to continue running the experiment without the AI assistant, using only Augmented Reality. One session was performed this afternoon, the final one will take place on Sol 25.

With the help of Mission Support, we were also able to test our Anomaly Monitoring Interface, while simultaneously performing a meaningful fix outside the station. At 16:08, a programmed depressurization alarm resounded, prompting the crew to follow a realistic emergency EVA procedure. The objective was to repair the tunnel to the Science Dome; the designated crew was successful, the tunnel is now much safer to travel through. The interface test was also successful. We believe this tool could be a great addition for future simulations.

Look Ahead Plan:

The final exploration EVA for the Photogrammetry EVA is to take place on Sol 25. We aim to dismantle the atmospheric instruments on Sol 26, before breaking sim at 6 PM.

Anomalies in work: EVA Suits 7, 9

Weather: Partly cloudy; low 5°C, high 15°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Exploration of Kissing Camel Ridge (Photogrammetry)

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

Support Requested:

We would like to thank Ben for his support on this afternoon’s EVA, and for giving us the opportunity to perform it.

The tools used for the emergency EVA have been placed in the RAM Airlock. We will cut the protruding ends of the zip ties in the Science Dome tunnel tomorrow.

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 09-03-2024

Sol: 20

Summary Title: Back to the Canyon

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Although it is never not special to wake up to the Martian hills drenched in rising sunlight, it is also increasingly difficult to get out of bed at 6:45… This morning’s challenge was the final EVA to Candor Chasma, this time for the Crew Journalist and Crew Astronomer to reach the checkpoints with the sole help of a 2D map. While they did come back with wide smiles, the exertion finally caught up, and when I came back from the Science Dome after an EchoFinder session, the Hab was doused in silence: the Crew was resting, a rest that felt as though it had been long awaited.

Some good news: AMI is finally fully operational. The interface now has the possibility to record and store the actions performed by the Crew in power management. This allows us to run the interface and manage the station’s resources without the additional task of manually recording major configuration changes. Unfortunately, regarding EchoFinder, we are having more and more issues with both the software and the hardware. We are awaiting Earth-based help to try and solve these issues, although we have already been able to gather significant amounts of data.

Finally, despite issues with the shutter system of the observatory, the Crew Astronomer was able to photograph solar prominences and more sunspots for her study.

Look Ahead Plan:

Sol 21 has been declared a rest day. For our final week on Mars, three EVAs are planned at Kissing Camel Ridge, the final Photogrammetry site (Sol 22, 24, 25). We aim to dismantle and retrieve all atmospheric instruments on Sol 26.

Anomalies in work: Solar Observatory dome

Weather: Sunny, low -5°C, high 15°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Exploration EVA to Candor Chasma

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

Support Requested: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 10-03-2024

Sol: 21

Summary Title: A Sunday Quest

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Today was supposed to be a rest day… but was it really? Many factors would indicate that it was in fact not. An hour of sleep was lost tonight, because apparently, Mars also has a daylight savings time change. This morning, after an hour-long workout, experiments had to be run in the Science Dome, and the Crew Astronomer had much troubleshooting to do in the Observatory.

In the afternoon, we knew that the HSO and Crew Engineer had something special planned for us. What we didn’t know, is that is turned out to be a station-wide treasure hunt! For the past week, they had been meticulously preparing this Sunday adventure for the rest of the Crew. We had so much fun solving riddles and passing trials, that we didn’t see time fly by.

We are looking forward to a restful evening and a good night’s sleep.

Look Ahead Plan:

The first EVA at Kissing Camel Ridge is planned tomorrow, to choose checkpoints and perform photogrammetry of the site.

Anomalies in work: Solar Observatory dome, EVA suits 7 and 9

Weather: Partly cloudy, Low 0°C, High 15°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, Astronomy Report

Support Requested: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 11-03-2024

Sol: 22

Summary Title: Good Vibes Only

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Final week on Mars, final photogrammetry destination: this morning, an EVA team composed of the Crew Scientist, the GreenHab Officer and the HSO was sent to Kissing Camel Ridge, tasked with choosing checkpoints and 3D mapping the area. They made the most of their outing by also collecting data from the atmospheric instruments and changing their batteries.

In the afternoon, part of the Crew worked to make plans for the AMI interface for our final week on Mars, while the HSO and GreenHab Officer continued working on their code to retrieve the core data sets from the impedance meter and our smartwatches. The Crew Scientist also started working on generating the 3D map of Kissing Camel Ridge.

While Crew members were working on their projects throughout the afternoon, they took turns in the Science Dome to discover a video created for each individual crewmember, featuring ESA astronaut Arnaud Prost! This surprise gave us the final boost we needed to do our very best during this final week at the Mars Desert Research Station.

Look Ahead Plan:

The two exploration EVAs at Kissing Camel Ridge (involving a 2D team and a 3D team) are scheduled on Sol 24 and Sol 25. We aim to dismantle and retrieve all atmospheric instruments on Sol 26 (morning), and to break sim at 6 PM.

Anomalies in work: EVA suits 7 and 9

Weather: Cloudy, Low 2°C, High 16°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Photogrammetry of Kissing Camel Ridge

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 06-03-2024

Sol: 17

Summary Title: Here Comes the Sun

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

A very productive day for the entire crew! This morning, our Crew Astronomer was over the moon to hear that the missing part in the Solar Observatory was replaced, and that she could start her astronomy project! She spent most of her morning setting up in the observatory, while the boys’ team was once again roaming Candor Chasma. They decided to return there to re-capture a better quality 3D map for the Photogrammetry experiment, and returned quite content from their outing! They have until tomorrow afternoon to generate the map, an operation which requires a lot of computing power.

A few of Sol 17’s successes: the simulated alarms for the AMI interface are operational, our Crew HSO had a breakthrough in coding her data aggregator for our health data sets, and Léa and I continued working on outreach articles in the afternoon. Established studies are still running smoothly.

Look Ahead Plan:

Two exploration EVAs are planned this week, on Sols 19 (3D team) and 20 (2D Team). On Sol 19, we will request to pilot the drone from the Science Dome.

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

Weather: Sunny, then mostly cloudy, low 5°C, high 15°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Photogrammetry at Candor Chasma

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

Support Requested: In the coming Sols, there will be random alarms generated by the AMI interface. The Crew has been briefed on how to react to these; most of the time, they will be simple sensor anomalies, but they can turn out to be depressurization alarms. In this case, we will need to perform an emergency EVA to “repair” (i.e. perform a simple task outside to simulate a repair operation) the module.

Therefore, we are requesting the authorization to radio Mission Support when an emergency depressurization EVA is “required” by the interface. These will, of course, only take place when the weather conditions permit it.

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 07-03-2024

Sol:18

Summary Title: A multi-faceted Crew

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Today, our Crew Scientist dedicated most of his time to generating and “cleaning” the 3D map in order to render it usable to navigate the canyon. He finished just in time for the HSO and I to prepare tomorrow’s outing! We sketched remarkable sites and prominences in the landscape, to help us locate the checkpoints. I am particularly looking forward to this EVA, as I was unable to explore Candor Chasma during my last rotation at the Mars Desert Research Station.

Speaking of EVAs, the Crew Engineer changed all non-nominal suits’ batteries, and is currently running voltage and airflow tests to validate them for use.

Look Ahead Plan:

Two exploration EVAs are planned, on Sol 19 and 20, to explore Candor Chasma with the 2D and 3D maps. On Sol 19, the drone will be piloted from the Science Dome to capture images of the station’s surroundings and lay some groundwork for the next photogrammetry location.

Anomalies in work: So far, battery replacement on the non-nominal EVA suits seems to have worked. See Operations Report.

Weather: Cloudy, low 2°C, high 15°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: NA

Crew 293 Sol Summary Report 08-03-2024

Sol: 19

Summary Title: Martian Topography

Author’s name: Marie Delaroche, Crew Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Today’s exploration of Candor Chasma with the 3D map was a success. All checkpoints were reached in less than an hour, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the beauty of the canyon and take pictures. The walk from the rovers to the chosen photogrammetry site was long, but the EVA was well timed and planned, and the Martian landscapes were worth it. The Crew Scientist, HSO and I returned from Candor Chasma before 1 PM, and we enjoyed lunch with the rest of the Crew.

In the afternoon, scheduling made it so that the Science Dome was occupied almost constantly, rushing the pace of the assessments and experiments a bit. No setbacks were experienced. The Crew Astronomer continued working on their project in the Observatory, while the GreenHab Officer started working on the drone footage shot this morning, at the beginning of the EVA. It looks quite promising!

Tonight, I assisted the Crew Astronomer in repairing the Observatory dome, an operation which proved unsuccessful; we ended up securing the opening with a tarp. Hopefully, we will be able to repair the dome when the sun comes up.

The length and intensity of the mission have slowly started to take their toll on the Crew; we are looking forward, after tomorrow’s second exploration EVA to Candor Chasma, to a restful 21st Sol.

Look Ahead Plan:

We have planned a second exploration EVA to Candor Chasma, involving another team of astronauts having prepared the EVA using the 2D map of the site. A stop will be made at the atmospheric instruments to retrieve the data and change the batteries.

Anomalies in work: NA

Weather: Sunny, Low 2°C, High 15°C

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Candor Chasma exploration with 3D map

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

Support Requested: NA