Category: Sol Summary

Crew 186 Sol 2 Summary Report 02JAN2018

Sol 2

Summary Title: Elusive Blueberries and Baby Radishes

Author’s name: Max Fagin

Mission Status: All nominal

Sol Activity Summary: Our second day on Mars was opened with the slow-motion electrical chords of Vangelis theme from Chariots of Fire. After our morning Yoga, the second EVA team composed of Kshitij, Cesare, Mark, and Sam departed the airlock to search and sample the hematite blueberry formations at Goldstone Rd. that had eluded the first EVA team. While they were out, the remaining crew members caught up on Hab tasks, including Melanie dealing with a finicky battery charger, and Max watering our brand new Radish microgreens that Mark has spent the last few days preparing GreenHab for. The EVA team had a very successful (if exhausting) long duration EVA, stopping twice under Cesare’s guidance to sample interesting geological features. The hematite blueberries, alas, continued to evade us. Shannon: We formally request a hint.

The connection to the Hanksville radio repeater we had hoped to use today for long-range communication wasn’t ready, so communications were lost between the EVA and Hab almost as soon as they rounded the corner, but the connection was fixed by the time they had returned, and we intend to use it to keep in touch on tomorrow’s EVA. The evening finished with Sam beginning his microbe sampling swabs around the hab, and an engineering EVA to move rover supplies from the RAM, along with a brand new load of soil for GreenHab that a friendly supply shuttle dropped right on our doorstep.

Our crew has developed a new tradition which we have dubbed “The Idiot Box”. It is a box which we leave just outside the airlock all day, into which we put all the equipment which we will feel like an idiot for forgetting on our next EVA. That missing airlock fastener? That thermal probe? That EVA medical kit? Ask any one of us about any of these pieces of equipment and we will all give you the same answer: “Put it in the Idiot Box.”

Look Ahead Plan: Our first non-geology EVA will take place tomorrow, with the three goals of photographing the as yet unvisited Maxwell Montes, testing our new long-range communications system with the Hanksville repeater, and testing the direction radio beacon for navigation.

Anomalies in work: The new generator battery does not seem to be charging as expected

Weather: 0C, Winds W at 3MPH, Humidity 43%

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: Greenstone Rd take 2, 3.25 hrs, geological sampling for spectral analysis

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

Support Requested: The newer of the two generator batteries that we have on hand is not charging as expected. This may simply be due to it being relatively unused (see Operations report for details), but we aren’t sure. We can continue on the one battery for now, but would appreciate advice or sources on breaking in a new battery.

Crew 186 Sol 1 Summary Report 01012018

Sol 1

Summary Title: New Year New Planet

Author’s name: Max Fagin

Mission Status: All nominal

Sol Activity Summary: After staying up until midnight last night to bid farewell to 2017, we awoke at 7:30AM to the music of the Launch Theme from Apollo 13. Kshitij led us in a Yoga routine that will become a daily occurrence for the rest of the mission. We had planned to finish our official crew portraits the previous evening, but sunset intervened, so we quickly donned the EVA suits this morning and stepped outside to capture our official crew portraits. On display were the flags of Purdue (our Alma Mater), our home countries, and the Tricolor-RGB of our new home planet.

Breakfast was crepes smothered with Nutella and maple syrup, prepared by Justin and Mark. Over breakfast, we established the rules of our simulation, and what was expected of each of us to maintain its fidelity. With 15 minutes left until noon (when we would officially enter simulation), we all took the time to pay one last visit to the outside. At noon, we officially entered our simulation and began preparation for our first EVA: A geological sampling mission to the Greenstone Rd. area. Entering simulation late meant we had to return to the hab after only collecting one of the targeted 3 samples, but we will return tomorrow to complete it. Lunch was leftovers from last night’s new year’s feast (it was good enough to enjoy twice), followed by a dinner and witnessing a marvelous supermoon rise. Lunar astronomy on the supermoon is planned for tonight, as the weather looks clear.

We are not the only ones who are feeling the Martian vibe. Even the habitat seems to be feeling it. For example, the generator’s 60Hz AC power seems to be running at ~61.6 Hz for some unknown reason. This is a harmless anomaly, but it means any appliance that gets its clock cycle from the AC power line will run 2.8% fast, accumulating an extra ~38 minutes per day. In other words, due to a technical error, our clocks are actually keeping within 0.2% of Martian time, and only the battery power analog clock on the wall is keeping Earth time… We have no intention of fixing this.

Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow’s EVA will target the two sample sites we were not able to visit today. Will also experiment with the use of the Hanksville repeater (aka, communications satellite) and our ham radio to avoid comm dropouts between EVA team and MDRS. Thank you comm for the warning this morning about the solar storm! We will deploy our own telescope tonight and plan for some solar astronomy tomorrow morning.

Anomalies in work: EVA Airlock window was installed at the end of the EVA, but is currently secured with zip ties. Looking for a better way.

Weather: Temperature: 6C, Mostly clear, Winds calm, Humidity 39%, Barometer 30.27 inHg

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: Greenstone Rd, 1.0 hrs, geological sampling for spectral analysis

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, EVA Report, Science Report (Geology)

Support Requested:

1) We installed a new EVA airlock window at the end of today’s EVA. Are there any old photos of the EVA airlock window we can use for reference to see how it is supposed to be secured? It is currently zip tied in place, which is adequate, but not pretty.

2) Can Mission Support please change the email of Crew Engineer Melanie Grande to melgrande2@gmail.com we think this will solve some formatting anomalies with the operation report.

Crew 186 Sol 0 Summary Report 31DEC2017

Sol 0

Summary Title: Happy Arbitrary Orbital Maker!

Author’s name: Max Fagin

Mission Status: All crew members ready and eager to ring in the new Earth year on Mars.

Sol Activity Summary: Today’s non-sim sol began with the handoff from Crew 185 to 186. We swapped staterooms, car keys, and mission patches and bid each other farewell. We then completed two training sessions with Shannon on hab operations and EVA activities, and took a practice non-sim EVA.

We are planning to enter sim at 10AM tomorrow morning, after completing some crew portraits we were unable to complete today before sunset. Tonight, we will finish our mission summary, take one final trip into town for some last minute items, and celebrate the new year with a bonfire. All martians welcome (and their dogs)!

Look Ahead Plan: Complete crew portraits at sunrise tomorrow morning, enter sim, and take first geology EVA to Greenstone Rd. Continue unpacking equipment around the hab.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Partly cloudy, Temperature 1C, winds calm, Humidity 64%

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: All crew members took a non-sim EVA south of the Hab to practice driving and hiking in full gear. We practiced proper hill climbing/descending technique, and breath management to minimize fogging.

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

Support Requested: Awaiting a new template for the EVA report and EVA request.

Note: We have composed a shared document with all the report templates we have received in order to speed up report composition and minimize transmission errors. One consequence of this is that it will take a few transmission to make sure the templates have been copied correctly. If there are any errors in the report format (anything as small as missing line breaks), please let us know. We update the common document to reflect the changes.

Crew 185 Sol Summary Report 29 Dec 2017

Sol 11

Last Day of Sim

David Murray

Mission Status: Everything is going well

Sol Activity Summary: We woke up at 0800, ate breakfast and got ready for the EVA. At 1034, the EVA crew entered the airlock and returned at 1218. While the EVA crew was gone, Arno, Tibo, and I cleaned the hab and the greenhab. Upon return we ate lunch, packed up our belongings, and continued cleaning. Later we took inventory of the remaining food and prepared MDRS for the next crew.

Look Ahead Plan: Record our answers to questions from children around the world

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny, warm

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: Exploration, sample collection

Reports to be filed: Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, Sol Summary, EVA report

Support Requested: None

Sol 10

Long EVA

David Murray

Mission Status: Everything is going well

Sol Activity Summary: We woke up at 0800, had breakfast, and switched off the generator. Today, the EVA crew got a chance to gain experience on the ATV’s and to explore Lith Canyon. Then, they completed the navigation exercise and returned to the hab. After lunch, I planted Moringa oleifera seeds in the greenhab and watered the plants, Tibo and Ilaria participated in John’s nerve block experience, and Arno checked our state of charge. The crew plans to eat dinner and finish the rest of the movie that we started last night before going to bed.

Look Ahead Plan: Record our answers to questions from children around the world

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny, warm

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: Exploration, sample collection

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

Support Requested: None

Sol 9

Ninth Day on Mars

David Murray

Mission Status: Everything is going well

Sol Activity Summary: The crew checked the generator, ate breakfast, and prepared for EVA. The EVA crew returned to the airlock to address complications with the radios. Once that was taken care of we completed the next half of the exercise. While we were finishing our EVA, we noticed a scratch in the helmet. We finished our task before returning to the airlock. After EVA, we completed our list of group tasks, wrote reports, and had dinner.

Look Ahead Plan: Record our answers to questions from children around the world

Anomalies in work: Scratch noticed on helmet during EVA

Weather: Sunny

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: Navigation

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

Support Requested: None

Sol 7

Merry Christmas!

David Murray

Mission Status: The crew is clean and well fed.

Sol Activity Summary: In the spirit of Christmas, Crew 185 rewarded ourselves with an extra hour of sleep and our first showers of the simulation. After a light breakfast, Arno and Ilaria left the hab to conduct an engineering check. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew prepared Christmas dinner, cleaned, and readied the hab to accommodate our guests. Shannon and her daughter arrived to share Christmas dinner with us. We had a first-rate feast of prime rib, candied yams, veggies, biscuits, soup, and baked potatoes. As much as we enjoyed the meal, we all miss our loved ones and wish that we were able to spend this holiday season with them. On behalf of Crew 185, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Look Ahead Plan: The EVA for tomorrow focuses on GPS and drone control functionality in the X-1 spacesuit.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny

Crew Physical Status: Healthy, clean, and well fed

EVA: X-1 tests: Drone Control & GPS

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

Support Requested: None

Crew 185 Sol Summary Report 23 Dec 2017

Sol 5

Beginning of a Navigation Exercise

David Murray

Mission Status: We had slight generator problems but everything is under control and we still have charge.

Sol Activity Summary: The crew ate breakfast and disbanded for individual tasks before meeting back up to do the EVA prep. Ilaria, John, and Arno made up the EVA crew today. They placed objects that the next EVA crew will have to locate in the field based on instructions from CapComm. After the EVA Arno and I participated in John’s medical training.

Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we’re planning to do a split EVA to test the X-1 and to locate the items that today’s EVA crew put in the field.

Anomalies in work: None

Weather: Sunny

Crew Physical Status: Healthy

EVA: 3 person EVA to use ATV’s and hide objects for a navigation study.

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

Support Requested: None