2022-2023 Field Season (#22)

ChristMARS: The Birth of an Astronaut Crew

“The only way to learn it is to do it.” – Archimedes, "Sword in the Stone"

As humans, day after day, we’re constantly exposed to our limitations. Through mistakes – sometimes many mistakes – we learn how to put our best foot forward and avoid falling into the same pitfalls. But on Mars, we don’t have that privilege. Every mistake can be fatal, so we need to correct them on the spot, with minimal resources available, and under the pressure of life and death… even on Christmas day.
To a lesser extent, going to a challenging environment without the same comforts of everyday life is a feeling we’ve all felt at some point in our lives. It is, arguably, what makes a child an adult – leaving their parents’ wings and conquering the world. The cycle of life we all know too well is also depicted in many stories we tell each other, such as the movie that Crew Montes decided to watch for inspiration last night. In Elf, the protagonist (ironically enough) leaves his home from the remote depths of the North Pole to search for his parents in New York City. In the case of Crew Montes, however, we’re dealing with an even greater quest: conquering a different world, much more remote than New York (or the North Pole, for that matter).
To do so, Montes is diligently working on their scientific experiments that will aid humans in occupying Mars. Preparing for our fourth EVA today, Mr. Fix, Spy and I, Hermit, worked together on ensuring the DRONE – that is, the Digital Reconstruction and Optical Navigation of the Environment – would capture valuable data of Mars’ landscape. First, Spy started working on his innovative concept for remote data capture via DNS, while Hermit and Mr. Fixit integrated the complex assemble of sensors, cables and supporting structures in the DRONE . In the meantime, Messiah was responsible for setting up Spy’s VR cognitive test, and Murph and Genie worked together on a pipeline for carbon dioxide detection in a mushroom chamber. Once it was all set, we were ready to rock and roll.
Of course, Mars had some objections to our plans. Once we left for the EVA, the first flight test of the DRONE faced many unexpected issues. Mars blew its strongest winds against our mascot, which it took like a champ. DRONE’s resilience was truly commendable under such a monstruous attack, but even the fiercest warrior could feel the hit at that point. Its LIDAR 3D-printed mount got seriously damaged, preventing us to safely re-launch it for another flight… or so Mars would think. Montes is prepared for emergencies even in the direst of times. Mr. Fixit, Spy and I quickly responded by repairing our mascot with the DRONE first-aid kit we brought *just in case*. That allowed us to launch it once again in safer conditions, capturing some more preliminary data that will be used for valuable post-processing. Coming back to the hab, we also checked some issues with the external interface of the tunnels, which got damaged due to the strong winds. All of that reminded us that going gentle into that good Martian night could be fatal.
Meanwhile, Messiah would face a major roadblock in setting up the VR device. We all know how us humans can get hangry when we don’t get food for some time. Similarly, electronic devices can be quite moody when they are not fed the proper connection. That was not a critical problem, however, since now we’ve learned how to pre-set our operations even under no service. Take that, Mars.
Finally, Murph and Genie would work on the Green Hab preparing the mushrooms for optimal growth. Unfortunately, minor contamination and leakage have been preventing them to get the most of it so far, and minimal resources would make it even more difficult to improve the growth rate. However, with a spark of creativity, Murph crafted a brand-new CO2 chamber with little to no tools, creating a jaw-dropping pipeline for mushroom growth optimization that any mycologist would envy. Even Mars is starting to think it doesn’t stand a chance against the resourcefulness of this crew.
Now that we have learned our lessons in Sol 3, it is time to celebrate the birth of a legend. I’m talking of course, of Jesus, but you might know him as our Commander, Messiah. Hopefully, this cycle around the Sun provided him with opportunities for optimal growth even in the harshest conditions. Happy birthday, Commander!
Hermit out.

The Art of War Against a God

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

In a war, every chance counts. One slip and, if your enemy is experienced enough, they will do everything in their power to crush you permanently if you let them. As a warrior, anticipating these moments can represent the difference between life and death.
You can probably imagine, then, how terrifying it would be to go up against the Roman God of War. But we have something that he doesn’t: just like ants, humans thrive from collaboration. I’ll do what you can’t, and you’ll do what I can’t. And together, carrying the collective purpose inherited through generations, it is our responsibility to do what only astronauts can: prepare for a war against Mars on behalf of all mankind.
What do we need, however, to clash against such a veteran, who can counteract our every move with strategic acumen? First, just like any adversary, we need to understand them. One of the most powerful weapons that Mars has in its disposal is radiation, for which we can prepare by studying its magnetic properties. Today, Genie collected mineral samples to understand how much protection humans can get from the Martian magnetic field. By analyzing their electromagnetic frequencies in real time, she could also get readings that will eventually be useful to protect the power grid necessary for human protection against solar radiation.
Moreover, in order to enhance our preparedness with respect to power, today Messiah collected samples in the same EVA in the search for iron content. If enough iron is found, he’ll be able to use in-situ resources to build solar panels, protecting us against Mars ‘second deadly weapon: the cold.
Running a solar grid, however, is not enough. Putting together all life support sensors that can monitor our hab’s health should be a priority to track how much we’re withstanding Mars’ blows. And when things aren’t running smoothly, like today, Mr. Fix can detect damages in our tunnels and take us back to a spot where the Red Planet can’t do anything to hurt us. Mr. Fix also acted as a diligent CAPCOM, taking care of a defective radio that could really put us in a pickle if unattended.
Perhaps the biggest protection that we need, though, is against ourselves. If humans are not at 100%, all else will most certainly fail. Spy ensured that the crew is sharp at all times by implementing Virtual Reality cognitive tasks, which shall measure how astronauts are performing in a pinch. He also assisted the EVA together with Murph by implementing a bounding box in real time to make sure the crew was exploring within limits.
Despite that being an important idea, I really think it would be a shame to go to another planet and not be able to fully explore it. That’s why I, Hermit, started collecting terrain data using the DRONE: Digital Reconstruction and Optical Navigation of the Environment. Today was a solid start, running four test flights that progressively improved its complex hardware integration with the LIDAR and Raspberry Pi. The data collection also improved with the help of Spy, so hopefully we’ll be ready to get some mappings during the next EVAs to aid the next humans on landing and fully exploring this planet.
Of course, the next crews can’t really bring everything with them beforehand. To properly protect against starvation – one of Mars’ sneakiest tricks -, we’ll need effective food growth and recycling systems, which Murph is developing. Lucky for us, today she implemented a water-enrichment method on the floor that has improved the growth of plants. What’s more, she collected some more valuable data on mushrooms that will one day be used to recycle our waste into food, pharmaceuticals, and leather.
Together, Montes is preparing humanity to survive its hardest enemy so far. I’m biased, but if you ask me, after seeing this crew in action, we might have a chance against the God of War himself. And perhaps, even set foot beyond Mars in the near future.
Hermit out.