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Journalist Report – December 24th

Sol 6 – All I want for Christmas is Mars

The moral in the Hab is excellent! It is very pleasant to be with such a nice crew. 🙂

This morning, we made our longuest EVA since the beginning of the mission. It lasted more than 3 hours and we managed to test X-1 in a rocky area, we set up an experiment about soil erosion, we continued our experiment about control/astro interaction and we determined which maximum weight you can carry on an ATV depending on the local soil density around the Hab. Quite a busy morning!

This afternoon, we worked together and did social sciences surveys about writting skills, clothing or empowerment during a Martian mission. We also had our first (and probably last) short shower of the mission and we found a way to overcome the issues we are currently having with the battery of the generator.

The mood is light as even here, Christmas is approaching. We have a Christmas tree, presents and nice food for tommorow. Do you really need more on the Red Planet?

On the behalf of the whole Crew 185, I wish you all a merry ChristMa(r)s with you family and loved ones!

Sincere greetings from the Red Planet,

Thibault, ExO and spacesuit engineer for the Crew 185

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Journalist Report – December 23rd

Sol 5 – EVAs and fertilizer

This morning, we had our first long EVA with one rover and one ATV. Arno, John and Ilaria left the Hab during almost three hours and they explored a region north to the Hab with Moon-like landscapes. They also hid objects to be find by David and Thibault during the next EVA for an experiement about Astro-control communication.

Back in the Hab, we did meditation and team-building. Then, David sprayed a homemade fertilizer on the almost 200 plants of the GreenHab which is greener every day thanks to his biology talents!

Tonight, we enjoyed a meal of mashed potatoes and vegetables made by John. We also baked two breads for tomorrow (one with walnuts and honey and the other with blueberries). Life is not that bad on Mars!

Greetings from the Red Planet,

Thibault, ExO and spacesuit engineer for the Crew 185

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EVA #5 Report – December 24th

Report: Crew 185 EVA #5 for SOL 6.

Propose of EVA: We did a three-hour EVA this morning and we managed to do a lot of thing:

– We tested X-1 in a rocky environment
– We set up an experiment about soil erosion in an analog environment
– We continued our experiment about control/astro interaction
– We continued our experiment about the maximum weight that you can put on an ATV depending on the local soil density

EVA #5:

Start time: 1030am

End time: 0150pm

Ilaria Cinelli: Leader

David Murray: Astro 1

Thibault Paris: Astro 2

Arno Passeron and John Scezpaniak on Comms

Destination: Robert’s Rock Garden then Hab Area

Vehicles: 2

ATV: 350
Rover: Curiosity

Prepared by T. Paris

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Commander Report – December 24th

Commander Report

Crew 185, SOL 6, Dec 24th, 2017

Ilaria Cinelli

My Crew and I received a warm welcome from Crew 184! We have spent about a day and a half together, and they shared their experience with us. I was glad to see that they are such a united team! Following their mission, I have to say that it is hard to stay together while facing real challenges. They have also left us presents, and we will wait until tomorrow to open our Xmas gifts!

My crew have seen a few changes before starting the mission. We have two Ground Crew Members and a new entry in our Crew! We have been working on team cohesion and team awareness, and we are on the right track! I am very proud to be their Commander! Each of them has a different talents and skills, that combined lead to a team with great potential.

My role as Commander is to understand their priorities and their talents (as single and Crew) and let them be on the stage of success. Leadership is building a common vision which, for Crew 185, is innovation, progress, creativity and international collaboration. My Crew and I are collaborating with different Countries (France, Italy, Ireland, US, Brazil, UK, Japan and others) showing that space exploration is based on humanity, that is an international representation of our species. Still questionable for a few.

It seems that people tend to forget that space exploration aims, first, at planetary presentation then interplanetary exploration and, after, colonization. As long as we underestimate the protection of our species and the abuse of planet Earth, we will probably have a short future.

Tomorrow is Xmas day, and we have decided to celebrate it as celebration day of being at half of our mission only. It could be seen as team cohesion exercise or a tradition too. Religion can be too personal, and it may highlight culture differences. Anyhow, we have a giant piece of beef in the fridge, the biggest I have ever seen in my life!!! Thanks America!

As you might know, we are in a vibrant atmosphere here in the Hab just because the power supply is not working well as expected. While trying different solutions, it is easy to feel stressed or frustrated when the outcomes are slower than the estimated prediction.

However, this is a teamwork and we are more than happy to have received help in loco and remote assistance too! As long as there is engagement in discussion and in brainstorming, smart solutions come faster!

Thus, I want to thank all the readers and the Society for the support and care we are receiving! My Crew is healthy and smiling! We have lot of food, and, now, a little bit more of drinkable water! I dare to say it is time for a Xmas shower :D!!

Happy holidays to All, and thank you for following our mission!

Commander Ilaria Cinelli

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Green Hab Report – December 24th

David Murray
24 Dec, 2017
Environmental control: (Choose which is appropriate and explain further if needed)
Ambient
Ambient with door open from 9:28 to 14:24
Working Hour: 14:06
Inside temp at working hour: 20 C
Outside temp during working hours: 4 C
Inside temperature high: 25 C
Inside temperature low: 15 C
Inside humidity: 20%
Heating
Functioning nominally,
Turns on at 16 C and off at 20 C
Cooling
Not functional
Shade Cloth On/Off
On
The greenhab lights are on from 17:00 to 24:00 every night
Last night, the lights were unplugged at 19:00 to conserve energy but were plugged back in at 9:30 this morning to resume their normal schedule.
Average temperature:
N/A
Changes to Crops
All kale and cabbage seeds have sprouted
Morning Research Observations
N/A
Daily Water Usage for Crops

4 gallons
Time(s) of Watering Crops
14:06
Aquaponics
N/A
Narrative
All of the kale and cabbage seeds have sprouted and all the plants look healthy. There are bean pods on a few plants.
Support/Supplies Needed
N/A

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Greenhab Report – December 23rd

Greenhab Report
David Murray
23 Dec, 2017
Environmental control: (Choose which is appropriate and explain further if needed)
Ambient
Ambient with door open from 9:56 to 15:37
Working Hour: 14:54
Inside temp at working hour: 19 C
Outside temp during working hours: 4.5 C
Inside temperature high: 25 C
Inside temperature low: 15 C
Inside humidity: 16%
Heating
Functioning nominally,
Turns on at 16 C and off at 20 C
Cooling
Not functional
Shade Cloth On/Off
On
The greenhab lights are on from 17:00 to 24:00 every night
Average temperature:
N/A
Changes to Crops
Kale and cabbage are sprouting
Morning Research Observations
N/A

Daily Water Usage for Crops
2 gallons
Time(s) of Watering Crops
15:37
Aquaponics
N/A
Narrative
Today I marked the controls and applied the Moringa oleifera fertilizer to 13 tomato plants. The kale and cabbage are starting to sprout but no sign of the spinach. Space in the greenhab is limited so I have to remove some of the tomatoes.
Support/Supplies Needed
N/A

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Operations Report – December 23rd

Crew 185

Operations Report Saturday 12/23/2017

SOL: 5

Name of person filing report: A.Passeron

Non-nominal systems:

– Generator :
The generator had a failure during the night, Fault message reading "Low battery". Jump-start from Shannon’s Shuttle battery at did not solve the issue. Generator had a second failure at rougthly 12:00pm. Second jump-start done and generator turned on at 5:30pm. The generator is currently running.
At 6:20pm, settings are :
+ Oil pressure : 45 psi
+ Speed : 1815 rpm
+ Battery charge : Fluctuating between 8.7V and 9.0V
At 6:40pm, settings are :
+ Oil pressure : 45 psi
+ Speed : 1815 rpm
+ Battery charge : Fluctuating between 7.8V and 8.0V
The charge of the battery is thus plummeting. The battery of the generator is not recharged while generator is on.

– Water heater tests :
I went to the shower and did the following tests.

@8:42am first trial with nominal settings (right dial on the second top black bar) :
hot water turned on all the way for 2 minutes, initial temperature 51F, final temperature 64F.
@9:33am second trial with max temperature (right dial turned to the top black bar, but I can go further) :
hot water turned on all the way for 4 minutes, initial temperature 55F, final temperature 64F.

– Water shortage :
Crew aware of concern about water shortage. We are now using jerrycans for drinking water. We tried to pump as much water as possible from the trailer tanks into the static tank. We use the shallow water of trailer tanks to water the plants of the GreenLab.

Generator (hours run):
Generator turned off at unknown time (failure during the night)
Jump-start done at 8:10am
Generator turned on at 8:10am
Generator turned off at roughtly 12:00pm (second failure during the EVA)
Jump-start done at 5:30pm
Generator turned on at 5:30pm

Solar— SOC
@ 8:00am : 57%
@ 9:20am : 60%
@ 10:00am : 64%
@ 11:00am : In EVA
@ 12:00pm : In EVA
@ 1:00pm : In EVA
@ 2:00pm : 100%
@ 3:00pm : 98%
@ 4:50pm : 90%
@ 5:00pm : 88%
@ 5:30pm : 84%
@ 6:40pm : 82%

Diesel – 78%

Propane – 52%

Ethanol Free Gasoline (5 Gallon containers for ATV) – 2.8 Gallons

Water (trailer) – 20 gallons

Water (static) – 280 gallons

Trailer to Static Pump used – Yes

Static to Loft Pump used – Yes

Water Meter: 50 gallons

Toilet tank emptied: Yes

ATVs Used: Yamaha blue Grizzly 350 #3
Oil Added? Yes
ATV Fuel Used:
# Hours the ATVs were used today: 02:00 hours
Notes on ATVs: ATVs were nominal.

Deimos rover used: No
Hours: 00:00 hours
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:

Sojourner rover used: Assigned to director only.
Hours: 00:00 Hours
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging: Yes

Spirit rover used: Yes
Hours: 02:00 Hours
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 60%
Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover used: No
Hours: 00:00 Hours
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:

Curiosity rover used: No
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:

HabCar used and why, where? No

Summary of internet: All nominal

Summary of suits and radios: All nominal

Summary of Hab operations: Water shortage prevention. Water heater doesn’t seem to work properly.

Summary of GreenHab operations: All nominal

Summary of ScienceDome operations: All nominal

Summary of RAMM operations: Not Operational

Summary of health and safety issues: Crew is Healthy

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:

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EVA Report – December 23rd

Report: Crew 185 EVA #4 for SOL 5.
Propose of EVA: Collecting geological samples for mobility testing. Then, walking with the EVA suits and discover the terrain around our position.

EVA Report:
(i) The first 40 min were dedicated to the engineering check during which we have filled the static tank with the left unfrozen water of the tanks on the trailer. Then, using a pan, we collected other (frozen) water that can be used for the Green Hab.
(ii) Arrived at the White Moon, we did a short walk around. Because strangers were near the vehicles, we went back, and we collected a few geological samples.
(iii) Then, we stopped about 1 km from the Hab to locate recognition signs to be used for the following two EVAs.
(iv) Back at the Hab, we refilled the ATV 350 and plugged the rover.

EVA #5:
Start time: 1030am
End time: 1230pm -> finished at 2pm

Ilaria Cinelli: Leader
John : Astro 1
Arno: Astro 2
Destination: White Moon (110.8W,38.44N).
Vehicles: 1 ATV (Ilaria), 1 Rover (John and Arno)
CapCom(s): David and Thibo

Written by Commander Ilaria Cinelli