Crew 309 Sol Summary Report 18Mar2025
Sol: 2
Summary Title:
Author’s name: Co-Commander A
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
- This morning commander A and crew engineer went on their 2nd EVA of the week. Today was especially windy and so the crew was mainly upstairs to keep warm because the heaters were struggling to keep up. Following lunch the crew noticed the smell of propane down stairs and began investigating the heater. We determined that the high winds were affecting the heating system. The high winds also knocked down a safety ladder which the crew had to secure. Eventually we had to shut off the heater for a few hours and just use a small space heater upstairs. As the winds began to slow we were able to turn the heat back on and our second EVA, which was delayed by the weather, was completed successfully. In the evening we had a good dinner and conversed about lessons learned from the day.
Look Ahead Plan: We will be conducting two EVAs tomorrow in the morning and afternoon
Anomalies in work:
- The heating system was set to 70 and then 72 but the hab stayed consistently at 67. We believe this is due to the strong winds. An hour later it has risen to 68 but has not reached 72. Upon examination, the heating system is not consistently blowing hot air. Current time is about 10:00 AM.
- Crew smelled a propane smell, and a gas alarm went off. Engineer used a gas detector and no leaks were detected. Crew examined the HVAC system and found an error code blinking. The diagnosis is that the excessive winds are affecting the pressure switch of the HVAC causing it to turn on and off. This diagnosis explains the HVAC not staying continuously on until target temperature is reached and the propane smell. Current temperature is set to reach 72 degrees, but the temperature is at 67. Winds are at about 30 mph and should be less tonight. Current time is about 1:00 PM.
- Crew communicated with Mission Support to replace the HVAC filter. Crew has replaced the air filter for the HVAC. Current time is about 2:45 PM.
- The propane smell persisted and became substantial at 3:00 PM. We are turning the HVAC off and using the space heater on the green/low setting.
- Around 5:30 PM, the wind reduced and the crew turned the HVAC system back on. We have experienced and has had no issues going
Weather: Windy, 27F / 48F
Crew Physical Status: Nominal
EVA: 2 EVAs completed
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Journalist Report, GreenHab, Operations Report
Support Requested: None