Crew 314 EVA Report 12-04-2025
EVA # 8
Author: Bérengère Bastogne (Greenhab Officer)
Purpose of EVA: We will head to the Sea of Shells where we will conduct a drone exploration and use the hammer to search for fossils. On the return journey, we will also stop at the intersection of Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road to inspect Antoine’s equipment.
At those two stops, the crew will stay within 1 mile from the rovers.
Destination: The furthest point of the EVA will be the Sea of Shells. We will then head back at the MDRS to make a second stop at the intersection of Galileo and Cow Dung Road.
Start time: 9:30am
End time: 11:32am
Narrative:
Today’s EVA was carried out under hotter weather conditions compared to previous sols and some wind (around 15mph wind gusts). The crew departed the Hab at 09:44 with two rovers, heading toward the Sea Shells region to continue geological sampling.
At 09:52, the team passed Cowboy Corner and reached the intersection with Brahe Highway at approximately 10:00. At that point, the communication signal was extremely weak, and the team was unable to establish contact with CapCom.
By 10:10, the EVA team arrived at the Sea Shells site. Although the signal improved briefly, the area’s terrain quickly descended, resulting in another loss of signal. The team proceeded with their sampling task despite this challenge.
At 10:27, wind conditions were recorded: gusts reaching 16 mph with a steady wind of 4 mph coming from the west. The crew completed their work and began the return to the rovers at 10:56, but they were not able to fly the drone given the high winds.
They reached Brahe Highway again at 11:01, where communication was re-established. By 11:07, they returned to Cow Dung Road. A driver switch took place: Odile and Béa took over for the next leg of the journey.
The crew arrived at the site of Antoine’s experiment at 11:16 to perform a brief inspection. After a short stop, they returned to the rovers at 11:20 and switched drivers once again, this time Louis and Béa taking the wheel.
The EVA concluded with the rovers returning to the MDRS at 11:24. Decompression procedures were initiated immediately upon arrival and completed by 11:32.
This EVA allowed for critical fieldwork in multiple locations despite some signal challenges. The efficient management of time and logistics ensured the mission goals were achieved safely and effectively.
Destination: The furthest point of the EVA will be the Sea of Shells. We will then head back at the MDRS to make a second stop at the intersection of Galileo and Cow Dung Road.
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84):
First stop : Sea of Shells (4255500N,516500W)
Second stop : Intersection Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road (4252250N, 519000W)
Participants: Antoine Dubois (Engineer), Béatrice Hollander (Commander), Odile Hilgers (HSO), Louis Baltus (Astronomer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: The EVA will begin on Moonwalk Road, then proceed along Cow Dung Road 0110. From there, we will follow Brahe Highway to the Overlook, and then take Copernicus 1575 Highway to reach the Sea of Shells. For the return trip to the MDRS, we will retrace the same route in reverse.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking