Day: April 26, 2025

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EVA Report – April 22nd

Crew 315 EVA Report 22-04-2025

EVA # 3

Author: Michael Andrews

Purpose of EVA: To collect 3-5 rock samples for the 3D Scanning project. We are to collect rocks no larger than 250 mm in any dimension in a variety of shapes, textures, and colors to return to the Hab. The Crew Artist will also be taking photos of the environment and EVA activities to convert into artwork or other mediums post-EVA.

Start time: 1005

End time: 1110

Narrative:

Crew Artist Gagnon and Engineer Andrews spent about 30 minutes of the EVA window trying out the two-piece spacesuits before entering the airlock. We found these to be preferable, but it was discovered at the end of the donning procedure that Suit 1’s neck ring was installed upside down – future work for the engineer. The pair began their EVA at 1005.

The EVA crew took Curiosity and Perseverance east to Cow Dung Road, and then proceeded south along it. Without a map, the crew tried to estimate where Robert’s Rock Garden was located, but stopped half a kilometer short of the destination after observing some notable collection of rocks on both sides of Cow Dung Road.

5 specimen canisters of various sizes were taken to the new EVA site, and 4 rocks of various sizes were collected. All specimens had to have no dimensions greater than 250 mm to comply with the scanner’s capabilities for Andrews’s project. On the other side of the road, the last rock sample was collected, and the large rock marker for the Hypatia satellite was discovered. Crew Artist Gagnon collected photos of the environment and activities throughout.

Once all rock samples were collected, the EVA crew returned to the Hab, plugged in Perseverance, and entered the airlock. The EVA ended at 1110.

Destination: Robert’s Rock Garden but EVA team stopped approximately 0.5 kilometers

Coordinates: Easting 518200, Northing 425000

Participants: Michael Andrews (Crew Engineer and EVA Lead) and Tim Gagnon (Crew Artist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: MDRS road, then Cow Dung Road

Mode of travel: Used two rovers to travel along Cow Dung Road until reaching Robert’s Rock Garden and parking on the road berm. The EVA team then traveled on foot, traveling no further than one kilometer from the rovers.

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EVA Report – April 22nd

Crew 315 EVA Report 22-04-2025

EVA : #4

Author: David Laude

Purpose of EVA: Travel to Candor Chasma area to look for desiccated soil for Elena’s project, look for easy entrance into the Chasma without entering and survey for Koi’s 100cameras potential project location. Then travel up Cow Dong Rd about 2 KM further where the Commander has seen desiccated soil in two, within 1KM, walking distance locations from where rovers will park next to Cow Dung Rd.

Start time for EVA : 1:33 pm

End time for EVA: 4:16 pm

Narrative: We got suited up paying particular attention to radio transmit switch location for easier access. That paid off. We were all in one piece suits. Traveled to Compass rock and spent 20 minutes scouting a route to Somerville Overlook as I know from previous experience it can be difficult to know where to turn off of Galileo. Both Koi and Elena from this EVA will travel there tomorrow. We did find a reasonable turn off and further route. While there Elena took a desiccated soil sample. Next, we drove to the west end of Candor Chasma to look for easy entrance. On first try too steep and then success further up along it to the west where it begins. One would take Galileo road to its end just pack Compass Rock and there is a nice open parking area to the left. On foot, one heads SE staying on the flat, following an erosional path while staying close to the elevated area to the right. Follow that to where one can easily walk down some rocks to the sandy bottom. The descent is only a few meters. Then, we went to the Cowboy Corner area where we found plenty of desiccated soil where Dave said it would be. Next, we viewed an area for later investigation on the west side of Galileo with perhaps the best collection of such soil for KMs around. Finally headed back to hab, arriving several minutes before the deadline.

Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84):

  • Candor Chasma: 4252000N, 520000W.
  • Galileo Road (probably Cowboy Corner): 4253500N, 518500W.

EVA Participants : David Laude (Commander), Elena Saavedra Buckley (Journalist/Greenhab), Urban Koi (HSO)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: The EVA will begin on Moonwalk Road, then proceed along Cow Dung Road 0110 to Galileo Road, parking the rovers near the west end of Candor Chasma as close as permitted. Then drive back to Cow Dung and north ~2KM. Return to MDRS via Cow Dung and Moonwalk.

Mode of travel: Driving and walking.

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GreenHab Report – April 22nd

Crew 315 GreenHab Report 22-04-2025

GreenHab Officer: Elena Saavedra Buckley

Environmental control (fan & heater): On intermittently (see narrative)

Average temperatures (last 24h): 91 F

Maximum temperature (last 24h): 99.5 F

Minimum temperature (last 24h): 84.4 F

Hours of supplemental light: Now back on to 7-10pm

Daily water usage for crops: 10.4 gal

Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: ~½ cup for spritzing all plants and mushroom kit

Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 169.8 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: 9:30 am / 6:45 pm

Changes to crops: None visible

Narrative: The GreenHab thermometer was at 100 degrees when I entered at 9:30am, due to the fan not working because of the Smart Home difficulties regarding the generators. I turned the fan on with backup power and left the door open until it reached 87 degrees, then switched it back to Smart Home power once notified to do so by Mission Support.

Harvest: Another very small herb harvest. The scale seems totally dead, but we’re going to try one of the ones in the RAM for larger harvests.

Support/supplies needed: None

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EVA Report – April 21st

Crew 315 EVA Report 21-04-2025

EVA # 1

Author: Michael Andrews, Crew Engineer

Purpose of EVA: To familiarize the crew with EVA operations and perform the Marble Ritual: collecting a rock in the surrounding area and depositing it into one of the three baskets at the site.

Start time: 1300

End time: 1345

Narrative:

The EVA crew put on their space suits for the first time, quickly learning the difference in weight and comfort between the single-piece and two-piece suits. During our depressurization window, the Commander played us the main song from 2001: A Space Odyssey to get excited. We opened up the hatch and Crew Journalist Saavedra-Buckley set foot on the red planet first for our mission.

The team traveled via rovers (Saavedra-Buckley leading in Perseverance, Andrews and Koi in Curiosity) to Cow Dung Road and headed north approximately one kilometer. We attempted to communicate with CapCom via Channel 1, but we were too close to the station and opted for Channel 2 instead. The crew each found their own rocks and deposited them in the red, green, and blue baskets to complete the Marble Ritual.

The crew still had about 30 minutes left in the EVA window, so we continued east to get used to the terrain and take photos of the environment and crew. We returned to our rovers at 1335 and headed back to the Hab via Cow Dung Road. After a quick photo at the entrance to the Hab, the crew returned to repressurize. The EVA ended at 1345 with no issues or unaccomplished objectives.

Destination: Marble Ritual

Coordinates: Easting 518750, Northing 4251000

Participants: Michael Andrews (EVA Lead and Crew Engineer), Urban Koi (Health and Safety Officer), Elena Saavedra-Buckley (Crew Artist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Traveled east to Cow Dung Road via rover, then north via Cow Dung Road via rover. The crew parked on the east half of the road and traveled to Marble Ritual on foot. After performing the ritual, the crew took a counterclockwise loop east of Marble Ritual to further explore the area and take photos.

Mode of travel: Rovers from Hab to Marble Ritual (Perseverance and Curiosity), followed by traveling on foot.

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Operations Report – April 21st

Crew 315 Operations Report 21-04-2025

SOL: 1

Name of person filing report: Michael Andrews

Non-nominal systems: Furnace, Suit #7 Charger, Greenhouse Scale

Notes on non-nominal systems:

1. Oil leak on the main generator, which requires us to use the backup generator at night. This is being worked solely by Mission Support and does not require crew engineering.

2. It was noted that Suit #7 wasn’t charging, but further diagnosis from the Commander has isolated the issue to the #7 charger. Troubleshooting this will take place over the next day.

3. The greenhouse scale does not turn on, suspected batteries are dead and need to be replaced.

ROVERS

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: Not Used

Beginning charge: Not Used

Ending charge: Not Used

Currently charging: No

Opportunity rover used: Yes

Hours: 217.9 (0.2 hours used)

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 95%

Currently charging: No

Curiosity rover used: Yes

Hours: 311.5 (0.3 hours used)

Beginning charge: 99%

Ending charge: 94%

Currently charging: No

Perseverance rover used: Yes

Hours: 322.4 (0.2 hours used)

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 98%

Currently charging: No

General notes on rovers: None

Summary of Hab operations: The crew spent the morning trying out their project hardware (drones and Starlink mini) before starting simulation at noon. The crew split into two EVA teams and went to Marble Ridge as a MDRS tradition. Afterwards, we performed a 100cameras module with HSO Koi before dinner.

Water Use

Time of measurements: 2040
1) Per formula: 45.75 gallons
2) Smart Home Dashboard: Unable to calculate with main generator down

Water (static tank, remaining gallons): 461.78 gallons

Static tank pipe heater (on or off): No

Static tank heater (on or off): No

Toilet tank emptied (no or yes): No

Summary of internet: Used to complete reports, learn languages, share team photos via Google drive, streaming shows

Summary of suits and radios: Two EVAs were performed today, splitting the teams into two halves in order to complete the marble ritual.

· EVA 1: Suits 6, 8, 10 and Radios 1, 3, 4

· EVA 2: Suits 7, 9 and Radios 1, 2

Summary of GreenHab operations: Watered all plants and harvested some basil to go with olive oil for dipping with bread.

WATER USE: 10.8 gallons

Heater (On or Off): On

Supplemental light (hours of operation): 1900-2200

Harvest (name, weight in grams): Basil, Parsely, and Chives… all amounted to a handful but unable to weigh due to inoperable scale.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Set up engineering project hardware (EVA Connectivity Kit and 3D Scanning Kit) and tested Starlink Mini outside at the observatory.

· EVA Connectivity Kit: Starlink took approximately 5 minutes to connect, and immediately uninstalled a software update. Crew Artist, Crew Journalist, Crew Engineer, and HSO were all able to connect successfully. Several speed tests were performed, with a maximum download of 186 Mbps and upload of 19.0 Mbps. 16% of the battery pack was consumed over 20 minutes.

Dual split (Heat or AC, On or Off): Off

Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done)

· Leaking Sink: needle nose pliers, adjustable wrench, and plumber’s tape taken – all returned to the RAM. A little troubleshooting revealed that the stopper was clogged and needed to be removed, cleaned, and reinstalled. Plumber’s tape was added to the stopper’s side port to prevent leaking. Previously the stopper was wrapped externally with tape, but that was removed after the plumber’s tape solved the problem.

· Loose Staircase Mat: adjustable wrench, 3/8” deep socket, 2 nuts, and 2 washers were taken – nuts and washers were consumed, all other tools returned. The topmost staircase’s mats are loose, and it was discovered that no washer and nut was installed on the underside of the mat in two locations. A washer and nut was added, tightened, and now the stair provides less of a tripping hazard.

· Zip Ties: Only several open grommets were noted, mainly ones underneath other tarps. However, afternoon gusts liberated several zip ties that need replacing. I will make a routine of replacing the zip ties every morning before afternoon gusts arrive. In short, no zip ties were used today.

Summary of any observatory issues: None

Summary of health and safety issues: None

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: None

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GreenHab Report – April 21st

Crew 315 GreenHab Report 21-04-2025

GreenHab Officer: Elena Saavedra Buckley

Environmental control (fan & heater): Both on

Average temperatures (last 24h): Not visible (see below)

Maximum temperature (last 24h): Not visible

Minimum temperature (last 24h): Not visible

Hours of supplemental light: 7pm-10pm

Daily water usage for crops: 10.8 gal

Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: ~1 tsp for mushroom growth

Water in Blue Tank (200 gallon capacity): 180.2 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: 9am / 6pm

Changes to crops: Mushroom growth kit added

Narrative: Today I watered the crops as normal and the temperature seemed consistent. I also started my blue oyster mushroom growth kid, a very simple model that just requires me to open the side of a box and cut a slit in a bag of spores. I stuck it on the wooden bench, spritzed it with my own spray bottle, and put a trash bag with holes over it to encourage humidity. I sprayed it again at night and will do it twice daily.

Harvest: Today I harvested about 10 leaves of basil, ~15 shoots of thin chives, ~6 shoots of thicker chives, and a fingerful of parsley. See below…

Support/supplies needed: The scale didn’t turn on and might need a new battery, hence my lack of harvest grams! The Smart Home program wasn’t loading after we switched to the backup generator.

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Sol Summary – April 21st

Crew 315 Sol Summary Report 21-04-2025

Sol: 1

Summary title: First Day on Mars

Author: Tim Gagnon

Mission status: ongoing

Sol activity summary:

Our day welcomed the rising Sun over the Mars landscape.

As we gathered for breakfast we were saddened to learn that Pope Francis had died.

We enjoyed pancakes prepared by the Crew Artist and discussed our upcoming EVAs.

Anomalies in work: Main generator still does not work, suit 7 doesn’t charge, the greenhab scale doesn’t work

Weather: Sunny with highs in the mid-70s

Crew physical status: We are in good health

EVA: The Engineer, Journalist and HSO conducted the first EVA and we all gathered on the first floor to assist with

suit-up and comm checks.

As this first team completed the pre-breathe our Commander sent them off with him playing the theme from “2001 A Space Odyssey.”

They went to the Marble Ritual and explored that area.

When they returned at 1400 hrs,we conducted an informal debrief and the Commander and Artist prepared for the second EVA.

It was not as smooth and seamless as EVA1 because the Artist struggled with comms and getting into the Curiosity Rover. They traveled to the Marble offering and had less time to explore.

The Commander graciously took photos of the Artist as gifts for friends. The EVA concluded on time at 1600 hrs.

As a child of Apollo during my EVA I was able to imagine what it was like for childhood heroes to walk on the Moon. I even photographed my boot print as Buzz Aldrin did on Apollo 11. It was a glorious experience which I will turn into a fine art post mission.

After the EVAs were completed we met upstairs for a 100cameras photography module conducted by our HSO. The goal of which was to give us a better understanding about composition and help us tell a clearer story with our photography. The class was made up of instruction and then a photo exploration of our campus illustrating key words.

Our HSO and journalist prepared a delicious dinner of potato and vegetable soup and homemade bread. Using freeze dried potatoes, broccoli, corn, cheese and herbs harvested from the Green Hab they created a delicious chowder. The homemade bread was made with white and wheat flour and yeast. A bread making machine will be a highly desired appliance on future Mars missions.

After dinner while waiting for the comms window to open, we enjoyed fellowship and spoke of past experiences that we bring to this analog mission. We also consulted the map and discussed possible future EVAs farther away from the Hab.

At this time we are completing our reports, editing photos and preparing to end our day. It was full, it was exciting and we look forward to a good night’s sleep and an interesting day tomorrow.

Look ahead plan: Two EVAs are planned for tomorrow to conduct Michael’s 3D imaging project and other experiments.

Reports to be filed: Sol (filed), journalist report, greenhab report, operations report, crew photos, mission plan (filed)

Support requested: None

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Journalist Report – April 21st

Journalist report Sol 1

Most of us woke up around 6:45 am to the Terran news that Pope Francis had passed away in the night. Since we hadn’t landed on Mars quite yet, we perused those A1 headlines with ample wifi; meanwhile, our Crew Artist demonstrated the instant technology of Bisquick Shake N’ Pour and gave us a pancake breakfast. We discussed space suit technology at the table—designs from different countries, the difficulty of keeping hands dexterous and safe—before making another small pot of coffee and cleaning up. This Crew Journalist predicts that we’ll lock into the perfect morning coffee amounts and rituals within 1-2 days.

Outside, our Crew Health and Safety Officer and Crew Commander set up their DJI drone and its bright blue landing zone near the Musk Observatory. On EVAs, they’ll need to fly it out to target areas and bring it back steadily, so today’s practice runs were geared at getting comfortable with abandoning sight of the drone itself and depending on the controller’s camera view, and landing the drone as precisely in the middle of the target as possible. The two crewmembers helped each other with this last part as if they were parallel parking (with an extra physical dimension). Soon after, the Crew Journalist set up her blue oyster mushroom growth kit in the GreenHab—please send the spores well and humid wishes.

Our landing, right at 12:00, was so smooth it barely knocked the tuna salad some were eating off the accompanying Saltines. We didn’t wait long to get ready for our first EVA; our Crew Health and Safety Officer, Crew Engineer, and Crew Journalist went first. It was a smooth ride to Marble Ritual after our Commander played Also Sprach Zarathustra through the radio intercom. We returned without incident, and the second EVA, after some difficulties, made another successful round trip. We’re noticing some definite differences between the one- and two-piece suits, and our Crew Health and Safety Officer tried the latter, which worked but felt a little heavy on the back.

We ended the later afternoon with bread from the bread machine and herb-y olive oil for dipping and a 100cameras photography module for our Crew Health and Safety Officer’s project—this sent us around the campus taking perspective-heavy photos. We eventually made a delicious stew that included a good portion of the freeze dried vegetables from the pantry (well-based on the broccoli and cheddar soup mix). Time is already passing quickly.

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EVA Report – April 21st

Crew 315 EVA Report 21-04-2025

EVA : #2

Author: David Laude

Purpose of EVA: Required practice/trial EVA to Marble Ritual by rover and then walk the area to check backpack fitting.

Start time for EVA : 3:03 pm

End time for EVA: 3:59 pm

Narrative: We got suited up and I tried a two piece suit and found it to have a heaviness on my lower back area so went with my usual #7 one piece. All seemed well then except for difficulty finding the radio transmit key when needed even though in a convenient location. We’ll have to find a better way to find it, maybe by placing it at the base of an easily found antenna. We walked to Marble Ritual placing stones in it and brief walk in area before returning to base.

Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84): 4250800N, 518750W

EVA Participants : David Laude (Commander), Tim Gagnon (Artist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: The EVA will begin on Moonwalk Road, then proceed along Cow Dung Road 0110 to Marble Ritual.

Mode of travel: Driving and walking

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