Crew 315 Sol Summary Report 23-04-2025
Sol: 3
Summary Title: Mars by the Numbers
Author’s name: Michael Andrews
Mission Status: Nominal
Sol Activity Summary:
Greetings from Mars! This is our third full day on the planet. As the crew engineer, I am normally not as skilled as my fellow crew members on written composition, so perhaps I can fill the day’s report with more quantitative information.
First off, the habitat. We are spending 12 sols in a habitat that is 8 meters in diameter. Coincidentally, this is 1 meter narrower than Starship’s fuselage. It’s nice to think that the first colonizers on Mars may live in quarters very similar to this one!
I was the last crew member to awaken today – which is normal as I was staying up late working on my 3D scanning project. However, with a Martian sol being 39 minutes longer than an Earth day, I would have actually woken up a few minutes early if it were the real thing! Breakfast was quick and informal… the crew tends to cook their more ambitious meals in the afternoon. We had a quick 100cameras module led by HSO Koi, which gave us the action to take photo later today on EVA that captured certain emotions. I will keep you posted as I learn what these emotions are and how they can be measured.
The morning EVA team traveled to Somerville Overlook to perform the first drone operations to view areas beyond what our rovers and feet could navigate. The afternoon EVA team returned to Somerville Overlook to collect rock samples and test Starlink connectivity. It was the first day where we really got to leave the area surrounding the station and feel far away from any other humans. It also gave me great data on rover usage and battery life performance, which is helping us determine which vehicles to use on future EVAs and which can be prioritized for maintenance by Mission Support.
On the afternoon EVA, we got our first glimpse of what Commander Laude calls the Monolith. It is a narrow and tall rock structure far from any of our approved routes. He has seen this Monolith from a distance on previous MDRS missions, and he intends to take various compass heading missions on upcoming EVAs to determine its true location so it can be visited with a drone. I have to admit: I felt the emotion of excitement when I saw this Monolith, our Commander’s white whale.
Meals were exceptionally good today. The team, with much encouragement and affirmation, helped me cook some basic white bread in our breadmaker to make PB&J sandwiches. And then Crew Journalist Saavedra-Buckley put me to shame with some homemade tortillas and burritos. We also kept hydrated, consuming about 40 gallons of water today between drinking, showers, and washing dishes. With a 500 gallon tank, we are on track to have this resource lasting the entire mission.
The comms window opened this evening at 7 PM, and the team dedicated the rest of the evening to daily reports and sharing photos amongst the crew. It’s interesting to know that the distance between Mars and Earth is only about 4 light minutes currently, so Earth seems much closer to us than normal (its distance ranges from 3 to 22 light minutes). However, as I drift off to sleep, it’s comforting to know Crew 315 is in a cozy habitat on another world, ready for Sol 4 after a few hours (and 39 minutes!) of sleep.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will begin to perform more ambitious EVAs, traveling to Green Mars View and Sea of Shells. The Crew Artist will focus on sketches instead of participating in an EVA, and the HSO has a meeting with NASA in the afternoon for her projects outside of the analog. The soil desiccant and 3D scanning projects’ work will continue in the science dome, when those project owners are not out on EVA.
Anomalies in work: Rovers Perseverance and Curiosity needs work – detailed in the Operations report.
Weather: Weather has been similar all days so far, and today was no exception. Highs up to 80 degrees F, with lows in the 40s F. The morning is clear with low winds, and the afternoons become partly cloudy with winds around 15 mph and gusting up to 25 mph. The nights have been partly cloudy as well. This requires us to perform drone-based EVAs in the morning and other EVAs in the afternoon.
Crew Physical Status: All Crew Members Healthy
EVA:
· EVA 7: Commander Laude and HSO Koi will travel to Sea of Shells via Perseverance Rover to perform some drone tests and potentially take a measurement to determine the Monolith’s location.
· EVA 8: Engineer Andrews and Journalist Saavedra-Buckley will travel to Green Mars View via Opportunity Rover to test Starlink and take more soil samples.
Reports to be filed: 2 EVA Requests, 2 EVA Reports, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Journalist Report, Crew Photos
Support Requested: We would like to have an earlier comms window tomorrow to support HSO Koi’s virtual meeting with NASA. Requesting to turn on station Starlink from 1500 to 2200 and keep the comms window at 1900 to 2200.