May 9, 2025 – Page 6 – Mars Desert Research Station

May 9, 2025

Supplemental Operations Report – April 26th

Date: 4/26/2025
Name of person filing report: David Steinhour
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-Nominal Systems: Crew car. Power system battery, inverters, generator. Robotic observatory. HAB outer shell. Spirit. Director trailer furnace.

Power system: "Solar: The battery bank does not hold charge when sun is down and low on the horizon. Inverter Slave 1 and 2 went offline and do not restart, which limits us to 4kW when on solar.
Main generator has been monitored for oil leaks; minor leaks observed, Moreover, generator is consuming oil because of worn piston rings. Adding oil every day is necessary. Generator is limited to 8kW, see previous reports for details. Engine governor has been replaced, and the threads of one of the governer bolts was stripped and repaired with a heli-coil insert. A new gasket was installed and no further leaks have been observed.

1) Oil, oil filter and air filter changed on 04/11/2025. Hours: 9260.2
2) Current hours – 9400.6"

Propane Readings: "Refilled 4/24
Station Tank: 81%
Director Tank: 82%
Intern Tank: 86%
Generator Tank: 75%"

Water: "Hab Static Tank – 320 gallons
GreenHab – 138 gallons
Outpost tank – 550 gallons"

Rovers: "Sojourner rover used: Yes
Hours: 213.4
Beginning Charge: 100 %
Ending Charge: 100 %
Currently Charging: No
Notes on Rovers: Spirit is not charging. Perseverance’s parking brake was successfully adjusted, but will need new brake pads soon (no more adjustment to do). Curiosity’s battery meter is occasionally lagging behind / updating slowly. Both Perseverance and Curiosity had battery maintenance on 4/24. "

Cars: "Hab Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies.
Crew Car used and why, where: By crew from Grand Junction.
General notes and comments: Crew car driver’s side front ball joint is bad. Low oil pressure is most likely caused by a bad sensor (it does not change due to RPM or temperature like it should)."

Summary of Internet: Nominal
EVA suits and radios: "Suits: Suit #7 is not charging, and it appears to be a problem with the suit itself.
Comms: Nominal.
T-Echo EVA-link: Nominal"
Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why: Nominal
Summary of Hab Operations: Small cracks in the wall of the Hab in the loft area are allowing cold air intrusion. Static tank and pipe heaters unplugged. Thermostat setup for 60F due to warm weather.
Summary of GreenHab Operations: Nominal
Summary of SciDome Operations: Dual split is being turned on during day time for cooling.
Summary of Observatories Operations: Robotic observatory offline.
Summary of RAM Operations: Nominal
Summary of Outpost Operations: Director trailer’s furnace not turning on. Will diagnose and update.
Summary of Health and Safety Issues: Nominal

May 9, 2025

Journalist Report – April 27th

Journalist report sol 7

Each report brings more of the same nouns—rocks, drones, photos, bread, monolith—but even a day off of EVAs for the Journalist can’t prevent strange events from making their way into the report. An early EVA sent our Engineer and Commander out for another Monolith triangulation session with various compasses; beyond getting more information, they also found small Monolith-like rocks near their perch. Whether those were offerings, representations, or offspring, we’re not sure. Our Engineer went on a second EVA with our HSO in the afternoon. It was a journey in high winds during the traveling portions. The goal was to 3D scan some rocks and take photos, and once up at the Overlook things seemed to stagnate—no “new rocks,” per se, so no scanning—before becoming strange. A van of aliens parked some distance away eventually approached the crew, letting them know their back tire had been stuck in a hard-dirt divot. (This despite their rented van company being called "Escape Camper Vans.") They needed help; conveniently for simulation’s sake, the rovers weren’t enough to haul them out, so Mission Support was called and dispatched. Allegedly the van-life aliens are going to donate to the Mars Society out of gratitude for the haul—someone should keep an eye on this.

The crew Journalist finished some Terran work, set up her soil desiccation project’s lab stage, and prepared a dinner she admittedly was not confident would be good until it was complete: a simple congee with peas and corn, topped with soy-glazed Spam. (While she was worried Spam “Lite” would be inferior to regular Spam, she’s been pleasantly surprised at the dupe.) The HSO had also made our best loaf of bread yet with apples and spices.

After eating, the crew completed their sixth 100cameras module, which revealed more about the broad arcs of our lives. And, for the third day in a row since a kind but firm warning by our Commander, we’ve used a respectable amount of water and should be in the clear by the end of the mission, knock on wood.

We’re realizing that we need to start finishing projects, collecting results, executing final goals for dinners, and preparing to tear down the GreenHab.

May 9, 2025

Sol Summary – April 27th

Crew 315 Sol Summary Report 27-04-2025

Sol: 7

Summary Title: A Sol In The Life

Author’s name: Michael Andrews, Crew Engineer

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

The Phoenix team is now in the second half of their mission on Mars. I have to admit: I am quite excited that the Crew Engineer has been assigned to write the Sol Summary for Crew 315 only on sols that are prime numbers so far. And yes, I will be writing sol 11’s summary as well!

We awoke to egg cups for breakfast. I normally am not a fan of mushrooms (apologies to HSO Koi and Journalist Saavedra-Buckley who have fungi-focused research both on Earth and Mars) but Artist Gagnon found a way to prepare them in a way that even I enjoyed.

The first EVA involved Commander Laude and I taking the off-road path to Lith Canyon and climbing various ridges to get a good view of the Monolith for his project. I had never started watching
2001: A Space Odyssey” until last night after much cajoling from the crew, so I didn’t understand the significance of this object until recently. This additional compass heading would allow us to better triangulate its position and find the best location on our Martian map to approach the Monolith via HSO Kois’ drone. At the end of our EVA, we noticed that several small stone towers had been constructed along the tallest Lith Canyon ridge, which Commander Laude explained as being tributes to the main Monolith to enrich his story. Now I am a man of science and don’t believe in any of that, but I do want to claim credit for their name: Miniliths™.

After a short nap, I geared up for EVA #13 with HSO Koi. We aimed to go to Skyline View, a relatively far area from the MDRS station. It didn’t provide many interesting views or progress on scientific objectives, but it made up for it with an interesting story. The MDRS region is surrounded by public land and we often encounter other humans on Mars that we refer to as “aliens”. At Skyline View, we noticed a van parked in the vicinity and later realized it was stuck in the Martian regolith. The drivers approached us looking for help, and although I knew we didn’t have enough torque to extract them, HSO Koi communicated the issue to CapComm who leveraged Mission Support to help. If I was an alien stranded on Mars, I don’t know if I’d be more relieved to see Crew 315’s Health and Safety Officer and Crew Engineer for rescue.

After another 100camera module, we began reflecting on the day and writing reports. A recent topic of conversation has become our water consumption, as we were originally consuming more than 40 gallons of water per day. Commander Laude gave us some good tips to conserve water, and we have been making significant strides ever since. I, for one, am excited that the crew eagerly awaits figures from my Operations Report.

Speaking of eagerly awaiting, the crew is excited to watch the finale of “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Good night Earth!

Look Ahead Plan: The team will resume their normal rhythm of two EVAs a day, with all crew members participating in the EVAs. We are beginning to close in on the final objectives of our individual projects. GreenHab maintenance tasks are beginning to subside as we prepare the area for teardown. The crew has an impressive collection of delicious leftovers and is starting to determine which meals should be repeated before the end of sim.

Anomalies in work: No serious anomalies, but the Crew Engineer has a collection of small repair projects that don’t impact mission viability that will be addressed in the coming days. These are further detailed in today’s Operations Report.

Weather: Today was our windiest day yet! Temperatures ranged from 56 to 64 F, and skies were consistently cloudy. Winds were southwesterly at 17 mph, gusting up to 32 mph at times. Winds never violated EVA abort criteria, but they were constantly monitored throughout the day.

Crew Physical Status: All members healthy

EVA:

· EVA 12: Commander Laude and Engineer Andrews scaled the ridges at Lith Canyon to take additional compass readings of the Monolith. We also observed multiple mini Monoliths on the ridge that were erected by humans.

· EVA 13: Engineer Andrews and HSO Koi traveled to Skyline View to take rock samples and photos for the Crew Artist. At our EVA location we were approached by tourists in a van that had gotten stuck in the soft sand. We radio’ed Mission Support to intervene.

Reports to be filed: 2 EVA Requests, 2 EVA Reports, GreenHab Report, Operations Report, Journalist Report, Crew Photos

Support Requested: None