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