Crew Photos – November 5th
Crew Photos – November 5th
Journalist Report – December 20th
Report title: Journalist Report
Crew #: 325Se
Position: Crew Journalist
Report prepared by: Saranya Ravva
Date: 20Dec2025
Sol: 5
Journalist Report Title (if applicable): Settling into Mars Time
Mars Trivia Question, answer at the end of the report:
Why is Mars so cold even during its summer?
Sol 5 began the way Sol 4 ended, wrapped in comfort. Last night closed with hot cocoa and a Martian movie, and for a brief moment it felt blissful. The girls squished together on bean bags, the guys claimed the chairs, and we cozied up in our sleeping bags as if we had all collectively decided that Mars deserved a slow evening. We went to bed close to midnight, and our Commander kindly granted us a later wake-up time of 8:30 a.m.
We woke up to the familiar and emotional tones of Interstellar, one of my favorite soundtracks and part of the music Cesare thoughtfully collected before the mission. The habitat stirred slowly, and we gathered around the living room tables to make the most of the morning communications window, downloading resources and checking anything we might need before the internet disappeared again.
Ellenah shared that she had been dreaming about pancakes ever since we made them earlier in the mission and immediately volunteered to bring them back. Chocolate pancakes made their triumphant return, and we happily surrendered to another round of indulgence. Morgan, Ellenah, and Adrianna pulled up maps and routes, preparing for EVA #6, while the rest of us lingered around the table, soaking in the rare ease of a slower morning.
Suit-up followed soon after. By now, everyone has become efficient at getting into the suits, plugging in radios, syncing GPS units, and running through checklists. Isabella served as HabCom, carefully logging rover numbers and monitoring communications. The EVA team headed out while stories unfolded.
During the EVA, Morgan continued work on his telecommunications project, digging the trench and placing the system before closing it back up. Ellenah focused on her experiment and even managed to take a brief nap inside her suit while waiting for certain tasks to wrap up, a very Mars-specific skill. The team navigated up and down the chasma, covering challenging terrain. Adrianna collected biometric data on her Garmin, continuing her physiological research and quietly adding more data points to a growing dataset.
Back in the habitat, Isabella and I worked on educational outreach materials connected to the Honors College and the Amelia Earhart Leadership Towards Space Careers Program. We are deeply grateful for their support in funding part of our mission and helping make this experience possible. Meanwhile, Cesare put on his chef hat once again and began preparing pizza dough and brioche bread, continuing what might be his most delicious MDRS tradition.
When the EVA team returned, we welcomed them back into the habitat, helping with de-suiting and hearing firsthand about the landscape and the success of the EVA objectives and also surprised them with an inflated baby Yoda that we set in the living room. Today was also hot shower day for the EVA crew, which they seemed to enjoy immensely. Afterwards, everyone took some personal time, and a few well-earned naps followed.
Eventually, the smell of freshly baked pizza pulled us all back to the dining table. Cesare set up a full assembly line of toppings and transformed the dough into five different pizzas, each one better than the last. We ate together, swapping stories and decompressing from another physically demanding day.
I stepped away briefly to the science dome to work on my RPM experiment, which needed reassembly once again as some of the rig components had loosened. Mars continues to teach patience through repetition. Soon after, we regrouped at the table to write reports and reflect while drafting our mid-mission summary. The evening feels calm, productive, and quietly satisfying, and there is hope that we may even squeeze in another movie before the day ends.
Trivia Answer:
Mars remains cold even during its summer because its atmosphere is extremely thin and cannot trap heat effectively, allowing warmth to escape quickly into space.
Sol 5 complete. Mars feels slower now, more familiar, and increasingly like a place we know how to live in.[end]
GreenHab Report – December 20th
Report title: GreenHab Report
Crew #: 325
Position: Green Habitat Officer
Report prepared by: Adrianna Capitola Waterford
Date: 20Dec2025
Sol: 5
Environmental control (fan & heater): Operating
Average temperatures (last 24h): 75
Maximum temperature (last 24h): 87
Minimum temperature (last 24h): 72
Hours of supplemental light: 0
Daily water usage for crops: 1 gal
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: Hydroponics
Water in the Tank (160 gal useful capacity): 157 gallons remaining
Time(s) of watering for crops: 18:30
Changes to crops: More microgreens planted and crop beds have been revived from the previous crew.
Narrative: Hydroponics system is still being monitored.
Harvest: 10 grams of Basil collected for Pizza
Support/supplies needed: None
Astronomy Report – December 20th
[category
astronomy-report]
Report title: Astronomy Report
Crew #: 325
Position: Commander
Report prepared by: Cesare Guariniello
Date: 20Dec2025
Sol: 5
MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY
Robotic Telescope Requested: MDRS-WF
Objects to be Imaged this Evening: Rosette Nebula and IC1396
Images submitted with this report: Horsehead Nebula and Flaming Nebula
Problems Encountered: None
MUSK OBSERVATORY
Solar Features Observed: None
Images submitted with this report:
Problems Encountered: Sky was cloudy all day
EVA Report – January 20th
Report title: EVA Report
Crew #: 325
Position: Scientist
Report prepared by: Ellenah Del Rio
Date: 20dec2025
Sol: 5
EVA #: 6
Purpose of EVA: Setting up solar experiment, High fatigue Garmin experiment, Communication Infrastructure experiment..
Start time: 10:57
End time: 14:22
Narrative: Drove to Compass Rock then hiked 2.6 miles to the location where the communication infrastructure and solar experiment was set up and performed. Explored better locations to conduct experiments. Walked back and drove back to the hab. We hiked a total of 3.5 miles.
Destination per MDRS Map: Candor Chasma.
Destination Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N4252500, E521500.
EVA Participants: Ellenah del Rio (Crew Scientist), Morgan McCoy (Crew Engineer), Adrianna Waterford (GreenHab Officer).
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Driving north on Cow Dung Road, turning east to Galileo Road 1104, park at Compass Rock, then walk into Candor Chasma.
Supplemental Operations Report – December 13th
Date: 12/13/2025
Name of person filing report: Ben Stanley
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-Nominal Systems: Crew car. Power system battery, inverters. Hab outer shell. Robotic observatory. Greenhab environmental sensor.
Power system:
Plan to overhaul inverter/battery system approved. Scheduled for January 2026.
1) 200 hr maintenance (including oil, oil filter, and air filter change) expected on 12/17/2025
2) Current generator hours – 822.1
Propane Readings:
Station Tank: 75%
Director Tank: 75%
Intern Tank: 73%
Generator Tank: 38%
Propane scheduled for 12/16
Water:
Hab Static Tank – 550 gallons (above safety level 130 gallons)
GreenHab – 200 gallons (above safety level 60 gallons)
Outpost tank – 440 gallons
Septic Tanks emptied: No
Rovers:
Sojourner rover used: No
Hours: 221.9
Beginning Charge: 100 %
Ending Charge: _ %
Currently Charging: Yes
Spirit Rover has a contactor issue so will not run, diagnosis in progress
Cars:
Hab Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies
Crew Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies, Grand Junction for crew pickup/drop off
General notes and comments: Crew car driver’s side front ball joint is bad
Summary of Internet: Nominal.
EVA suits and radios:
Suits: Nominal.
Comms: Unable to locate missing chest harness. UC Boulder crew purchasing replacement.
T-Echo EVA-link: Nominal
Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why: Nominal.
Summary of Hab Operations: Toilet valve repair completed 12/14.
Summary of GreenHab Operations: Environmental sensor failed. Unable to reconnect following battery replacement. Planning to replace sensor.
Summary of SciDome Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Observatories Operations: Robotic observatory failing to open. Motors are turning on, but there’s no movement. Planning to fix with help of Cesare and crew.
Summary of RAM Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Outpost Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Health and Safety Issues: Nominal.
Supplemental Operations Report – December 6th
Date: 10/25/2025
Name of person filing report: Ben Stanley
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-Nominal Systems: Crew car. Power system battery, inverters. Hab outer shell. Missing EVA Comms harness. Hab toilet valve.
Power system:
1) 200 hr maintenance (including oil, oil filter, and air filter change) performed on 11/23 at 660 hrs on clock
2) Current generator hours – 699.4.
Propane Readings:
Station Tank: 72%
Director Tank: 82%
Intern Tank: 80%
Generator Tank: 68%
Propane refilled on Tuesday 12/2
Water:
Hab Static Tank – 550 gallons (above safety level 130 gallons)
GreenHab – 200 gallons (above safety level 60 gallons)
Outpost tank – 500 gallons
Septic Tanks emptied: No
Rovers:
Sojourner rover used: No
Hours: 221.9
Beginning Charge: 100 %
Ending Charge: _ %
Currently Charging: Yes
Spirit Rover has a contactor issue so will not run, diagnosis in progress
Cars:
Hab Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies
Crew Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies, Grand Junction for crew pickup/drop off
General notes and comments: Crew car driver’s side front ball joint is bad
Summary of Internet: Nominal.
EVA suits and radios:
Suits: Nominal.
Comms: One EVA comms kit is missing the chest harness. Following up with previous crew to attempt to locate it.
T-Echo EVA-link: Nominal
Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why: Nominal.
Summary of Hab Operations: Toilet valve failure is causing the toilet bowl to keep filling and overflow. Repairs scheduled for 12/13.
Summary of GreenHab Operations: Nominal.
Summary of SciDome Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Observatories Operations: Robotic observatory failing to open. Motors are turning on, but there’s no movement. Working with Peter on next steps.
Summary of RAM Operations: Environmental sensor failed. Replaced battery and operating normally again.
Summary of Outpost Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Health and Safety Issues: Nominal.
Supplemental Operations Report 29Nov2025
[title Supplemental Operations Report – November 29th]
Date: 11/29/2025
Name of person filing report: Anderson Wilder
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-Nominal Systems: Crew car. Power system battery, inverters. Hab outer shell. Spirit Rover
Power system:
1) 200 hr maintenance (including oil, oil filter, and air filter change) performed on 11/23 at 441 hrs on clock
2) Current generator hours – 562.
Propane Readings:
Station Tank: 72%
Director Tank: 49%
Intern Tank: 59%
Generator Tank: 40%
Propane (generator) scheduled for Tuesday 12/2
Water:
Hab Static Tank – 550 gallons (above safety level 130 gallons)
GreenHab – 200 gallons (above safety level 60 gallons)
Outpost tank – 450 gallons
Septic Tanks emptied: Yes on 10/20/2025
Rovers:
Sojourner rover used: Yes (training)
Hours: 221.9
Beginning Charge: 100 %
Ending Charge: _ %
Currently Charging: Yes
Spirit Rover has a contactor issue so will not run, diagnosis in progress
Cars:
Hab Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies
Crew Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies, Grand Junction for crew pickup/drop off
General notes and comments: Crew car driver’s side front ball joint is bad
Summary of Internet: Nominal.
EVA suits and radios:
Suits: Nominal.
Comms: Nominal.
T-Echo EVA-link: Nominal.
Campus:Nominal.
Summary of Hab Operations: Nominal.
Summary of GreenHab Operations: Nominal.
Summary of SciDome Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Observatories Operations: Nominal.
Summary of RAM Operations: Cleaned. Nominal.
Summary of Outpost Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Health and Safety Issues: Nominal.
Supplemental Operations Report 22Nov2025
[title Supplemental Operations Report – November 22nd]
Date: 11/22/2025
Name of person filing report: Anderson Wilder
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-Nominal Systems: Crew car. Power system battery, inverters. HAB outer shell,
Power system:
1) 200 hr maintenance (including oil, oil filter, and air filter change) next expected on 11/23.
2) Current generator hours – 425.
Propane Readings:
Station Tank: 80%
Director Tank: 61%
Intern Tank: 63%
Generator Tank: 78%
Water:
Hab Static Tank – 550 gallons (above safety level 130 gallons)
GreenHab – 200 gallons (above safety level 60 gallons)
Outpost tank – 450 gallons
Septic Tanks emptied: Yes on 10/20/2025
Rovers:
Sojourner rover used: Yes (training)
Hours: 221.7
Beginning Charge: 100 %
Ending Charge: _ %
Currently Charging: Yes
Cars:
Hab Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies
Crew Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies, Grand Junction for crew pick up/supplies.
General notes and comments: Crew car driver’s side front ball joint is bad
Summary of Internet: Nominal.
EVA suits and radios:
Suits: Nominal.
Comms: Nominal.
T-Echo EVA-link: Nominal.
Campus:Nominal.
Summary of Hab Operations: Nominal.
Summary of GreenHab Operations: Nominal.
Summary of SciDome Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Observatories Operations: Robotic observatory failing to open. Motors are turning on, but there’s no movement. Working with Peter on next steps.
Summary of RAM Operations: Cleaned. Nominal.
Summary of Outpost Operations: Nominal.
Summary of Health and Safety Issues: Nominal.
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