Author: jburk

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EVA Report – January 8th

  


Crew 219 EVA Report 08-01-2020 EVA #5 Author: Dave Masaitis Purpose of EVA: Geologic sample collection and monitoring of dust mitigation experiment Start time: 0904 hrs End time: 0931 hrs Narrative: EVA #5 departed the Hab on foot at 0904 hours and moved over to the dust mitigation experiment. R. Raphael made his observations, and the EVA team then moved west to ascend Hab Ridge. By the time the team crested the first set of hills on the way to the ridge, D. Masaitis called a short halt to allow team members some time to allow visor fogging to subside. Within minutes, D. Masaitis was able to make the observation that his helmet’s air vents were misaligned and were only able to defog the very bottom corners of his visor. Given that he was not fully fogged, the team decided to try and continue climbing. Three-quarters of the way up the ridge line, D. Masaitis noted that snow cover and ground conditions would prohibit the whole team from making it up the ridge line with the necessary sampling equipment. He conferred with H. Blackburn, and they decided to abandon the climb in the interests of crew safety. D. Masaitis called N. Hadland at the hab to discuss options. Since a last minute change of sampling location would violate procedure, D. Masaitis made the call to terminate the EVA, and EVA #5 returned to the airlock at 0931 hours. Destination: SW of Hab Ridge Coordinates: 0517500/4250100 Participants: D. Masaitis (CO), A. Perez (ENG), H. Blackburn (LSO), R. Raphael (ASTRO) Roads and routes per MDRS Map: W to Hab Ridge, S on Hab Ridge Rd. to target location 


 Crew 219 EVA Report 08-01-2020


EVA #6


Author: Nathan Hadland


Purpose of EVA: Sample collection for mineralogy project and taking photographs of the optical mount for dust mitigation project


Start time: 1252 hrs


End time: 1449 hrs


Narrative: Under HSO advisement, a personnel change was made in the EVA crew. EVA #6 initiated a 5-minute decompression at 1252 hours and moved out on foot to the vicinity of the Robotic Observatory. After taking photographs of the optical mount setup to check for dust collection, we moved back to Curiosity and Spirit. After reporting SOC and hours, we progressed south along Cow Dung Road. We dismounted the rovers just past Robert’s Rock Garden and moved east on foot along the base of Kissing Camel Ridge E and then north towards Phobos Peak. After reaching an area directly south of the peak, Abdul (GEO) identified a flat site for sample collection. We collected 5 samples in a grid and recorded GPS locations. The EVA crew then headed southwest back to the rovers. Curiosity and Spirit proceeded safely back to the Hab at 1444 hours and the EVA crew successfully pressurized in the air lock at 1449 hours.


Destination: Phobos Peak


Coordinates: 0519500/4250100


Participants: Nathan Hadland (XO), Abdul Elnagdi (GEO), Keith Crisman (HSO), Robinson Raphael (ASTRO)


Roads and routes per MDRS Map: South along Cow Dung Road (0110), parked just south of Robert’s Rock Garden and then proceeded east on foot towards Kissing Camel Ridge E and then north towards Phobos Peak.


Mode of travel: Rovers (Spirit and Curiosity) and foot travel

	


	







		

		
Posted on 
Operations Report – January 8th
	


	
	

		








Operations Report

Crew 219 Operations Report 08-JAN-2020

Sol: 3

Name of person filing report: Alejandro Perez

Non-nominal systems: N/A

Generator: Run

Hours run: 14

From what time last night: 17:00

To what time this morning: 07:00

List of any additional daytime hours when the generator was run: N/A

Solar- SOC% (Before the generator is run at night): 59%

Diesel Reading - 73%

Station Propane Reading- 51%

Ethanol Free Gasoline- N/A

Water (loft tank) (gal) – 50

Water Meter (units)- 0147473,1

Water (static tank) (gal) – 506

Static to loft Pump used – Yes

Water in Green Hab (gal): 200.02

Water in Science Dome (gal): 0

Toilet Tank Emptied – Yes

Diemos rover used: Still in the Work shop

Hours:

Beginning Charge:

End Charge:

Currently Charging:

Sojourner rover used: Assigned to Director

Hours:

Beginning Charge:

End Charge:

Currently Charging:

Spirit Rover used- Yes

EVA #6

Starting Hours: 123.5

Beginning Charge: 100%

Ending Hours: 123.7

Ending Charge: 68%

Opportunity Rover used: Still in workshop

Hours:

Beginning Charge:

Ending Charge:

Currently Charging:

Curiosity Rover used: Yes

EVA #6

Starting Hours: 129.3

Beginning Charge: 100%

Ending Hours: 129.5

Ending Charge: 70%

Notes on Rovers: Opportunity and Deimos off-site for maintenance.

ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3): No

Reason for use:

Oil Added? No

# hours the ATV’s were used today:

Notes on ATVs:

Habcar used and why, where? Used by Outpost team to take Crew car to
the Work shop, refilled with gas.

CrewCar used and why, where? Crew car was brought to the workshop, is
off site, and was refilled.

General Notes and Comments:

Summary of the internet: Nominal

Summary of Suit and Radios: A two- piece helmet had vents that were
stuck aiming downward providing no defogging during EVA #5. The vents
freely rotate within this helmet and cannot be secured. Transformer
for Charging unit 4 is giving very high amperage and voltage exceeding
the limits for the radio batteries. This transformer has been marked
not to be used. Also, during EVA there was a window where EVA radios
were giving a persistent static. The radios are being tested and
troubleshot for any deficiencies in connectivity, battery performance,
and individual radio issues.

Summary of Hab: Pipe froze again today. The heating coil is still
functioning and the pump is still operating properly. The freezing
seems to be in between the exterior wall and the interior wall leading
to the washroom. This was solved using a combined method of warm water
through the feedline, a hair dryer heating the interior and exterior
pipe through the wall.

Summary of Science Dome operations: Nominal

Summary of Ram operations: Nominal

Summary of any observatory issues: Nominal

Summary of Health and safety issues: Nominal

Questions, concerns, and requests to Mission Support: Requesting for
Teflon tape for the loft tank feedline and new insulation for the
Static tank to Loft tank pipe.

	


	







		

		
Posted on 
Journalist Report – January 8th
	


	
	

		
  




Crew 219 08-Jan-2020 Journalist Report

Nathan Hadland, Crew 219 Executive Officer

Sol 3

Here Comes the Sun

White Mars is breathtakingly beautiful and continues to astonish us
with both its magnificent landscapes and interesting science. Today,
the Sun finally came out from behind the clouds briefly and greeted us
across the vast void of 93 million miles for the first time since we
arrived.

Alejandro (ENG) and I share the loft in the Hab, which we have dubbed
“The Penthouse.” We woke up early to treat our crew with blueberry
pancakes before the day’s activities. The rest of the morning was
spent helping with EVA prep. Our EVA’s have been running extremely
smoothly because of the implementation of the Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs) developed by my last MDRS crew, the International
Emerging Space Leaders Crew 205. These are essentially checklists
designed to ensure that the appropriate equipment is operational,
everyone understands the route and purpose of the EVA, and everyone is
healthy and ready to go. Consequently, we never forget equipment and
generally the EVA accomplishes their tasks quicker and more
effectively.

The purpose of both EVAs today were to continue sampling for our
mineralogy survey and collecting data for our biometrics project. We
have been getting extremely interesting data and I am excited to
analyze what we have obtained so far post-mission. I will be taking
the samples we have been collecting to Florida Tech’s X-Ray
Diffractometer (XRD) and will work with the crew geologist to generate
a GIS map of the mineralogical and chemical composition of the MDRS
site.

The first EVA started out smoothly, but Dave’s (CO) helmet almost
immediately started fogging because the vents were not pointed
directly at the visor! Other personnel were having fogging issues too
because of the extreme cold so Dave decided to cancel the EVA and
return to the Hab after taking pictures of the optical mount we set
up. Upon arrival back at the Hab, the crew was warmly greeted with hot
chocolate. The rest of the morning was spent catching up on work in
the lab or laying on the couch and reading.

I was on the second EVA and wow, the landscape was astonishing. After
driving the rovers south, we walked along Kissing Camel towards Phobos
Peak. Along the way, the Sun came out and warmed our backs and started
freeing up additional sites for sampling. We also saw some mysterious
tracks… perhaps some Martian antelope? We got some interesting samples
along the base of the peak and returned back to the Hab. The EVA team
was greeted by cream of mushroom soup and fresh bread prepared by
Hannah, our Lead Science Officer (LSO). I have to commend her on the
food she has been making; every meal has been a treat!

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to continuing to explore this grand
and magnificent environment with two EVAs planned and further analysis
of our samples. Maybe we will see the Sun again tomorrow… 



	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Sol Summary – January 8th
	


	
	

		
  


Crew 219 Sol Summary Report 08-01-2020


Sol: 2


Summary Title: Pancakes, Fresh Bread, Sunshine, and Snow Flurries


Author’s name: Dave Masaitis


Mission Status: Nominal


Sol Activity Summary: Sol 3 began with N. Hadland and A. Perez preparing a delicious pancake breakfast for the crew, followed by the departure and early return of EVA #5. Afterwards, the crew settled into science and maintenance tasks, punctuated by periods of novel reading. By 1230 hours, all hands went below to help EVA#6 prepare for departure. While they were out H. Blackburn baked a couple loaves of fresh bread, which would be summarily consumed after the EVA’s return. The crew spent their time before Comms troubleshooting radios and thawing water pipes (again). In great news, Crew 219 now has well established troubleshooting procedures to keep water flowing from the static tank to the loft tank.


Look Ahead Plan: We look forward to two more sampling EVA’s and will continue maintenance and science work around the campus.


Anomalies in work: None


Weather: Cold and overcast all day, with temperatures below freezing. There was a brief moment of sunshine towards sundown, which was quickly replaced with cloud cover and light snow flurries.


Crew Physical Status: Nominal


EVA:


EVA #5 – Geologic Sample Collection SW of Hab Ridge (0517500/4250100)


EVA #6 – Geologic Sample Collection around Phobos Peak (0519500/4250100)


Reports to be filed:


Sol Summary


EVA Reports 5 & 6


EVA Requests 7 & 8


Operations Report


GreenHab Report


Research Report


Journalist’s Report


Photos (Including Photo of the Day)


Support Requested:


Outpost is tracking current Support Request

	


	







		

		
Posted on 
Journalist Report – January 07th
	


	
	

		
Journalist Report


Robinson Raphael, Crew 219 Astronomer,


Sol 2,


The Two Tales of the EVA


We are slowly adapting to our new life on Mars! The morning was filled with quiet as we were all tired from the past few days of repairs and moving in but slowly, we gained our strength after some coffee and a pleasant breakfast. A big chunk of the day consisted of two EVA’s. Meanwhile, the rest of the day afterward consisted of catching up on work around the Hab and personal time.


The first EVA started at 8am and it consisted of our CO, HSO, LSO, and GHO. The final destination was North Ridge and if time permitted, they had plans to climb it. Given the weather conditions, the crew proceeded with their journey and all things seemed well, right? Nope. A couple of the crewmembers had to deal with a lot fog in the helmets because of the cold! In the end, the crew did reach North Ridge but did not climb because of the fogging and snow cover. Despite all of it, the first EVA crew was rewarded with hot chocolate when they came back!


The second EVA started at 1pm and it consisted of myself, the XO, the engineer, and our geologist. The final destination was Kissing Camel Ridge E and plans were also made to climb to collect samples at different stratifications, if time permitted. This time around, the fogging issue had been solved and the weather was much better. Prior to heading to Kissing Camels, we set up the optical mount setup that I brought with me to MDRS. It was placed between the Musk Observatory and Robotic Observatory and it is marked with a flag that the Geologist and I made. Speaking of our Geologist, he was able to take some sweet photos of the optics mount. You can also see the mount from the MDRS habitat! A beautiful sight to see when people wake up if I do say so myself! After the mount was setup, we proceeded to drive the rovers to Kissing Camels.


Near Kissing Camel, we were able to collect some cool samples, each with their own interesting features. After collecting the samples, we saw that Kissing Camel had lots of area untouched by snow, so we proceeded to climb up the side of the ridge to collect additional samples. The climb went a bit slower than anticipated since it was my first time doing an EVA of this magnitude, but overall, we did what we came to do. In the end, the second EVA crew was also rewarded with hot chocolate, coffee, and an excellent lunch of tuna salad and pasta prepared by our LSO!

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Operations Report – January 07th
	


	
	

		
Crew 219 Operations Report 07-JAN-2020


Sol: 2


Name of person filing report: Alejandro Luis Perez


Non-nominal systems: N/A


Generator: Run


Hours run: 13.5


From what time last night: 17:00


To what time this morning: 06:30


List of any additional daytime hours when the generator was run: N/A


Solar- SOC% (Before the generator is run at night): 49%


Diesel Reading – 74%


Station Propane Reading- 52%


Ethanol Free Gasoline- N/A


Water (loft tank) (gal) – 50


Water Meter (units)- 0147447,5


Water (static tank) (gal) – 526


Static to loft Pump used – Yes


Water in Green Hab (gal): 204.88


Water in Science Dome (gal): 0


Toilet Tank Emptied – No


Diemos rover used: Still in the Work shop


Hours:


Beginning Charge:


End Charge:


Currently Charging:


Sojourner rover used: Assigned to Director


Hours:


Beginning Charge:


End Charge:


Currently Charging:


Spirit Rover used- Yes


EVA #4


Starting Hours: 123.3


Beginning Charge: 100%


Ending Hours: 123.5


Ending Charge: 67%


Opportunity Rover used: Still in workshop


Hours:


Beginning Charge:


Ending Charge:


Currently Charging:


Curiosity Rover used: Yes


EVA #4


Starting Hours: 129.1


Beginning Charge: 100%


Ending Hours: 129.3


Ending Charge: 71 %


Notes on Rovers: Opportunity and Deimos off-site for maintenance.


ATV’s Used: (Honda, 300, 350.1, 350.2, 350.3): No


Reason for use:


Oil Added? No


# hours the ATV’s were used today:


Notes on ATVs:


Habcar used and why, where? Yes, used to fill static tank by Outpost.


CrewCar used and why, where? No


General Notes and Comments:


Summary of the internet: Nominal


Summary of Suit and Radios: Suits #1 and #7 are fully functional, weak air flow from yesterday’s EVA could have been from the low temperatures. Suit #5 does not work. The multimeter was used to see where power is not being transmitted and found that all connection from battery to circuit board are good. However, there is no power being delivered to the fans. Suit #3 has weak air flow coming from both fans even on full power. Battery testing on Suit #3 will be conducted tomorrow. Red Helmet was fixed by securing the head pad back in place using cable ties. The connector has been placed on the helmet missing a connector, however, there is no gasket for this connector. Also, one of the chargers got disconnected from its connector. This was fixed by soldering the cable back to the connector and this charger is working again.


Summary of Hab: Heating strip is working to keep the pipe from the static tank to loft tank from freezing. However, the insulation looks to be falling apart from the cold temperatures. Also, the cable obstructing the fire escape window has been removed and placed inside the RAM.


Summary of Science Dome operations: Nominal


Summary of Ram operations: Nominal


Summary of any observatory issues: Nominal


Summary of Health and safety issues: Nominal


Questions, concerns, and requests to Mission Support: Requesting Teflon tape for the loft tank feedline, new insulation for the Static tank to Loft tank pipe, and gasket for one of the 2 piece helmet connectors.

	


	





		

		
Posted on 
Research Report – January 07th
	


	
	

		
Crew 219 Science Report 07-JAN-20

Crew Science Officer: Hannah Blackburn


1. Biometrics and Neurobehavioral Research


Continued taking sleep and post-EVA logs. Post-EVA biometrics were recorded.


2. UAV


Nothing to report.


3. Dust Mitigation for Optical Mirrors


Optics mount and mirror were placed and marked with high-visibility flag.


4. Astrophotography of Celestial Bodies


Nothing to report.


5. Remediation of Mars Regolith


Regolith samples were placed in petri dishes and left to dry. Algae cells have been counted.


6. Chemical and Mineralogical Composition of the MDRS Site


Samples were taken from North Ridge and Kissing Camel on EVA 3 and 4. Samples were dried in the oven using glass beakers.


7. Protocols for the Discovery of Life on Mars


Samples were taken from North Ridge and Kissing Camel on EVA 3 and 4.


Glassware check out:


10 glass beakers (sizes between 200 and 500 ml) were used to dry regolith samples in the oven, and we will need them for the same purpose tomorrow. One glass pipette was used to measure BG11 media for the regolith remediation project.


Notes and Comments: There are unknown samples in the Science Dome incubator (which is not on) and have been there since the beginning of our sim. They are labeled “CowDung Road Gypsum 12/11” and appear to be a gel-like substance. Picture attached. Please advise on what to do with these samples.

	


	



	
		

	

	





		


		

			

				

	

						
				

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