Category: EVA Report

Crew 315 EVA Report 01-05-2025

EVA # 20

Author: Michael Andrews

Purpose of EVA: To return rock samples collected at Robert’s Rock Garden for the 3D scanning project and further explore Candor Chasma based on results from EVA 19. At Candor Chasma we searched for more rock samples and performed more drone flight operations.

Start time: 0905

End time: 1150

Narrative: The crew departed the airlock with caught mouse in tow and headed to Robert’s Rock Garden. The last collected rock sample was quickly deposited in the location that it was collected from, and the team headed towards Candor Chasma.

At our destination, HSO Koi released the mouse (affectionately named Remi) in the surrounding environment. He quickly scurried out of sight and we began our hike through the Chasma.

The environment was technical at first to get to the riverbed below, but then quickly became flat and easy to traverse. We traveled down the chasma for about 35 minutes before stopping and heading back. No interesting rock samples were collected, and HSO Koi was not able to get the drone adequate signal for launch.

On the return trip, we stopped at a location above Compass Rock to survey it before exploring it for EVA #21 tomorrow. The team returned mouseless to the airlock at 1150.

Destination: Robert’s Rock Garden and Candor Chasma

Coordinates:

· Robert’s Rock Garden: Easting 518500, Northing 4249500

· Candor Chasma: Easting 520500, Northing 4251500

EVA Participants: Michael Andrews (EVA Lead and Crew Engineer), Urban Koi (HSO), and Elena Saavedra-Buckely (Crew Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Take Cow Dung Road south until reaching Robert’s Rock Garden, then complete first objective. Next, proceed north along Cow Dung Road until Galileo Road, then turn right. Proceed along Galileo Road until reaching Candor Chasma and setting out on foot (due east). To return to MDRS, take Galileo Road north and then Cow Dung Road south.

Mode of travel: Take one rover to the destinations above, then travel no more than 2 kilometers from the rovers on foot at each destination.

Vehicles you will be using: Opportunity and Curiosity

Crew 315 EVA Report 2-05-2025

EVA # 21

Author: David Laude

Purpose of EVA: Take CNBC videographer to Galileo Rd for drone flight demo to Compass Rock followed by visit to Compass rock for 3D rock scan and Starlink transmission of data collected.

Start time: 1432

End time: 16:20

Narrative: We arrived location and set up 3D scanner and drone. Rock scanned and data sent to had via Starlink. Drone flew around Compass Rock and returned. Lucas videoed.

Destination: Compass Rock area

Coordinates: Easting 520050, Northing 4252000

Participants: Laude (Commander), Koi (HSO), Andrews (Engineer), Lucus Milliken (CNBC Videographer)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Exit MDRS onto Cow Dung Road, then take a left to head North. Turn onto Galileo Rd to Compass Rock.

Mode of travel: Curiosity and Perseverance

Crew 315 EVA Report 28-04-2025

EVA # 14

Author: Michael Andrews

Purpose of EVA: The crew was to explore the area surrounding the station and accomplish the following objectives:

· Scanned a rock sample with a constructed shroud out on EVA.

· Crew Artist took photos for more artwork and sketches to be composed post-mission.

· Repaired some tunnel tarp rips from the exterior surface.

Start time: 1010

End time: 1158

Narrative: Crew Artist Gagnon and Engineer Andrews departed the airlock at 1010 and brought their supplies out onto the station porch. Gagnon began looking for suitable rock samples while Andrews began to set up the shroud.

The sampling exercise was mostly successful. The first two scans ran nominally, and the third time took some time to upload and rebuild. During this time, Andrews unplugged the camera from the laptop prematurely, which caused the third scan to build incorrectly. This third scan was meant to capture the bottom surface of the rock, so that surface was not properly captured. The entire exercise took about 40 minutes.

After packing up the 3D scanning supplies, Gagnon and Andrews pivoted to tunnel exterior side repairs. Gagnon mainly held all supplies or braced the ladder while Andrews applied zip ties or duct tape patches. At times where the tunnel tarp was tight, they radio’ed CapComm to press on the tarp to relieve the tension from the inside of the tunnel. The science dome tunnel had the largest gaps, and Gagnon expertly created a weave of duct tape patches to seal this tightly.

The team worked right up to the end of the EVA window on repairs, entering the airlock at 1158.

Destination: Area around Hab

Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84): Easting 518200, Northing 4251000

EVA Participants: Michael Andrews (Crew Engineer and EVA Lead) and Tim Gagnon (Crew Artist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: None, the crew walked around the station, never leaving more than 1 kilometer from the station.

Mode of travel: Walking

Crew 315 EVA Report 28-04-2025

EVA #15

Author: Urban Koi, HSO

Purpose of EVA: (1) Fly drone to a target in the distance (previously set by Commander) from the MDRS Habitat Observatory with no EVA suit via a specific flight pattern and compare performance to the same flight pattern with the EVA suit. (2) Next, drive along Galileo Rd and hike a few meters and pilot drone to capture photography of Compass Rock (360º) as the second component to the joint Commander x HSO’s projects.

Start Time: 1455

End Time: 1540

Narrative: Commander and HSO began their EVA with drone piloting to a target in the distance (previously set by Commander) from the MDRS Habitat Observatory: No EVA suit vs. EVA suit on a specific flight pattern and compared performance to the same flight patterns. Each conducted 5-6 flights with and without EVA suit, for a total of approximately 12 flights (take off and landing). Next, Commander, HSO, and Journalist drove Perseverance and Curiosity to Galileo Road, stopped a few meters before where the drop-off point begins near Compass Rock, and conducted a 360º circle flight path around the Compass Rock formation. Journalist stumbled upon an otherworldly plant with an unusual pod; she and HSO marveled at the strange, yet beautiful plant.

Destination: (1) MDRS Habitat Observatory, (2) Compass Rock

Coordinates: Galileo Rd (4252100N, 519000W)

Participants: David Laude (Commander), Urban Koi (HSO), Elena Saavedra Buckley (Journalist)

Road(s) & Routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung Road, Galileo Road

Mode of Travel: Perseverance + Curiosity (Rovers)

Crew 315 EVA Report 28-04-2025

EVA # 16

Author: Michael Andrews

Purpose of EVA: Hike the footpath to the west of MDRS to look for new rock samples and fly HSO Koi’s drone over a distinguishable landmark for more familiarity.

Start time: 0910

End time: 1038

Narrative: The EVA crew departed the airlock and headed north. At first we did not find the true footpath to Hab Ridge, so we followed the riverbed that provided the firmest dirt and footing. Once we arrived at the North Ridge, we saw the true path to the west and began ascending.

The path was a steady incline and quickly leveled off at the top of the ridge. The team took some photos of the vistas before proceeding south along the ridge. After about 10 minutes of hiking, we reached an overlook directly above MDRS. We took some photos of the station (and CapComm took some photos of us) before heading back.

Along the way, we did not find any new or interesting rock samples to return for scanning, but the crew did find more photos for our 100cameras project. The true path to and from the ridge was followed all the way back to the hab.

Destination: Hab Ridge, from the North Ridge destination on the MDRS map to Kissing Camel Ridge destination

Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84): Easting: 517800, Northing: 4249000 through 4252000

EVA Participants: Michael Andrews (Crew Engineer and EVA Lead), Urban Koi (HSO), Elena Saavedra-Buckley (Crew Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Took the footpath north of MDRS that leads to Hab Ridge, and then proceeded north and south along Hab ridge for about an hour before returning back the footpath to MDRS.

Mode of travel: Walking

Crew 315 EVA Report 28-04-2025

EVA # 17

Author: Elena Saavedra Buckley

Purpose of EVA: To get as close to the Monolith as possible with the drone

Start time: 13:06

End time: 16:33

Narrative: Today’s goal was to get as far as we could with the rovers and as far as we could on foot toward the Monolith, in order to set up the drone for the closest possible shots of the Monolith considering its battery life. After our Commander and Engineer, primarily, had taken multiple compass readings, we knew its general direction. This info took us to an area off Copernicus Highway across from (as one map we have puts it) “Toothy Ridge.” We parked the rovers and walked up, deciding that the signal and elevation would work best. The HSO and Journalist went slightly farther to launch it. The results are great—easily the closest images we’ve captured, and ones that give us a lot more information on how to get closer to it from Goblin State Park.

Destination: Elevated area near Sea of Shells, across from “Toothy Ridge” on Copernicus Highway

Coordinates: 4255500N, 516500W

EVA Participants: David Laude (Commander), Urban Koi (HSO), Elena Saavedra Buckley (Journalist/GreenHab)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Cow Dung onto Brahe Highway past the Overlook, then took the Copernicus 1575 Highway past the Sea of Shells until we reached an area where we walked to reach an elevated area.

Mode of travel: Rover and walking

Crew 315 EVA Report 30-04-2025

EVA # 18

Author: Michael Andrews

Purpose of EVA: Several objectives were completed during this EVA:

· Engineer is to perform a 3D scan of a rock sample and use Starlink to send that file to CapComm.

· Engineer is to return the rocks collected at Somerville Overlook from a previous EVA.

· HSO is to perform more drone flight testing at the Somerville Overook area.

· HSO and Engineer are to explore a footpath into Candor Chasma for future EVAs.

· Artist is to recreate a Apollo golf photo near the station for his art project. Note: Crew Artist Gagnon will not participate in the objectives above but will suit up and exit the airlock for the photo once the HSO and Engineer return.

Start time: 0902

End time: 1140

Narrative: The partial EVA Crew (Andrews and Koi) exited the airlock and proceeded to Somerville Overlook. At the site, Koi set up her drone and Andrews set up his 3D scanning rig and tent.

Koi gathered a suitable rock sample and then took several videos of the surrounding landmarks and Andrews while he was scanning. Andrews plugged in Starlink, calibrated the rig, performed three scans of Koi’s sample (1 geometry, 1 texture, and 1 reoriented texture), aligned them (automatically and manually), and created a 3D mesh of the sample. The entire process took about 45 minutes. The files were uploaded to the crew’s shared Google Drive via Starlink, and the team packed up and headed out.

At Candor Chasma, the pair of crew members explored the area for about 10 minutes. The route taken will make future EVAs to the area easier.

Upon returning to MDRS, Crew Artist Gagnon exited the airlock and joined the crew in some photos. He recreated the Apollo golf photos and videos using an engineer-crafted club and tennis ball. Koi filmed the event via drone, and also took video of the Hab’s exterior for Andrews. The team collectively entered the airlock at 1140 and ended the EVA.

Destination: Somerville Overlook and entrance to Gateway to Candor

Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84):

· Somerville Overlook – Easting 522400, Northing 4253000

· Gateway to Candor – Easting 519800, Northing 4251500

EVA Participants: Michael Andrews (EVA Lead and Crew Engineer), Urban Koi (HSO), and Tim Gagnon (Crew Artist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Exit MDRS onto Cow Dung Road, and proceed north until Galileo Road. After reaching Compass Rock, proceed along Galileo Road all the way until reaching Somerville Overlook. Next the crew will return along Galileo Road until Compass Road, then will proceed down an unmarked road heading south until reaching the Gateway to Candor. Once done walking at this destination, the crew will take Galileo Road west until reaching Cow Dung Road, and then head south along Cow Dung Road until reaching MDRS.

Mode of travel: Take Perseverance rover to the destinations mentioned above and then walk around each area on foot, traveling no more than 1 kilometer from the rover.

Vehicles you will be using (If applicable): Perseverance

Crew 315 EVA Report 30-04-2025

EVA # 19

Author: David Laude

Purpose of EVA: Search for desiccated soil in Candor Chasma

Start time: 13:06

End time: 14:43

Narrative: We took about a 1KM walk into Candor Chasma finding desiccated soils. We didn’t stay long due to anticipated high winds and possible rain.

Destination: Candor Chasma

Coordinates: Easting 519800, Northing 4251500

EVA Participants: David Laude (Commander), Elena Saavedra Buckley (Journalist/GreenHab)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Exit MDRS onto Cow Dung Road. Next the crew will turn on Galileo Road until Compass Rock, then will proceed down an unmarked road heading south until reaching the Gateway to Candor.

Mode of travel: Rover and walking

Crew 315 EVA Report 26-04-2025

EVA # 11

Author: Michael Andrews

Purpose of EVA: We plan to accomplish several objectives on this morning’s EVA before high winds arrive in the afternoon:

· The Engineer will return shells collected from EVA #7 to the Sea of Shells.

· The Engineer will attempt to set up the en situ 3D shroud for future en situ scanning.

· The HSO will operate the drone at various destinations listed below in an attempt to photograph and measure the heading of the monolith from these destinations.

· The Engineer will take several analog compass readings of the Monolith’s location.

· The Journalist may take additional desiccated soils samples at one of the locations below.

Start time: 0840

End time: 1135

Narrative: The EVA crew departed MDRS at 0840 and took two Rovers to Sea of Shells. They stopped at the Red Peaks location that the HSO had seen on a previous EVA and took some photos. Next we traveled to the Sea of Shells to return the shell specimens from our 3D scanning project. After being there only a few minutes, we then proceeded to the Overlook for our remaining objectives.

We stopped about 0.5 kilometers north of Overlook and began to accomplish several objectives in parallel. Engineer Andrews set up Starlink and was able to assemble the 3D scanning shroud in 9 minutes, although it is susceptible to winds over 10 mph and may need weights to anchor it. He also took a manual compass heading of the Monolith’s location and captured the GPS coordinates of the rover location via smartphone. HSO Koi began her drone flight to document the Monolith.

This Overlook-adjacent spot was advantageous, as she was able to fly closer to the Monolith than before. On her first of three battery packs, she determined that reaching the Monolith would be possible with some modifications. However, on the second battery pack attempt, southerly winds provided too much drag against the drone, and it had to perform a forced landing approximately 0.6 kilometers north of our Overlook point. The team repositioned the rovers to the base of the Overlook and set out on a quick hike, spreading out and surveying the landscape for the downed drone. Fortunately, HSO Koi was able to locate the drone within 15 minutes and we returned to the rovers to proceed to our final destination.

The stop at Galileo Road was short: only taking 5 minutes to take a compass heading (which Journalist Saavedra-Buckley confirmed with a Starlink-connected smartphone) and GPS coordinates before returning to MDRS at approximately 1130.

Destination:

· Sea of Shells (and nearby Red Peaks area that HSO has taken photos of)

· Overlook

· Galileo Road (Monolith viewing location)

Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84):

· Sea of Shells: Easting: 516400, Northing: 4255250

· Overlook: Easting: 516000, Northing: 4254500

· Galileo Road: Easting: 519500, Northing: 4252200

Participants: Michael Andrews (EVA Lead and Crew Engineer), Urban Koi (HSO) and Elena Saavedra-Buckley (Crew Journalist)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Left MDRS and travel north along Cow Dung Road until Brahe Hwy. Took a left onto Brahe Hwy until the road ends, then took a right onto Copernicus Hwy. Proceeded along Copernicus Hwy until arriving at Sea of Shells. Once done at that location, headed back south along Copernicus until reaching the fork in the road to stop at Overlook. Once done at that location, traveled east along Brahe Hwy, then south along Cow Dung Road until reaching Galileo Road. Traveled east along Galileo Rd for 0.5 kilometers until reaching the final coordinate. Once done at that location, traveled west along Galileo Rd to Cow Dung Road, then south along Cow Dung Road until reaching MDRS.

Mode of travel: Rovers Perseverance and Curiosity were used to travel to the destinations above, and the EVA team will walk around each site on foot, never traveling more than 1 kilometer away from the rovers.

Crew 315 EVA Report 27-04-2025

EVA # 13

Author: Michael Andrews

Purpose of EVA: Gather rock samples at the Skyline Rim for 3D scanning and attempt to find new views of the Monolith to take compass headings.

Start time: 1400

End time: 1605

Narrative: The EVA crew departed the airlock right on time, aware that high winds could abort the mission at any time. As a result, we promptly departed the station and proceeded to the destination with no delays. HSO Koi snapped photos of the terrain on the way in the passenger seat while Engineer Andrews drove.

As we approached the Overlook, the terrain changed from the red Martian terrain to more of a gray prairie. The road was flat and rolling, allowing us to keep the pedal to the metal. We reached the destination in about 25 minutes and set out on foot.

The Skyline View location is the foot of a cliff face, with several washout areas to explore. Although the area was unique, many of the rocks were similar to those scanned from previous missions, so none were collected. Andrews did take a photo for Crew Artist Gagnon of HSO Koi emulating one of his favorite Apollo paintings.

Upon parking at this site, we did notice a van parked there. At first we attempted to keep our distance, but as we headed back to our rover, one of the Martian “aliens” ran up to us and attempted to communicate. We realized their van was stuck in the soft sand near the cliff face, and they were looking for help. Engineer Andrews assured them that we would send help and gathered their information, and HSO Koi radio’ed CapComm to ask for Mission Support to head over to assist.

With the area fully explored and help on the way, we left the site and returned to the station – entering the airlock at 1605.

Destination: Skyline Rim

Coordinates (use UTM WSG 84): Easting 515400, Northing 4251500

EVA Participants: Michael Andrews (EVA Lead) and Urban Koi (HSO)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Exited MDRS onto Cow Dung Road, then traveled north until reaching Brahe Hwy. Turned left on Brahe Hwy and proceed until reaching Copernicus Hwy, then took another left. Proceeded along Brahe Hwy until Sagan Hwy, then took a left. The road ended at Skyline Rim. The route was repeated in reverse on the return trip.

Mode of travel: Rover was be used to travel to the destination above, and the EVA team walked around each site on foot, never traveling more than 1 kilometer away from the rover.