Category: EVA Report

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.

Crew 315 EVA Report 27-04-2025

EVA # 12

Author: David Laude

Purpose of EVA: Into Lith Canyon area to access higher vantage point on ridge to view the Monolith as seen by Commander in previous missions. This is needed as a final compass reading for triangulation of it.

Start time: 0932

End time: 1225

Narrative: We arrived at closet point to ridge we wanted to access and hiked up to top. The Monolith was in view. Sometimes it was barely visible, blending into back ground color while other times black. Took azimuth reading, 303 degrees magnetic, and the last we need to triangulate position on map. We also found Monolith ceremonial artifacts or so it seems! We found three short (2-3 feet) purposely erected vertical stone monoliths along the ridge line where the Monolith is easily seen.

Destination: Lith Canyon:

Coordinates: 4257000N, 519000W

Participants: David Laude (Commander) and Michael Andrews (Engineer)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Exit MDRS onto Cow Dung Road, then take a left to head North. We will proceed until Lith Canyon side road on left.

Mode of travel: Curiosity and foot.

Crew 314 EVA Report 10-04-2025

EVA #6

Author : Odile Hilgers

Purpose of EVA: The primary objective of tomorrow’s EVA is to conduct essential equipment checks at the intersection of Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road. Subsequently, we will discover some new area, known as Candor Chasma. We will park our rovers at Compass Rock, and walk from this point. The goal of the walk is to enter the canyon and advance approximately one mile beyond the rover parking point to conduct further observation and terrain assessment.

Start time: 9:32 am

End time : 11:12 am

Narrative :

Minor change in this morning’s EVA crew: Batoul Tani had a scientific emergency related to her own experiment and couldn’t participate in the EVA.

The crew left the Hab on time this morning. The team was split in two, with Arnaud acting as EVA leader for the day. He took Curiosity, while Béatrice and Antoine took Opportunity (Spirit is still out of use due to a battery charging issue, which explains the change from yesterday’s EVA plan). Béatrice was driving.

They made a first stop at the intersection of Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road, after taking Moonwalk Road out of the MDRS. They checked Antoine’s equipment—no issues to report.

They continued to Compass Rock, where they planned to leave their rovers for the day. At one point, there was a brief concern due to a miscommunication: Mission Support thought the EVA team might be stuck somewhere. Fortunately, the situation was quickly clarified, and the mission could proceed.

The team made a brief stop along Galileo Road without leaving the rover. CapCom and the EVA leader attempted to communicate, but the signal was very poor. A change in leadership was made, with Béatrice becoming the new EVA leader.

Their actual position differed from the one initially planned, so they proceeded a bit further and finally reached Compass Rock at 10:15. There, they discussed the map and the route they would follow through the canyon, and left the rover at 10:25.

Due to very poor signal in Candor Chasma, we had no contact with the EVA team while they were walking.

They reestablished communication with CapCom at 10:53, informing us they were exiting the canyon.

On the way back, Antoine drove Curiosity solo, while Arnaud drove Opportunity with Béatrice as passenger. They returned safely to the Hab and even had the chance to admire some lizards along the way.

Destination: Candor Chasma (and with the rovers Compass Rock)

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84):

Intersection Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road : 4252250N, 519000W.

Candor Chasma, parking the rovers at Compass Rock : 4252000N, 520000W.

Participants: Béatrice Hollander (commander), Antoine Dubois (Engineer), Arnaud de Wergifosse (Executive Officer).

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: MoonWalk Road, Cow Dung Road 01110, then turning on Galileo Road 11004.

Mode of travel : Driving and walking

Crew 314 EVA Report 11-04-2025

EVA # 7

Author: Béatrice Hollander (Crew Commander)

Purpose of EVA: The crew will travel between two locations to collect different soil samples for the GreenHab. Bérengère will examine the soil composition, specifically looking for the presence of fungi. On the way back, they’ll stop at the intersection of Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road to check Antoine’s equipment.

Start time: 9h26

End time: 11h47

Narrative:

The crew left the Hab on time this morning. After a 5-minute decompression, the EVA team exited the airlock at 9:31. Batoul was at the wheel of Curiosity, with Odile as her passenger, while Bérengère drove Opportunity, accompanied by Antoine.

At 9:42, they drove past Cowboy Corner, continuing smoothly toward their first destination. Just before reaching the Special Region, around 9:55, they made a stop to confirm their path and attempted to contact CapCom for guidance. However, the signal was very poor at that point, and they were unable to establish communication.

Fortunately, upon arrival at the Special Region around 10:05, the signal improved. There, the team took the opportunity to collect two soil samples for Bérengère’s experiment.

At 10:47, the team decided to head back to the rovers to proceed to their next waypoint, staying mindful of the time and battery levels. By 10:59, they reached the intersection of Brahe and Cow Dung Road. With Opportunity’s battery at 58%, they made the decision to skip the Overlook and continue directly to the intersection of Cow Dung and Galileo Road.

On the way, the team made a quick stop to retrieve a piece of the camera that had fallen from one of the rovers. They then continued to their planned stop at the intersection of Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road to inspect Antoine’s equipment, which had been left there for his experiment, arriving at 11:15. With the extra time saved from skipping the Overlook point, they chose to deploy the drone for additional data collection.

By 11:34, they began their return journey to the Hab, with a switch in drivers: Odile took over Curiosity with Batoul as passenger, while Antoine drove Opportunity, this time with Bérengère as his passenger.

The rovers were parked back at the MDRS at 11:41, and the team collected their data. Decompression began at 11:42 and was completed by 11:47, successfully concluding the EVA.

Destination: The furthest point of the EVA is the Special Region, near Gateway Lith, then they will head west to make a second major stop at Overlook.

Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84):

First stop : Special region (518500N, 4256000W)

Second stop : Overlook, at the intersection of Brahe Hwy 1572 and Copernic US Hwy 1575 (516000N, 4254500W).

Third stop : Intersection Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road (4252250N, 519000W)

Participants: Batoul Tani (Journalist), Antoine Dubois (Engineer), Bérengère Bastogne (Greenhab), Odile Hilgers (HSO)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: The crew went on Moonwalk Road, then continued on Cow Dung Road 0110. From there, they took the road leading to the Special Region. After reaching this point, they took Brahe Highway 1572 toward Overlook. Finally, they returned to the MDRS via Cow Dung Road 0110.

Mode of travel: Driving and walking

Crew 314 EVA Report 12-04-2025
EVA # 8
Author: Bérengère Bastogne (Greenhab Officer)
Purpose of EVA: We will head to the Sea of Shells where we will conduct a drone exploration and use the hammer to search for fossils. On the return journey, we will also stop at the intersection of Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road to inspect Antoine’s equipment.
At those two stops, the crew will stay within 1 mile from the rovers.
Destination: The furthest point of the EVA will be the Sea of Shells. We will then head back at the MDRS to make a second stop at the intersection of Galileo and Cow Dung Road.
Start time: 9:30am
End time: 11:32am
Narrative:
Today’s EVA was carried out under hotter weather conditions compared to previous sols and some wind (around 15mph wind gusts). The crew departed the Hab at 09:44 with two rovers, heading toward the Sea Shells region to continue geological sampling.
At 09:52, the team passed Cowboy Corner and reached the intersection with Brahe Highway at approximately 10:00. At that point, the communication signal was extremely weak, and the team was unable to establish contact with CapCom.
By 10:10, the EVA team arrived at the Sea Shells site. Although the signal improved briefly, the area’s terrain quickly descended, resulting in another loss of signal. The team proceeded with their sampling task despite this challenge.
At 10:27, wind conditions were recorded: gusts reaching 16 mph with a steady wind of 4 mph coming from the west. The crew completed their work and began the return to the rovers at 10:56, but they were not able to fly the drone given the high winds.
They reached Brahe Highway again at 11:01, where communication was re-established. By 11:07, they returned to Cow Dung Road. A driver switch took place: Odile and Béa took over for the next leg of the journey.
The crew arrived at the site of Antoine’s experiment at 11:16 to perform a brief inspection. After a short stop, they returned to the rovers at 11:20 and switched drivers once again, this time Louis and Béa taking the wheel.
The EVA concluded with the rovers returning to the MDRS at 11:24. Decompression procedures were initiated immediately upon arrival and completed by 11:32.
This EVA allowed for critical fieldwork in multiple locations despite some signal challenges. The efficient management of time and logistics ensured the mission goals were achieved safely and effectively.
Destination: The furthest point of the EVA will be the Sea of Shells. We will then head back at the MDRS to make a second stop at the intersection of Galileo and Cow Dung Road.
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84):
First stop : Sea of Shells (4255500N,516500W)
Second stop : Intersection Galileo Road and Cow Dung Road (4252250N, 519000W)
Participants: Antoine Dubois (Engineer), Béatrice Hollander (Commander), Odile Hilgers (HSO), Louis Baltus (Astronomer)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: The EVA will begin on Moonwalk Road, then proceed along Cow Dung Road 0110. From there, we will follow Brahe Highway to the Overlook, and then take Copernicus 1575 Highway to reach the Sea of Shells. For the return trip to the MDRS, we will retrace the same route in reverse.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking