Category: Journalist Report

Sol 24 – Panic at the Aquaponics

“A toast to all of you; it’s good to be with friends again.”

– Chapter 24 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

The shuttle landed in the night, not far from the Mars Desert Research Station. Alice, Corentin and I stepped out, treading lightly as the gentle Martian gravity welcomed us back. Light burst from the main airlock window; our crew was waiting for us! Waving hands and smiling faces were gathered behind the second airlock door, waiting for the pressure to equalize. When Jérémy let us in, I felt like I was home. I would have hugged them all, if I had had two functioning arms! The crew was reunited once and for all, ready to finish our mission together.

This morning, like every morning, at the beginning of the daily workout, the song Cheerleader came on, and though I desperately wanted to join in, I simply tapped my feet, and smiled at the thought that for the rest of the mission, I could be my team’s very own cheerleader!

Almost everything feels like it is going back to normal: after a few strange and chaotic Sols, we are all managing to ease back into our routine: taking our tests, handling data for our experiments, writing our reports. This makes me think that I have not yet mentioned what has been taking up most of Alice’s time these past few Sols. As crew Scientist, she is responsible for centralizing all the data our experiments produce, from images captured during EchoFinder sessions, to the many daily surveys each crewmember takes. To put it her way: “I don’t do data handling. I do big data handling!”
Throughout the day, we continued testing AI4U, prompting it with an emergency protocol written by Alexandre and Quentin which we aim to start simulating tomorrow: at a random time during the day, an alarm will go off, indicating the depressurization of one of the station’s modules. We will then test whether the AI is useful in getting us organized and helping us execute the emergency procedure!

Yesterday, Jérémy wrote that despite the circumstances, routine operations that keep the station up and running have never ceased taking place. Most notably, Adrien has continuously taken good care of the GreenHab. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, a second fish has ascended to fish-heaven today. Out of the eight fishes originally brought to the MDRS by Adrien, we have lost both Mercury and Jupiter. Our botanist’s hypotheses range from a sudden increase in pH, to the possible emergence of bacteria, to the increasing temperatures in the GreenHab. The investigation is ongoing…

Although accumulated stress, our lack of sleep, and general state of fatigue are starting to take their toll on the crew after more than three weeks on Mars, surprisingly, one thing comes up more and more often in conversations: not wanting to leave…

Sol 23 – Keeping the (space)ship afloat!

“I have good news,” he said. “I have looked at the sky. A rocket is coming to take us all home. It will be here in the early morning.”

– Chapter 23 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Today Jérémy is writing to you, as Marie must focus on her health. Hopefully, she will be back very soon, and in perfect shape, to narrate our chronicles here much better than I will ever do. In the meantime, Alice and Corentin have accompanied her on her way to the Earth, where she can have surgery.

I must say that it was a solemn moment to see them leave, early in the morning, all equipped with their luggage and their determination. As there were only four of us left at the Mars Desert Research Station, I could not help but think about the pioneers of space exploration. Those who ventured into space alone, or on the surface of the Moon with only one fellow crewmember. Alone in front of the Universe, far away from home.

Quentin and Alexandre mentioned how big the station now seemed, as the four of us were gathered on the Upper Deck. Only then did I fully realize that the operations would become slightly more difficult. Indeed, for safety’s sake, we make sure that at least two of us remain in the Hab at all times. Everyone thus had to change their habits, like Adrien who watered the crops earlier than usual so that he could be at the Hab during this morning’s EVA. It was supposed to be a routine activity, as Quentin and I simply had to change the batteries and retrieve the data of our atmospheric instruments. However, even the easiest tasks feel more complex in this context.

This being said, it was also very interesting for everyone to get the opportunity to experience different roles: As both the Commander (myself) and the Executive Officer (Quentin) were in EVA, we gave the responsibility of the station to Alexandre. With the Health & Safety Officer away from the campus, his duties have been handed over to me. And we all gathered our energy to write the requested daily reports.

Replacing some time dedicated to scientific activities with other tasks often feels a bit frustrating, but that’s how it is: we need to keep all the systems running, while ensuring that no useless risk is taken. Onboard the International Space Station, only half of the schedule is dedicated to science, while the rest consists of operational tasks!

When there is already more than enough to keep a crew of seven people busy, one may think that it must be difficult to share this workload between only four crewmembers. However, I think that we have all learnt a lot from each other and ensured that there were enough redundancies so that any subset of four crewmembers would have managed to keep our basic operations up and running. I must say that I feel very proud about this: it is not a success of some individual crewmembers, but a success of the whole team!

During the past few weeks, we often talked about the fact that, when all gathered around the table, we always had the feeling that there were not enough people and that someone was missing. It is a very strange feeling, but we had to count to make sure that the seven of us were actually there. Now I let you imagine how it feels with only four crewmembers left! As it was already dark and I was climbing the stairs towards the Upper Deck, I almost felt the isolation of the old lighthouse keeper. It is quite romantic to see it this way, but it is only one out of many parallels that you can draw between space and the sea, and it is no coincidence that the European module of the International Space Station is called Columbus.

Like sailors at sea, far from the daily stimuli that the world has to offer, we also feel a bit more affected by some events. For instance, in the afternoon we noticed with pain that the leaves of the tomato crops were starting to turn yellow, as the temperature within the GreenHab was reaching about 40°C/100°F. Even worse: the lifeless body of one of our eight fishes was found in the aquaponics system. In such a restricted group, we quickly get attached to the simplest things. I am not sure whether this event would have had such an effect on the Earth. Here, I can ensure you that we will mourn the passing of this poor creature for quite a while! Adrien has tested the water quality to investigate the potential reason behind this unfortunate event. Nothing seems wrong so far, we will keep you posted.

But please let me finish this report on a positive note. As I am writing this, one of our two moons is magnificently rising in the sky, and I just learnt that the surgery of Marie went smoothly. She woke up from anesthesia and will soon take the shuttle back to the station with the two other crewmembers. Only when you lose something important, you truly understand how valuable it is to you. And God knows we missed all of them during this very long day!

Sol 22 – “The last week’s a smooth ride”, they said!

“The Martian mountains lay all around, millions of years old. Starlight glittered on the spires of a little Martian town, no bigger than a game of chess, in the blue hills.”

– Chapter 22 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

I woke up this morning as my crewmates silently and sleepily stepped out of their rooms to take their daily tests and measurements, as I lay on a reclined mattress under the main Hab window. It feels strange not being able to have the same habits as the rest of my crew; as Corentin led them all through the daily workout session, I took advantage of my not being able to participate by taking my role of crew photographer close at heart.

There was no time to waste after breakfast; after being delayed twice, the third and last EVA at Candor Chasma dedicated to the photogrammetry experiment would finally take place this morning! Corentin having replaced me as the third member of the EVA crew, I was assigned the role of HabCom to monitor the EVA from the Hab. It was a quiet morning: after handling the data retrieved from the atmospheric instruments, which the researchers from CNRS are very pleased with, Alexandre played chess with Quentin to the sweet churning sound of the bread-making machine. Meanwhile, Jérémy tested all of AI4U’s functionalities. The objective is to have all crewmembers interact with the AI in order to give detailed feedback to Spoon and CNES, who have created the prototype.

After four hours of exploration, our EVA crew came back home, sweaty, exhausted, but thrilled to have finally collected all the necessary data for the photogrammetry experiment. We enjoyed a long lunch and some off-worldly conversations. It’s amazing to see how close we have become over the past few weeks, despite our differences: every single crewmember is doing their best for this last week to go as smoothly as possible.
In the afternoon, we struggled to keep to a tight schedule. Crewmembers are taking turns using AI4U, and getting their cognitive tests and physiological examinations done. Alice has started comparing the performances of the photogrammetry teams, who are feeling quite competitive…

Tomorrow morning, I’ll be travelling back to Earth with Alice and Corentin, and possibly getting surgery. Jérémy will be writing the reports for the next few Sols, and I can only hope to be back before the mission ends.

In any case, this evening, although bittersweet, will most certainly reflect the team’s spirit during the entire mission: quick with a joke, never sparing with kind words.

Sol 21 – Sunday Slumber

“They all came out and looked at the sky that night. They left their suppers or their washing up or their dressing for the show and they came out upon their now-not-quite-as-new porches and watched the green star of Earth there.”

– – Chapter 21 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Our third Sunday in the MDRS started out as usual: with a little more sleep for the entire crew. After yesterday’s emotional rollercoaster, somewhat rested, we tucked into some more pancakes prepared by Alice. We watched and laughed as she tested AI4U’s joke functionalities; over the past week, Alexandre has continued running tests on the program to help the CNES researchers make the right changes to it, with future space missions in mind.

Our third Sunday in the MDRS continued not exactly as usual: two crewmembers were scheduled to go on an EVA. As Sol 20’s outing was cancelled, the batteries on all atmospheric instruments had not been changed and had been left in the cold; Alexandre had therefore requested a Sunday EVA. Despite the 20 mph winds, which the crew is now used to hear blowing around the station, Alice and Alexandre managed to change all three batteries and retrieve the data. Unfortunately, the LOAC had to be brought home once again to be fixed, as it has not been collecting any data for the past Sol…

With everyone back at the Hab for the afternoon, everything started to feel like a real Sunday at MDRS, and we were glad to have more time to rest after Friday night’s events. Naps were taken, movies were watched, books were read.

Despite not being able to work on his astronomy project due to a malfunctioning robotic observatory, Alexandre has taken up astrophotography. Along with Adrien, he set up a tripod and camera under the glass dome of the observatory to take advantage of the beautiful Martian skies. We have not yet been able to see Earth from up here, we are still actively looking…

Sol 20 – Safety first

“The sail fluttered down, folding unto itself, sighing. The ship stopped. The wind stopped. Travel stopped. Mars stood still as the majestic vessels of the Martians drew around and hesitated over him.”
– Chapter 20 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Writing a journalist’s report with my right arm in a brace and sling isn’t easy…
Last night, I fell in the Upper Deck of the Hab and broke my collarbone. Although I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around what happened, I know that things would have been radically different if the crew and Mission Support had not reacted the way they did: calmly, efficiently and with great care.
The crew truly worked like a dream, Quentin even said it looked like a ballet from afar.
Our Health and Safety Officer, Corentin, and I took a short trip to Earth during the night on an ambulance-starship to go to the hospital, and get my clavicula and shoulder examined. I’m fine, although exhausted and feeling somewhat responsible for disrupting the mission’s plotted course.
As Jérémy and Alice took us back to the Hab, our spirits were lifted by the breathtaking Martian landscapes we went through to return to MDRS. Adrien, Alexandre and Quentin welcomed us back to the MDRS, with anxious smiles, delicious blueberry pancakes, and cookies.
The afternoon was dedicated to resting, as most crewmembers had gotten very little sleep. We’re ready to get back to our daily activities as of tomorrow!
It feels very reassuring to be all together again at the MDRS after twelve very uncertain hours. Although we were all very shaken, I am amazed by our crew’s resilience and high spirits. Words cannot express how thankful I am to be a part of this team.

Sol 19 – Under the Spotlight

“All down the way the pursued and the pursuing, the dream and the dreamers”

– Chapter 19 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

After many Sols spent in the Martian storms, the conditions were ideal for the second photogrammetry EVA at Candor Chasma! The BBC film crew followed them for the first part of the EVA to North Ridge, before returning to the Hab to interview some of the crewmembers. The outing was a success: with only notes taken from the 2D map, Jérémy and Alexandre managed to find all 10 checkpoints in time. They came back to the Hab in time for a delicious lunch: a lentil Dahl prepared by Adrien, and a bowlful of cherry tomatoes from the GreenHab! I also took the time to prepare a batch of bread this morning, while Alice was HabCom and the others were out on EVA. I noticed how calming it was for me to focus on this task while letting my thoughts wander off for a little while, and talking to Alice when communication with the EVA crew was cut off. Moments shared with only one or two other crewmembers are rare, as we are almost always together during meals and after dinner, our only breaks during the day. Only late at night when most of the crew has gone off to sleep, or during moments like the one shared with Alice this morning, can we enjoy one-on-one conversations. I would say it is one of the things I miss the most about Earth!

In the afternoon, I visited Alice in the Science Dome, and she explained to me how she analyzed her rock samples gathered during the last EVA: using a stack of sieves with finer and finer meshes, she can separate the different size of grains present in a sandstone, and weigh the different parts to get an idea of the rocks’ composition. In the GreenHab, Adrien harvested spinach and showed me how well the plants in the aquaponics system had grown! The root system is now four times as dense as in the beginning of the mission. Aquaponics could be an interesting way of envisioning agriculture in space: no dirt is required, the water circulates within a closed loop, and the systems allows crops to be “planted” much closer to each other, optimizing the available space.

Back at the Hab, Corentin had prepared pancakes, and Quentin was analyzing the data from this morning’s EVA, retracing the crew’s steps through the canyon to better compare it with the next EVA, using the 3D maps!

Sol 18 – When space exploration brings philosophy to the table

“It is good to renew one’s wonder,” said the philosopher. “Space travel has again made children of us all.”

– The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

“Alexandre to the Hab, I have arrived at the Observatory.”

When I heard this message over the radio this morning, I instinctively wrote it down in my notebook, for no particular reason other than that I was happy for Alexandre. The Sun was shining, he would be able to spend time in the solar observatory to record footage of our star and program his nighttime observations.

I also felt happy for Alice and Quentin: the Sun was shining, the hills were drying, boding well for tomorrow’s scheduled EVA. As the exploration EVA using the 3D map ended up being rescheduled to Sol 20 due to the weather, tomorrow, Quentin, Jérémy, and Alexandre will be looking for the checkpoints using only the 2D map.

I started preparing lunch while Jérémy and Corentin debriefed the Sociomapping reports received after the first half of the mission. This technique allows to literally “map out” the relationship between crewmembers: Using a series of weekly queries we answer regularly, a 3D map is generated, illustrating how the crew is organized, and how efficient communications are between us.

While Alexandre and Jérémy were preparing their notes, and memorizing paths and caches for tomorrow, Quentin made a discovery: the damaged weather station screen was in fact not needed! By placing a receiver near the Hab window, he was able to “hear” the weather station’s transmissions directly from inside the Hab and receive them on his computer.

Gathered around the Hab table for lunch, as we were rereading some questions sent by journalists about our mission and Martian exploration, we quickly slipped into debate mode: Why go to space? Why explore Mars? Many answers arose. Most of us mentioned science: good use of orbital space can help solve the climate crisis, studying Mars helps us understand our own Earth, even pure scientific curiosity can be a powerful motivator. But some crewmembers also mentioned a reason more difficult to justify, abstract yet almost visceral, even artistic: the desire to explore. Which is why I chose this quote, instead of going through Bradbury’s 18th chronicle as usual:

“‘It is good to renew one’s wonder,’ said the philosopher. ‘Space travel has again made children of us all.’”

Sol 17 – Saving Private LOAC

“Somewhere above, beyond, far off, was the sun.”

– – Chapter 17 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

I think Mars wants us off its turf… we awoke once again to the absurdity of snow in a warm, red desert. Our EVA to Candor Chasma was effectively cancelled, leaving Quentin and Alice, responsible for the photogrammetry experiment, with somewhat of a sinking feeling. Without the perspective of this EVA, it was a bit harder to get ourselves started, but it was quickly decided that we would get ahead and do our morning tasks for Sol 18 in advance. Corentin and Jérémy therefore started an EchoFinder session while Alice took a cognitive test in the Hab.

As the morning advanced and the temperatures rose, the thin layer of snow quickly melted, allowing us to conduct an emergency EVA to save the LOAC, an instrument prone to damage due to humidity, and change the other instruments’ batteries. In less than 30 minutes we were suited up: Alice, Adrien, and I would be guided by Quentin as HabCom, who could also give us technical advice from the Hab. While we managed to change the batteries, retrieve the data and reset the instruments, the field mill could not be rebooted, and the weather station was soaked: the screen stayed blank, no matter how hard I tried… We took the latter back inside the Hab to be inspected, as well as the LOAC.

Over lunch, we discussed our childhood reading habits, a conversation well suited to a rainy day. We were glad to have brought the LOAC back in before it started raining and snowing again by mid-afternoon: Alexandre took good care of him, letting him dry out and delicately brushing off any Martian dust that could have messed with the electronics. Restless as ever, I could not help but keep looking out the window to witness what I could not act upon. While few things are as frustrating to me as not being able to act on a problem, Alice is affected by the weather more than most, as she is in charge of both the photogrammetry and geology EVAs, and has to constantly adapt an already very complex schedule.

On a more positive note, Quentin has written some code to plot the different environmental data as functions of time, to correlate them with our activities within the station. He agreed to explain the graphs included in today’s batch of photos:

“ This is the evolution of 3 environmental parameters (temperature, humidity and light) as a function of time in the five rooms of the MDRS. By linking this information with physiological parameters, researchers can deduce how stressful a particular environment is.

But they can also simply reflect the activity of the Crew members during the day! In rectangle 1, we can see the evolution of the temperature in the GreenHab, which is heated during night. The temperature decreases, until the lower limit is attained, the heater is then switched on, and the temperature increases. And every half hour or so, this cycle is repeated!

In the rectangle 2, we can see the brightness increasing in the Lower Deck (yellow curve): somebody has switched on the light. But even more interesting: the humidity is increasing as well. Indeed, it’s time for our daily workout in the Lower Deck! ”

On this very Earth-like rainy day, I think it’s important to mention our very own “Mission Support” back on Earth. Every day, they work hard so that these very reports may reach their destination. Message from Crew 275 to Crew 293: Thank you for being our link to our home planet, and for occasionally sending in soccer and rugby scores…

Sol 16 – An extraordinary routine

“They began to plan people’s lives and libraries; they began to instruct and push about the very people who had come to Mars to get away from being instructed and ruled and pushed about.”

– Chapter 16 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

When we awoke and found that the Martian desert was once again covered in snow, and having heard the winds howl in the middle of the night, our first reflex was to reach for the binoculars, strategically placed on the main windowsill, from which we could see the atmospheric instruments. We breathed: rocks, tensors, and metal rods hammered into the ground had kept everything upright! There was no need for an emergency EVA.

This morning, we decided to change it up a bit: instead of our usual workout session prepared by Corentin, we relaxed and stretched to the sound of a yoga session brought by Jérémy. Feeling a little bit too relaxed and sleepy afterwards, we put on some music, did some push-ups and just goofed around the Hab. It’s these sparse moments of unbridled fun and laughs that convince me our crew works: no amount of hard work or accumulated stress can prevent us from having a good time all together. In the past few days, the song “Cheerleader” by OMI started coming back more and more often during our morning activities; I think it might end up being Crew 275’s mission song!

In the Upper Deck of the Hab, I watched this morning as crewmembers came and went, to and from different parts of the station, for their cognitive tests, experiments, routine activities, in the Science Dome or Observatory, in pairs or alone. We have definitely settled in a routine, one that we will only realize was extraordinary once we return to Earth!

After eating a delicious focaccia prepared with dill and tomatoes from the GreenHab, Adrien, Quentin, and I went to the Science Dome to prepare our second EVA to Candor Chasma. We had one hour to study the 3D map of the canyon and try to visualize the location of all 10 checkpoints, before we go out on EVA tomorrow. I was surprised to see how differently I worked the problem compared to when I only had the 2D map: because we could “navigate” inside the canyon and see different views of rock formations, Adrien and I started sketching the location of the checkpoints in the order we would find them when exploring the canyon.

By late afternoon, the winds were not too high and the sky was clear enough to open the dome of the solar observatory, and Alexandre was able to observe our Sun for the first time! The telescope is equipped with a Hydrogen-alpha filter, making it possible to look at the Sun’s chromosphere without damaging the eyes. It also allows to see certain phenomena, such as prominences, sunspots, and flares on the solar surface.

Back at the Hab, I saw Quentin working on solving some issues with the location tracking system. Half the crew is now “tagged”, the other half still pending… I am also proud to announce that Crew 275 has the best possible Health and Safety Officer: to help me feel less restless in the evenings, he prepared an entire workout session just for me!

Sol 15 – Cosmic Chasms

“The men on the porch listened. Hearing nothing, they extended their thoughts and their imaginations out and into the surrounding meadows.”

– Chapter 15 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

It’s back to normal for us today, if anything about this mission can be considered “normal”! Corentin got us up and running to start the day with stretching and leg exercises, and we enjoyed breakfast as a crew in the Upper Deck before Alice, Quentin and Corentin had to get ready for the first EVA of the week. The photogrammetry experiment continues! Today’s destination was Candor Chasma, a canyon not far from the station and a place the previous ISAE-Supaero crew had mentioned to us as the best destination for an exploration EVA. The sinuous paths and harsh landscape gave the three of them the opportunity to choose difficult checkpoints to find, which we hope will amplify the added value of the 3D map, compared to its 2D equivalent. After choosing 10 checkpoints, the EVA crew had time to explore Candor Chasma. Thankfully for them, the strong winds we experienced last night dwindled in the early morning, and got stronger after they returned to the Hab, allowing them to use the Parrot drone to 3D-map the canyon. As they ventured out further and further away from the station, Adrien serving as HabCom gradually lost communication with them, and could only “extend his thoughts and imagination” to Candor Chasma with the help of a few bits of radio chatter caught here and there.
While the crew was out on EVA, I visited Alexandre in the observatory. Because of the weather conditions in the past two weeks, very little use of the two MDRS telescopes observatories was made. As the sky gets clearer, Alexandre will be able to start his astronomy project. His objective is to characterize little known asteroids to contribute to an American database. By analyzing the light curve of an asteroid (meaning its luminosity as a function of time), you can deduce some of its characteristics, such as its rotation period, its size, etc. Alexandre’s first observations focused on asteroid Eos. Nevertheless, he was frustrated by the unrelenting wind, as the conditions prevented him from opening the dome of the Musk Observatory and observing the Sun. The observations he had programmed last night were also not performed by the robotic observatory…
In the afternoon, Quentin deployed all the location tracking anchors in the different modules. I toured the station with him as I wore my tag, and he measured the distance between me and the different anchors. Back at the Hab, we checked the data recorded by the trackers, and found that our movements were correlated with it! Quentin is glad to announce that the location tracking system is now fully deployed and operational.
Adrien and Corentin also conducted a large-scale harvest in the GreenHab: dill, spinach and other greens will make our dinner a little more earthly…