Category: Journalist Report

Sol 14 – Halfway through

“The boys would hike far out into the Martian country. They carried odorous paper bags into which from time to time upon the long walk they would insert their noses to inhale the rich smell of the ham and mayonnaised pickles.”

– Chapter 14 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

With the sun shining this bright and taking advantage of our rest day, we could almost have gone out for a picnic EVA! Today, we took a break from our daily routine to clean the station, sleep in a little, and take it slow to recharge our batteries. We took time to tell jokes and play a guessing game after lunch, before everyone returned to their activities. On a sidenote, Alice and I had been waiting for this moment for a few days: halfway through the mission, we washed our hair! We came back to the Upper Deck delightfully light-headed, and with smiles on our faces.

The atmosphere was more studious and quieter than last week: some played chess, finished a jigsaw puzzle, cooked, or started preparing for week 3 of the mission. Quentin and I worked for most of the day on the mid-rotation video, which we are anxious to share tonight!
It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through our mission. Having spent so much time preparing and seeing it go by so quickly is a bit nerve-racking. We have all had different ways of experiencing the MDRS for the past two weeks, and it’s been very interesting to discuss our outlooks for the next two!

Sol 13 – Field Day for Crew 275

“And in certain houses you heard the hard clatter of a typewriter, the novelist at work; or the scratch

of a pen, the poet at work; or no sound at all, the former beachcomber at work.”

– Chapter 13 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

… or the clatter of a keyboard, the journalist at work! I thought that today, I might take up the beginning of this report to mention what constitutes a significant amount of my time at MDRS. I love that I get to follow and observe each crew member in their assigned work and experiments, as well as participate in their research and lead my own. I am lucky enough to be able to balance out scientific work with more “artistic” activities: taking and editing photos of my crewmates, and doing what I love most, writing.

Today there were many opportunities to take great pictures, as I participated in the first geology EVA of the mission! Alice, our EVA leader, took Adrien, Jérémy, and I to Kissing Camel Ridge, just South of the MDRS. After exploring the area for a short while, Alice gave us instructions to draw the area we explored so that we could make note of where we had collected samples. She showed us how to choose rock samples and test them with the MetMet before collecting them. This instrument allows geologists to test the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity of rocks directly in the field; this way, one can determine the value of potential samples before even beginning to collect them.

It felt great to go a bit further away from the Hab than usual and see different landscapes, and also have new EVA objectives! The latter having been achieved, we also had a lot of fun joking with each other over the radio as we were collecting the samples. Weary but happy about our outing, we brushed off our dusty knees and returned to the Hab to a great meal prepared by Corentin. Quentin tried making bread, not quite up to his expectations…

After lunch, Jérémy started taking some time to speak individually with each of us, to check on how everyone is doing now that we have almost reached mid-rotation. Quentin also started implementing the location tracking system in the Hab to test it out before it is deployed in the entire station. In the end, there will be 10 integrated circuit boards we call “anchors” dispatched everywhere in the station, and each crew member will also wear one at all times (these we call “tags”). Every 10 seconds, the anchors and tags will “communicate” with each other and the distance between them will be saved to a database. This way, we will be able to know how much time crew members spend in different types of environments (bright or dark, noisy or calm, crowded or not, etc.) thanks to the environmental sensors. Of course, this data will be anonymized!

Coupled with the physiological and cognitive data we have been collecting, the researcher with whom we are working at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology, will be able to analyze how the architecture and environment of the station has affected our work, our health and our mental state.

We are all looking forward to an evening full of laughs, and most importantly, a restful night.

Sol 12 – When stomachs are full, hearts are too

“Mars could do nothing to them, for they were bred to plains and prairies as open as the Martian fields. They came and made things a little less empty, so that others would find courage to follow.”

– Chapter 12 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

“HabCom, for the record, I have never seen a smile so wide on Alexandre’s face!”

I was sorting the first photos of the day sitting at the Hab table, when I overheard the radio communication between Alice, our HabCom, and Quentin, out on EVA to deploy the weather station, MegaAres and LOAC once and for all (fingers crossed!). MegaAres is finally fully functional! Up until now, Mars had not brought us much luck: MegaAres had to be retrieved for repairs, we had to remove the LOAC because of the rain, and the weather station was knocked out by the wind. Today, all instruments are fully deployed and operational! Even the field mill, an instrument designed to measure the electric field around the weather station, which was left uninstalled because of cabling issues, is up and running. Alexandre was ecstatic, and did a little dance around the antenna at the end of the EVA.

After lunch, the food and water resupply ships landed not far from the station, and moving between the different modules of the station was temporarily suspended. Corentin and I, stuck in the Science Dome for a little while, talked about how difficult it is to continue communicating with our loved ones, our lives being for the most part disconnected from Earth.

As my heart rate was being monitored for 30 very long minutes for an experiment, and as I stood there doing nothing, I realized once again how deformed our perception of time can be. Mid-rotation is just around the corner, time has gone by much too quickly for my taste, and here I am, 5 minutes into my ECG, feeling like I have been standing there for hours…

Upon returning to the Hab, I was so relieved to see cupboards and cabinets full of food! Watching Alice and Jérémy play catch with cereal boxes was a very endearing sight.

I feel like everyone is feeling a bit weary tonight: Corentin and Jérémy are working on solving a data handling issue, while Alice is feverishly preparing the schedule for the next week, and Quentin is trying to implement a location tracking system, essential to our experiment in partnership with the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology. Nevertheless, we maintain our optimist outlook on the mission and are glad that all atmospheric experiments are finally deployed. Hopefully, Alexandre will have both more time and good weather in the next few weeks to focus on his astronomy project!

To inaugurate our new, freshly off-the counter freeze-dried food stock, Jérémy is preparing a lasagna feast for the whole crew!

Sol 11 – The sweetness of success

« “How do you like Mars, Pop?”

“Fine. Always something new. I made up my mind when I came here last year I wouldn’t expect nothing, nor ask nothing, nor be surprised at nothing.” »

– Chapter 11 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

This morning, we woke up expecting only to be surprised… and we were!

The forecast announced slightly less fierce winds, allowing the third photogrammetry EVA at North Ridge to take place. Beforehand, the exploration team was shown a 3D render of the same area, and given indications on where to find the checkpoints. The experiment was a success! Jérémy and Alexandre found all six checkpoints much faster and more efficiently than the team with the classic 2D map, and had time left on their EVA to explore North Ridge further. They even mentioned that having seen the 3D map, they felt like they had already been to North Ridge before even going on EVA. Alice was HabCom for the first time, and had fun jotting down notes for the EVA crew to read upon their return.

Next week, the same process will be repeated at a different location. Alice and Quentin are aiming higher: more checkpoints to find, a greater search radius, and more complex terrain.

The conditions in which we have been conducting the EchoFinder experiment have also improved! Thanks to Quentin and the researchers from MEDES, we have been able to transfer the software to a more powerful tablet, making it easier to detect the QR cubes and use the Augmented Reality interface. After Quentin and I performed a test run, Adrien and Alexandre were able to run a full ultrasound session which was successful. Meanwhile, I went to battle with my computer to start creating a mid-rotation video using footage from a first-person camera I wore during EVAs and from our Parrot drones. I cannot believe we are nearing mid-rotation… time flies!

The Hab smelled of cake and caramel all day, doing wonders for the crew’s morale: using up the last of our flour and dough mixes, Corentin and Adrien baked a chocolate chip cake and a brioche!

Sol 10 – Wuthering Heights and Rainy Nights

“The rockets came like locusts, swarming and settling in blooms of rosy smoke.”

– – Chapter 10 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Yesterday, I wrote that Mars had spared us from rain… As though summoned, it fell during the night between Sols 9 and 10. Quentin, our crew engineer, the only crew member sleeping in a mezzanine above the Upper Deck, was woken up at 4 in the morning: “The Martian winds were so strong, I thought the Hab roof would be blown away. It was extremely noisy, and instinctively I climbed down the ladder to sleep on the Upper Deck.”

In the morning, a single question was on everyone’s mind: would we be able to go out on EVA to retrieve the LOAC, which we feared had been damaged by the rain, and execute the second phase of the photogrammetry experiment? During breakfast, after our daily workout, we let out a sigh of relief: Mission Support cleared us to exit the Hab and not only retrieve the atmospheric equipment, but to go to North Ridge as planned and conduct the photogrammetry EVA. This would be my first outing as EVA leader.

After depressurizing the airlock, Alice, Corentin and I stepped outside of the Hab, exposing ourselves to the Martian winds. Upon arriving at the MegaAres site, we contacted HabCom to bitterly report that the weather station and LOAC had been toppled by the wind. The PurpleAir atmospheric sensor was also detached from the weather station mast, and mud had infiltrated the electronics compartment. It was decided on the spot to retrieve this instrument as well as the LOAC, which is still operational! The MegaAres mast is also still in its upright position. According to HabCom, a cry of victory resonated in the Upper Deck when I passed on the news.

We then proceeded to North Ridge to begin the second exploration EVA for the photogrammetry experiment. Upon arrival, we noticed the winds were much stronger, accelerating in narrow gullies. This made it very difficult to communicate, with the sound of the wind resonating around our suits and effectively drowning out our radio communications. Radio contact with HabCom was also very choppy and faint. After about 45 minutes on site and having reached 3 of the 6 checkpoints, the wind had become so strong that we were starting to lose balance. We found temporary cover, and after trying to contact the Hab, I decided to terminate the EVA and return for the safety of the crew. I found that removing my spacesuit and warming up besides the Lower Deck heater after a trying outing was the best feeling in the world… After debriefing and drinking tea flavored with fresh mint leaves from the GreenHab, we stayed gathered around the Hab table to simply talk and debate amongst ourselves, taking a necessary break from “MDRS talk”.

By early afternoon, the winds had not waned, effectively cancelling the second EVA of the day, the purpose of which being to reinstall the repaired MegaAres antenna. The whirling and thunder-y sound of the wind was almost inebriating as I stayed in the Upper Deck most of the afternoon.

Some news from the GreenHab: the aquaponic system is nominal, all fishes are still alive and well, and the plants are steadily growing. Adrien is performing daily tests on the water, checking for excesses of any substances that could deregulate the system and affect the health of the plants and fishes.

Quentin is also proud to announce that all environmental sensors are deployed within the station and operational! They will provide additional data for our human factors experiments, and be used to test an AI developed by CNES, SPooN, and students from ISAE-Supaero. AI4U, whose protocols Alexandre has started testing in the last few days, is an AI designed to assist astronauts in their tasks, which we will specifically use to assist us during mock emergency protocols.

All crew members having gathered around the dining table for the Comms window, we laughed as we speculated on what Mars could throw at us next… clearly, he still has surprises in store for us!

Sol 9 – Aluminum foil and zip ties are an astronaut’s best friends

“The rain fell. The great black lid of sky cracked in six powdery blue chips, like a marvelous crackled glaze, and rushed down. He saw ten billion rain crystals, hesitating long enough to be photographed by the electrical display. Then darkness and water.”

– – Chapter 9 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

If not a green morning, let us have a red one! The colors of the sky over the Martian hills were especially beautiful when we awoke and started our day. Our upper body muscles being sore from Sol 7, Corentin had prepared a leg workout for us to do in the Lower Deck. The objective of this morning’s EVA was to perform more tests and retrieve the MegaAres antenna, as well as placing the last atmospheric physics experiment, the LOAC (Light Optical Aerosol Counter). Everything went very smoothly: the situation with MegaAres wasn’t as bad as we initially thought, and Alexandre has already found a solution to fix the conductivity problem using aluminum foil. After deploying the aerosol counter, we had some time left to briefly explore the area and take some pictures. I feel like I am gradually getting used to moving around in my spacesuit and using tools during EVAs; we know which movements can be impeded, what communications problems can arise and how to solve these problems effectively.

After we returned, we noticed a change in the Hab. Something was off, the Hab was unusually noisy. We quickly realized it was the wind blowing and whistling around the Hab, carrying with it heavy cloud coverage. Alexandre started constantly checking the weather station, afraid the humidity levels would rise, effectively damaging the newly installed LOAC. Today’s quote, taken from the chapter titled “The Green Morning”, in which the protagonist witnesses heavy rainfall followed by the overnight sprouting of a thousand trees, is Alexandre’s greatest nightmare…

Today, we also started taking the cognitive assessment tests as part of the KTHitecture experiment. All crew members are given a series of psychometric tasks designed to see how our concentration, cognition and performance evolve during the mission and are affected by the different environments of the station: this is why you might see us taking the test in places such as the Science Dome, the Hab, and even the GreenHab. Alice and Quentin also prepared Corentin and I for tomorrow’s photogrammetry experiment: we were given a 2D map of North Ridge and a scenario to contextualize the exploration EVA, both of which we had one hour to study.

As the evening progressed, the wind started blowing harder and harder, to a point where we had to secure the corridor tarps and both airlocks to make sure they didn’t get blown away. Mars has hit Crew 275 with everything it had: snowfall, a penetrating cold that nearly got the best of our heating and alarm systems, and high-speed winds. Everything, except for rain… at least, not until now.

Sol 8 – Exploring the 8th continent

“The men of Earth came to Mars. They came because they were afraid or unafraid, because they were happy or unhappy, because they felt like Pilgrims or did not feel like Pilgrims. There was a reason for each man.”

– – Chapter 8 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

The members of today’s EVA crew definitely felt like explorers, if not pilgrims, unafraid to take on an unexplored Martian area! We were very excited this morning to launch the photogrammetry experiment by sending out the first of six EVA crews. Alice, the EVA leader, followed by Quentin and Adrien, headed out to North Ridge to begin 3D-mapping a specific area for other EVA crews to visit later during the mission. The objective is to compare how performance during an EVA (for example, how fast an astronaut can find a designated spot in unknown Martian terrain) is affected by showing the crew members a 3D map of the area beforehand. After today’s “reconnaissance EVA”, two other crews will go to the same location: one will have been given a 3D-map generated thanks to drone imagery, and another will only be given a 2D map. After arriving on-site, the crew members had to immerse themselves in the space to determine the best place from which to launch our Parrot drone. It was then flown over the chosen area by Quentin while Alice decided which spots would be the target areas for the next crew.

Since I will be part of the next EVA returning to the same location, I was therefore not allowed to see the photogrammetry render for myself, but was told it turned out amazing! Quentin was surprised to see that the generated map extended far wider than expected, beyond the area actually explored by the astronauts. The landscape is well-defined, with all rocks more than a meter high detected and rendered with great precision.

This EVA’s other objectives were also completed: Alice gathered some samples for her geology experiment, and the crew ran some more tests on MegaAres and retrieved data from the weather station before heading to North Ridge. In sum, apart from a few communication issues, the EVA was successful!

After debriefing the EVA during lunch, Alexandre reviewed the schedule to find time to solve a problem with MegaAres: after today’s tests, it was confirmed that part of the metallic sphere is not connected to the rest of the electrical circuit; tomorrow morning’s EVA will be necessary to retrieve the spherical part of the antenna to “debug it”.

It felt good to find ourselves all working together in the Upper Deck of the Hab as the afternoon progressed; I feel like we are becoming more and more accustomed to life as a crew, and considering each other as team members and co-workers, but also as friends.

Sol 7 – Winter is over, time for a Spring cleanup!

« “We won’t ruin Mars,” said the captain. “It’s too big and too good.”

“You think not? We Earth Men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things.” »

– Chapter 7 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

After dancing, laughing, and singing our hearts out and playing card games over hot chocolate on the night of Sol 6, we allowed ourselves to sleep until 8:30 on this beautiful Sunday morning. Corentin had prepared an intense workout session to drain us completely and give us a fresh start for the incoming week. We had a lot of fun pushing ourselves close to and beyond our limits for activities such as push-ups, squats and pull-ups; it had been a while since our last truly exhausting and body-resetting workout.

Sunday at MDRS also rhymes with cleaning: after eating freshly baked pancakes for breakfast, we were set on giving the Hab a real makeover. After two very technical EVAs, the Lower Deck was in need of tidying, and the Upper Deck’s kitchen top gave us the opportunity to complete the second workout of the day. We were very proud to have used only 4 liters of water to do the dishes today, given the number of pots and pans left uncleaned after last night’s dinner and the pancakes! Since the beginning of the mission, we have managed to keep our water consumption relatively low, using about 8 liters per day per crewmember (compared to about 150 for the average American!). By 3pm, the Hab looked like it was brand new. Afterwards, Quentin and Alexandre played chess, Alice set her mind to making a new jump rope for our morning workouts, and Corentin and Jérémy installed two flags in the Hab: The United Nations flag and the flag of Humanity. Next to the latter, we placed the whiteboard on which we’ve been writing down quotes for the entire crew to read since the beginning of the mission. Today’s quote read: “Dreams are not what you have when you sleep. The true dreams are the ones that don’t let you sleep.” Food for thought!

In the unusually quiet Upper Deck of the Hab, with only a few muffled voices and music coming from our rooms, Alexandre stood looking out of the window and voiced how beautiful Mars was at this hour: a light pink hue tainted the mountains, reverberating on the last lingering patches of snow. It reminded me of what I have temporarily left behind to join in on this month-long mission: a damaged, mistreated, and disrespected Earth. Let this mission and Bradbury’s quote be a reminder to me and to all of us that protecting and healing our planet must be our top priority!

Sol 6 – If the Moon is made of cheese, let Mars be made of brownies…

“He stood looking at the rocket. The ports were open and his crew was streaming out, waving their hands. A crowd of people had gathered, and in and through and among these people the members of the crew were hurrying, talking, laughing, shaking hands. People did little dances. People swarmed.”

– Chapter 6 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

We awoke this morning to a perfectly well-warmed Upper Deck, indicating that the generator had made it through the night and won against the cold! After two days of unusual mornings, we were grateful to go back to our regular schedule, with a full-length workout session devised by our Health and Safety Officer focusing on proprioception, and a smooth daily health check. Jérémy told us tales of his previous missions in Antarctica over breakfast, before getting ready for the weather station EVA. Quentin, Alexandre and Jérémy suited up and headed out with their equipment, took the rovers, and went back to the MegaAres EVA site.

Sitting in the Upper Deck, working as HabCom for today’s EVA crew, I chose today’s quote from The Martian Chronicles in hopes that we would be able to give our EVA crew the proper greeting when they came back to the Hab! With this in mind, Alice prepared a brownie, and Adrien and Corentin returned from the GreenHab to prepare tortillas.

Thanks to Jérémy, Quentin and Alexandre, we now have an up and running weather station. The EVA went smoothly, leaving extra time to run field tests on MegaAres which were mostly successful. We debriefed during lunchtime, before Alice and Jérémy returned to the Science Dome. Alice worked on her project to recreate a 3D geological map using photogrammetry, starting running tests to correctly identify different types of rocks, to then be able to recognize them on the 3D map. “To identify different types of sandstone, you have to look at the grain size,” she explained to me. “I wanted to use the Science Dome microscope to measure them, but had trouble scaling the image I obtained. That will be something to work on next week.”

Meanwhile, in the Hab, Corentin worked on extracting the data from the Polar chest bands we wear at night and during the day. These measure our heartrate and heartrate variability, and also contain an accelerometer to measure our activity. Yesterday, they even allowed us to see how our heart rates were affected by stress related to the power outage. Quentin and Alexandre also had their first EchoFinder session, during which we experienced the same difficulties as yesterday. As I was also in the Hab, I kept switching between touching up photos, trying to capture a timelapse of a Martian sunset and offering them some help.

Tonight, after the com window closes, we plan to celebrate our first week at the MDRS by dancing together and playing some games!

Sol 5 – “Mission Support, we have a problem…”

“He wanted to go to Mars on the rocket. He went down to the rocket field in the early morning and yelled in through the wire fence at the men in uniform that he wanted to go to Mars.”

– Chapter 5 of The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

So, you want to go to Mars? Are you sure?

After a very intense Sol 4, and for some of us, staying up late preparing the weather station for the next EVA, our commander noticed a power outage at 5:27am. As we all began to stir and emerge from our sleep to the sound of the comms radio, we noticed that, like yesterday, the temperature had dropped on the upper and lower decks of the Hab. When the power came back, immediately the propane alarm went off on the Lower Deck. Corentin and Quentin rushed to the RAM to get gas detectors and evaluate the situation. After a careful check of every possible source, they concluded that there was no gas leak, and that the alarm was either deregulated by the extreme temperature, or that when the power went out, the furnace valve was not closed right away, and a small amount of gas was expelled and accumulated close to the Lower Deck floor. While no one was put in danger, it was a very stressful experience. Later in the day, we were even able to retrace the events by looking at the data from the chest bands we wear at night.

Our heartbeats skyrocketed when Jérémy called Mission Support with the Hab radio and when the propane alarm went off. After the power came back, temperatures started to slowly rise again, and we shed some layers. Thank the Martian gods, Adrien’s aquaponic fishes are still alive and well!

Given how our night had been drastically shortened, and because we risked another power outage, we decided to cancel today’s EVA and reschedule it to tomorrow morning. As a result, instead of staying up and starting the day normally, many of us went back to bed… According to our commander, it felt like a Sunday morning at MDRS: some of us sleeping, some working, some cleaning the Hab.

By late morning, it was once again all hands on deck: Adrien in the GreenHab, Quentin working on the environmental sensors, Alice writing an article on meteorites. Today was also official launching day for EchoFinder: Jérémy and I, then Adrien and Corentin took turns being subject and operator, to detect specific, pre-scanned organs during a session at CNES, the French space agency.

After this strange day, we are ready and rested for our rescheduled EVA: building the weather station near the MegaAres antenna. We hope that tonight, the power generator will take its revenge and win the fight against the cold!