Category: Operations Report

SOL: 5
Name of person filing report: Scott Dorrington
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS EVA 9
Spirit rover used:
Hours: 242.9
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 38%
Currently charging: No
Opportunity rover used:
Hours: 157.1
Beginning charge: 100
Ending charge: 46%
Currently charging: No
Curiosity rover used: Not used
Perseverance rover used: Not used
General notes on rovers: None
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 22.88 gallons
Water (static tank): 357.22 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): on
Static tank heater (On or off): on
Toilet tank emptied: no
Summary of internet: Nominal during comms window
Summary of suits and radios:
Suit #8 is still stood down out of commission – nuts missing from charging port. Opened up back of suit to see if nuts are in the bottom of suit. Did not find. Tomorrow, will locate new nuts to secure the charging port.
Summary of GreenHab operations:
WATER USE: 6.5 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: Manually turned off at 9:30am. Returned to automatic control.
Harvest: None
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Not used
Dual split: Nominal
Summary of RAM operations: Entered RAM to retrieve replacement toilet seat
Summary of any observatory issues: None
Summary of health and safety issues: None
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
Thank you for the new toilet seat.

Date: 1/28/2024
Name of person filing report: Sergii Iakymov
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-Nominal Systems: Intern trailer toilet.

Power system:
Solar: Nominal.
SOC Last 24 hours: Max 100%; Min 63%; Avg 74%.
VDC Last 24 hours: Max 59.47V; Min 43.08; Avg 51.17V.
Generator run time: 4864.5 hours. Serviced on 01222024, oil changed.

Propane Readings:
Station Tank: 80%
Director Tank: 81%
Intern Tank: 84%
Generator Tank: 69%

Water:
Hab Static Tank – 331.1 gallons
GreenHab – 131 gallons
Outpost tank – 320 gallons
Science Dome – 0 gallons
Septic Tanks emptied: No

Rovers:
Sojourner rover used: No.
Hours: 196.2
Beginning Charge: 100 %
Ending Charge: 100 %
Currently Charging: Yes
Notes on Rovers: All rovers refilled on 01/25/2024. All rear view mirrors removed from rovers. Three of four mirrors got broken by crews by bumping into them with Eva suits helmets.

ATV: ATV’s Used: None. Nothing to report.

Cars:
Hab Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies. Need to be serviced.
Crew Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies.
General notes and comments: N/A.

Summary of Internet: All nominal.
EVA suits and radios: All nominal.
Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why: All nominal.
Summary of Hab Operations: UV lamp in water filter needs to be replaced, pending. Main heater safety switch replacement pending.
Summary of GreenHab Operations: Heater fixed on 10/26/2024. Control board and thermostat wire replaced
Summary of SciDome Operations: All nominal.
Summary of Observatories Operations: Robotic observatory weather stripping has been resealed with new adhesive 01/26/2024.
Summary of RAM Operations: All nominal.
Summary of Outpost Operations: Intern trailer heater needs to be picked up from Grand Junction. Intern trailer toilet water module assembly is leaking, parts ordered.
Summary of Health and Safety Issues: All nominal.

[title Mid-mission Research Report – January 27th]
[category science-report]

Crew 291 – Expedition Boomerang III
Jan 21st – Feb 3rd, 2024
Crew Members:
Commander: Andrew Wheeler
Health and Safety Officer: Steve Hobbs
Crew Scientist: Clare Fletcher
Crew Engineer and Green Hab Officer: Scott Dorrington
Crew Astronomer and Medical support: Rob Hunt
Crew Journalist: Alex Tobal
Crew Projects:
Title: Geological mapping and sensor deploy
Investigators: Andrew Wheeler, Clare Fletcher, Steve Hobbs and Scott Dorrington,
with full-crew participation.
Objectives:The mission objectives are to revisit geologically interesting locations, deploy sensors to characterize mineralogy, locate them in the topography for navigation purposes and characterize the sites for preservation.
Current Status: Two sensors were meant to be deployed and were scheduled for EVA 3. One, a solar logger previously deployed during the FMARS15 mission in July/August 2023, was successfully positioned outside the science dome in view of the panoramic window. The second sensor, an electronic Stevenson Screen with multiple environmental sensors, was unable to be initiated due to circuitry burnout in the secondary battery pack and an, so far untraced, electrical fault in the primary battery pack, has not been deployed at this time.
A robotic rover has been deployed on five occassions to test wheel traction at various slope angles at locations near to and remote from the hab. On two occasions a portable spectrometer was deployed to collect data from various lithologies. There are expected to be more EVAs in support of this project.
The geological boundaries that influence the geomorphology and topography surrounding the MDRS have been visited on six occassions in search of unmapped outcrops of the target rocks and minerals – gypsum, carbonate concretions, fossil beds and horizons containing petrified wood. Previously mapped locations have been revisited and plotted into a GIS for reference by follow on crews. Constraints imposed by the cold weather on the rovers have prevented expeditions to the more remote locations. There are more EVAs planned to support this project.
As part of the geological EVAs, map reading and compass bearings are taken to prominent features that can be viewed from multiple directions. The ability to accurately triangulate position to prominent features is designed to build confidence in non compass navigation as a failsafe/backup to GPS/satellite navigation. More EVAs in support of this project are planned.
EVAs: 11 EVAs have been carried out. EVAs 1 and 2 were training exercises for the whole crew. Three EVAs have been conducted in and around the hab. Three EVAs have been conducted to the south and southeast and three EVAs have been conducted to the north and northeast.
Title: Monitoring Solar activity
Author: Rob Hunt
Objectives: The MDRS solar observatory will be utilized for the daily monitoring of
solar activity.
Current Status: Total cloud cover during the day has prevented the operation of the solar observatory until Sol 6 and this day was spent working through the idiosyncracies.
EVAs: None.
Title: Investigations for establishment of MARS-Oz in Australia.
Author: Alexander Tobal
Objectives: This project is focused on collecting observations of how analogue
astronauts operate under simulated conditions and how the MDRS hab setout
influences operations and if improvements can be incorporated into the MARS-Oz
design.
Current Status: Observations of the activities of the analogue astronauts as they carry out their activities inside and outside the habhave been collated and summarised in a living document and is ongoing.
EVAs: None

SOL: 6
Name of person filing report: Scott Dorrington
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS EVA #10
Curiosity rover used:
Hours: 264.9
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 68%
Currently charging:
Perseverance rover used:
Hours: 282.8
Beginning charge: 99%
Ending charge: 62%
Currently charging: No
ROVERS EVA #11
Spirit rover used:
Hours: 243.4
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 43%
Currently charging: No
Opportunity rover used:
Hours: 157.8
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 51%
Currently charging: No
General notes on rovers: None
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 26.1 gallons
Water (static tank): 331.1 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): on
Static tank heater (On or off): on
Toilet tank emptied: Yes
Summary of internet: Nominal during comms window
Summary of suits and radios:
Suit #8 still stood down. Located some replacement nuts for charging port, but not correct size. Will continue repair tomorrow.
Summary of GreenHab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 5 gallons
Heater: On automatic
Supplemental light: on at 6pm – to be fixed to turn on at 10pm
Harvest: 6g basil, 5g parsley, 1g sag, 17g arugula
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Alex entered to observe crew of EVA #10 upon their return.
Dual split: Nominal
Summary of RAM operations: (Tools used, work done) put notes here
Summary of any observatory issues: See astronomy report
Summary of health and safety issues: None.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
Toilet seat has been replaced. Thank you.
May have follow up questions on the greenhab heater/thermostat in afternoon pending observations.

SOL: 7
Name of person filing report: Scott Dorrington
Non-nominal systems: Hab downstairs wall heater
Notes on non-nominal systems:
At around 18:30pm, the crew upstairs heard a strange sound coming from downstairs (sounded like rushing water). We went downstairs to investigate and smelled gas. We saw that the wall-mounted heater (to the right of the engineering airlock) that the left side of the heating grill was operating normally (glowing red), but the right was not glowing and there was a visible flame behind. Commander Andrew immediately turned the thermostat to the off position as I radioed mission support to advise on the situation. The flame then went out and the rushing sound stopped. We opened the engineering airlock door to vent the gas from the room. No alarms were triggered. The gas heater thermostat is now set to “off” and confirm the pilot light is still burning.
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: Not used
Opportunity rover used: Not used
Curiosity rover used: Not used
Perseverance rover used: Not used
General notes on rovers: None
Summary of Hab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 29.4 gallons
Water (static tank): 301.7 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): on
Static tank heater (On or off): on
Toilet tank emptied: no
Summary of internet: Nominal during comms window
Summary of suits and radios: Nominal. Suit #8 still stood down pending new nuts in charging port.
Summary of GreenHab operations: Heater observed to be working nominally (turning on at 75 F)
WATER USE: 7 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: 10pm – 2am
Harvest: None.
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Not used
Dual split: None
Summary of RAM operations: Not used
Summary of any observatory issues: Not used
Summary of health and safety issues:
Crew Physical Status: HSO – 1 X crew member suffering from gastro and 1 X crew member suffering from migraine. Both members are staying hydrated and undergoing bed rest. HSO has advised wearing gloves in living area to reduce infection transmission plus using the same cups, plates and cutlery.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
Please advise any follow up instructions regarding the downstairs hab gas heater. Should we keep it turned off?

SOL: 2
Name of person filing report: Scott Dorrington + Rob Hunt
Non-nominal systems: Greenhab heater, Toilet holding tank indicator
Notes on non-nominal systems: Toilet holding tank indicator still indicating 2/3 full despite emptying yestersol
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: N/A not used
Hours: (before EVA)
Beginning charge: (Before EVA)
Ending charge: (On return from EVA, before recharging)
Currently charging:
Opportunity rover used: N/A not used
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Curiosity rover used: N/A not used
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Perseverance rover used: N/A not used
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
General notes on rovers:
N/A not used
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 21.2 gal
Water (static tank): 427.5 gal. (depth 9 3/8 inches)
Static tank pipe heater: on
Static tank heater: on
Toilet tank emptied: no
Summary of internet: Nominal during comms window
Summary of suits and radios:
Repair of Suit #7. Noticed screw in back ventilation was loose previous day. Opened back to extract screw – found that washer had fallen through the wood backing, no longer gripping. Located larger washer in RAM to add to existing washer. This allowed screw to be tightened. Suit #7 is now operational.
Summary of GreenHab operations:
WATER USE: 6 gallons
Heater: Heater broken. Space heater on overnight.
Supplemental light: On. Left on all day + night
Harvest: 4g parsley, 9g basil, <1g (3 leaves) of sage
Summary of ScienceDome operations: Entered science dome to investigate textbooks
Dual split: Nominal
Summary of RAM operations:
Rob used RAM to fabricate temporary toad/screed tool for Steve’s EVA 4. Tape supplies were very low to start with. All of about 10 different tapes were near the end. Rob used a few inches from each of several types to construct the tool. Suggest we locate/create inventory.
Scott used RAM to locate washers for Suit #7 repair. Explored RAM to familiarize with available tools.
Summary of any observatory issues: Observatory not used. Laptop was charged overnight from Critical (4%) to full.
Summary of health and safety issues:
Dust from sweeping the downstairs floor irritates team members’ noses and lips.
Using can opener incorrectly can result in razor sharp edges on the cans. Teams should understand this hazard.
Steve and Rob returned quite fatigued from EVA 4 so re-hydration was essential. EVA’s need to ensure hydration is addressed.
Static discharge around Hab was noticed and managed regarding electronics.
Falls hazard identified if standing near top of steps to upper level.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
Associated with EVA requests. If there is a need for extension of an EVA in the vicinity of the hab when rovers aren’t involved, can we authorize an EVA extension request (e.g. additional 20-30 min)?

SOL: 3
Name of person filing report: Rob Hunt + Scott Dorrington
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: Scott EVA #5
Hours: 242.4 (start) – 242.6 (end)
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 66%
Currently charging: No
Opportunity rover used: Alex and Claire EVA #5
Hours: 156.5 (start) – 156.8 (end)
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 69%
Currently charging: No
Curiosity rover used: N/A not used
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
Perseverance rover used: N/A not used
Hours:
Beginning charge:
Ending charge:
Currently charging:
General notes on rovers:
Opportunity – nominal
Spirit – nominal
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 427.5 gal.
Water (static tank): 393.2 gal.
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): On
Static tank heater (On or off): On
Toilet tank emptied: no
Summary of internet: Nominal
Summary of suits and radios:
Donning area negligibly re-arranged for better circulation space during donning and doffing,
Calico ‘head’ covers for suits vary in circumference so they were sorted and number-matched to ensure best fit,
Battery voltage on all suits is now recorded before and after EVAs. This has revealed at least two that lose approx 2V during an EVA. i.e. approx 13.5V to 11.5V.
Two-piece suits
Suits #1 – #6 were checked for structural integrity. Some minor repairs made e.g. loose screws tightened (not overtightened)
Suits #1 – #6 chargers labelled/placed according to suit numbers,
Charger with label #3 missing and charger with label #12 was relabelled.
One-piece suits
Suit #10 – strap-ends tidied with zip-ties to make donning less confusing. This is planned for the other suits,
Suit #11 (small size) – power issue resolved. Problem was the toggle switch which has a ‘neutral’ setting between ‘Off’ and ‘On’. It is the only one of the 11 suits with this type of switch. Best solution is to swap out with same type switch as others. Other solutions might be general team awareness and/or a check list for donning area.
Summary of GreenHab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 6.5 gallons
Heater: Off (broken). Space heater on overnight
Supplemental light: On
Harvest: 14g basil, 21g dill, 38g kale, 57g red cabbage,
Summary of ScienceDome operations: put notes here
Dual split: nominal
Summary of RAM operations:
Collated and photographed existing stock of ‘tape’,
Collated and photographed existing stock of cable ties,
Used 2 x 3” screws to repair door striker on Room 4
Summary of any observatory issues: Observatory not used.
Summary of health and safety issues:
Hazards identified:
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
Rolls of fabric tape, insulation tape, clear packing tape please (see pic of current stock),
Large cable ties please (for the walkway tarp)
Bread knife
2L plastic drink jug
Silicon baking spatula

SOL: 4
Name of person filing report: Scott Dorrington
Non-nominal systems: None
Notes on non-nominal systems: None
ROVERS EVA #7
Spirit rover used:
Hours: 242.6
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 56%
Currently charging: No
Opportunity rover used:
Hours: 156.8
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 58%
Currently charging: No
ROVERS EVA #8
Curiosity rover used:
Hours: 264.5
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 46%
Currently charging: No
Perseverance rover used:
Hours: 282.4
Beginning charge: 99%
Ending charge: 38%
Currently charging: No
General notes on rovers: Mirrors removed previous night.
Summary of Hab operations:
WATER USE: 13.1 gallons
Water (static tank): 380.1 gallons (depth 13 inches)
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): on
Static tank heater (On or off): on
Toilet tank emptied: yes (indicator light has not changed from 2/3 full – visually monitoring)
Summary of internet: Nominal
Summary of suits and radios: Suit #8 was not used today, as it was noted to have two screws loose at the charging port. These came out when one of the crew attempted to remove the power plug. (See pictures before and after repair). I screwed them both back in, but found the top screw would not tighten, just keeps turning. The plug is secured, and can function for plugging and unplugging, but may need extra care and monitoring when plugging/unplugging. We are prepared to stand suit #8 down for now until further advice from mission support.
Summary of GreenHab operations: put notes here
WATER USE: 5 gallons
Heater: Space heater on overnight
Supplemental light: light on all day
Harvest: None
Summary of Science Dome operations: Crew visited Science Dome in search of vinegar and hydrochloric acid for use in rock sampling in the field. Identified chemicals, but not used (could be part of ongoing experiments).
Dual split: Nominal
Summary of RAM operations: Not used
Summary of any observatory issues: None
Summary of health and safety issues: Medical forehead thermometer was tested but shown to be not accurate to expected body temperatures – out by 4 to 5 C.
Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:
Crew were interested in the vinegar or hydrochloric acid (10% HCl) in the Science Dome for rock testing of returned samples. Inquiring if this is from an ongoing experiment, or if we are allowed to use it. Acknowledge that handbook requires crew to bring their own chemicals for testing, so ok if not allowable.

Crew 290 Operations Report 19-01-2023

SOL: 12

Name of person filing report: Anna Tretiakova

Non-nominal systems: None

Notes on non-nominal systems: Not Applicable

ROVERS

Spirit rover used: No

Hours: (Before EVA)

Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)

Ending Charge: (After EVA and before recharging)

Currently Charging:

Opportunity rover used: No

Hours: (Before EVA)

Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)

Ending Charge: (After EVA and before recharging)

Currently Charging:

Curiosity rover used: No

Hours: (Before EVA)

Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)

Ending Charge: (After EVA and before recharging)

Currently Charging:

Perseverance rover used: No

Hours: (Before EVA)

Beginning Charge: (Before EVA)

Ending Charge: (After EVA and before recharging)

Currently Charging:

General Notes on Rovers: Not applicable

Summary of Hab Operations:

WATER USE: 17.6 gallons

Water (static tank): 254.9 gallons

Static tank pipe heater (on or off): on

Static tank heater (on or off): on

Toilet tank emptied: No

Summary of Internet: internet is nominal during times 18:00 to 22:00

Summary of Suits and Radios: Radios nominal. Suits nominal.

Summary of Greenhab Operations:

WATER USE: gallons

Heater: on

Supplemental Light: off

Harvest: 2g of sage, 1g of chive,

Summary of Science Dome Operations:

Continued imaging and cleaned up the science dome.

Dual Split Heater or AC: On

Summary of RAM Operations: (Tools used, work done):

Measuring tape was used to measure the water level.

Summary of any observatory issues: Nominal

Summary of health and safety issues:

All crew in good health and happy spirits. No safety issues.

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support:

There are three bags of trash in the rear airlock.

Date: 1/21/2024
Name of person filing report: Sergii Iakymov
Reason for Report: Routine
Non-Nominal Systems: Perseverance rear view mirror, Crew car, GreenHab heater

Power system:
Solar: Nominal.
SOC Last 24 hours: Max 47%; Min 23%; Avg 38.2%.
VDC Last 24 hours: Max 54.22V; Min 41.8; Avg 47.47V.
Generator run time: 4775.1 hours.

Propane Readings:
Station Tank: 70%
Director Tank: 70%
Intern Tank: 87%
Generator Tank: 58%

Water:
Hab Static Tank – 530 gallons
GreenHab – 185 gallons
Outpost tank – 400 gallons
Science Dome – 0 gallons
Septic Tanks emptied: No

Rovers:
Sojourner rover used: No.
Hours: 196.2
Beginning Charge: 100 %
Ending Charge: 100 %
Currently Charging: Yes
Notes on Rovers: Perseverance parking brake non-functional and rear-view mirror cracked.

ATV: ATV’s Used: None. Nothing to report.

Cars:
Hab Car used and why, where: To Hanksville for supplies. Need to be serviced.
Crew Car used and why, where: To Grand Junction and back
General notes and comments: Crew car water pump replaced and oil changed.

Summary of Internet: All nominal.
EVA suits and radios:
Suits: All nominal
Comms: All nominal

Campus wide inspection, if action taken, what and why: All nominal.
Summary of Hab Operations: UV lamp in water filter needs to be replaced. Pending.
Summary of GreenHab Operations: Heater is broken and new parts have been ordered.
Summary of SciDome Operations: All nominal
Summary of Observatories Operations: Weather stripping repair in robotic observatory is pending.
Summary of RAM Operations: All nominal.
Summary of Outpost Operations: Intern trailer heater needs to be picked up from Grand Junction.
Summary of Health and Safety Issues: All nominal.