Category: Sol Summary

Crew 310 Sol Summary Report 11-02-2025

Sol: 9

Summary Title:

Author’s name: Ariadna Farres, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

The day started as usual, with the morning exercise routine between 7:00am and 8:00am, and breakfast after that. The first EVA team left the base around 9:30 am, and drove towards Barrainca Butte to collect geological samples. The EVA was led by Marina Martinez (Geologist) who analyzed samples using a Vanta XRay fluorescence analyzer provided by Evident (Olympus). Jennifer Garcia (Journalist) and Estel Blay (Health and Safety Officer) were there to document her finding.

Today was a cloudy day and Ariadna Farres (Commander and Astronomer) could not observe the Sun, so she spent the morning processing some of the images that were taken during the past days. Helena Arias (Engineer) designed tools to collect geological samples using her 3-D printer. Monica Roca i Aparici (Mission Specialist) and Marta Ferrer (Filmmaker) were filming scenes for the documentary.

The second EVA started around 3:00 pm, after a long lunch break, with Ariadna Farrés, Monica Roca i Aparici and Helena Arias. One of the goals was to fly the drone around the MDRS base and North Ridge, but the high winds made this task impossible. However they did manage to take some geological samples and test the handling system of the experimental EVA support system.

The rest of the crew stayed inside and worked on their respective scientific projects.

Look Ahead Plan: The crew is looking forward to tomorrow’s EVA and to continue working on their research projects that are starting to show good progress.

Weather: Sunny, Temperature 16 F / 49 F

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Crew 310 conducted two EVAs. The morning EVA the crew explored Barrainca Butte to collect geological samples. The afternoon EVA the crew installed a plate on the corner reflector, flew the drone around the MDRS base and then went behind North Ridge to test the experimental EVA support system.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA request #18 #19, EVA Report #16 #17, Operations Report, Astronomy Report, GreenHab Report, Journalist Report, Pictures of the Day.

Support Requested: none

Crew 310 Sol Summary Report 12-02-2025

Sol: 10

Summary Title: Phobos rises on Mars

Author’s name: Ariadna Farres, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

The morning started with an Early EVA, to take advantage of the morning light to film the martian landscape for the documentary. Marta Ferrer (Filmmaker), Monica Roca i Aparici (Mission Specialist), Helena Arias (Engineer) and Anna Bach (Resident Artist) took the rovers and went towards the area close to North Ridge to fly the drones and film some of the landscape. The crew had a hard time finding the right spot to start the filming, and several conversations between the EVA team, the Base team and mission support took place to ensure the success of the EVA and stay with the plan.

Ariadna Farrés (commander) stayed in the base and managed to observe the Sun. Estel Blay (Health and Safety Officer) continued to monitor the effects of different coatings of the solar panels. Mariana Martinez continued to analyze geological samples and Jennifer Garcia (Journalist) filmed the crew in different areas inside the base for her Hypatia’s Odyssey project.

The afternoon EVA was conducted by Estel Blay and Ariadna Farres around Roberts Garden. This was a calm EVA, where they tested the experimental EVA support system. Inside the base, Jennifer Garcia kept filming the crew in different situations inside the base, and explaining the crew’s sustainable practices. Anna Bach, worked on her children’s book, while Helena Arias was fixing one of the 3D printed solar panel configurations for Estel’s Blay project. Marian Martinez kept analysing geological samples. Monica Roca i Aparici flew the drone from the Musk observatory to scan the exterior of the MDRS base.

Around 6:30pm the crew gathered together around the Must Observatory to admire the full moon. This was a nice moment to finish the day before starting to work on our daily reports.

Look Ahead Plan: The crew is looking forward to finishing most of the filming inside and outside of the base.

Anomalies in work: LilyGo #8 has not refreshed since 9:45am

Weather: Sunny, Temperature 19 F / 35 F

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Crew 310 conducted two EVAs. Morning EVA’s goal was to film the crew on an EVA for the documentary Marta Ferrer is working on. Afternoon EVA’s goal was to test the experimental EVA support system.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA request #20 #21, EVA Report #18 #19, Operations Report, Astronomy Report, GreenHab Report, Journalist Report, Pictures of the Day.

Support Requested: none

Crew 310 Sol Summary Report 03-02-2023

Sol: 1

Summary Title: First sunrise on Mars!

Author’s name: Ariadna Farres, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The Hypatia II crew woke up early this morning to do a 30 min exercise routine in the bottom deck, this going to be part of our daily routine to keep the crew fit. A first group, Ariadna Farres (Commander), Anna Bach (Executive Officer and resident artist), Estel Blay (Health and Safety Officer), exercised from 6am to 6:30am and the second group, Helena Arians (Engineer), Monica Roca i Aparici (Mission Specialist), Jennifer Garcia (Journalist) and Marina Martinez (Greenhab officer), exercised from 6:30am to 7:00 am. After that we enjoyed our first breakfast on Mars and around 7:30 am called mission control to let them know that we are starting the simulation. We are officially on Mars!!

The morning started with an early EVA, at 8:00 am Ariadna Farres, Anna Bach, Estel Blay and Marta Ferrer (Filmmaker) started getting ready. This is our first EVA and it took over an hour to get ready to leave. The goal of this first EVA was to start the resident artist art project. During the first hour everything was going as planned, however the wind started to blow and the crew had to finish earlier than expected. At 11:30 am the crew was back the the base.

After lunch, Helena Arians, Monica Roca i Aparici, Jennifer Garcia and Marina Martinez went on their first EVA. This EVA had two goals, first scout Compass Rock and collect some geological samples, second setting up a coaxial cable from concrete patch to the base. This EVA started at 2:15am and ended at 4:30pm.

During the rest of the afternoon the crew worked setting their respective experiments before starting to communicate with Mission Support

Look Ahead Plan: We are planning on conducting two EVAs and continuing our experimental work. During the morning EVA we will perform a rescue mission to recover the Lilygo lost during EVA#2

Anomalies in work: During EVA#2 one of the crew members lost the Lilygo on the field.

Weather: Sunny, and windy after 11am, Low 34.5F / High 70F

Crew Physical Status: One of the crew members showed signs of stomach illness with initial symptoms of dehydration and dizziness. After providing electrolytes she recovered quickly, she is now feeling better.

EVA: We conducted two EVAs to Marble Ritual to put into practice all the lessons learned during our EVA training session

EVA: We conducted two EVAs, one to the area before crossing Kissing Camel Ridge where we started the artist project, and a second one headed to Compass Rock where we collected some geological samples.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA request, EVA Report #1, EVA Report #2, HSO Report, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, Journalist Report, Pictures of the Day

Support Requested: We would like to understand why the upper deck loft is cold. We would like to be able to solve this before going to bed.

Crew 310 Sol Summary Report 04-02-2025

Sol: 2

Summary Title: Hypatia II on a rescue mission

Author’s name: Ariadna Farres, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The crew woke up early and performed their daily 30-minute exercise routines in the bottom deck and had breakfast all together between 8:00 am to 8:45 am.

The first EVA was led by Ariadna Farres (Commander), and supported by Marina Martinez (Greenhab officer), Estel Blay (Health and Safety Officer), Jennifer Garcia Carrizo (Journalist) and started at 9:20am. The first objective was to retrieve the LilyGo that was lost yesterday during an EVA. The crew drove to Compass Rock, scanned the area where it was lost and found it. Success! They then drove back to the base, Marina Martinez went back into the main hab to continue setting the geology and chemistry lab. Estel Blay and Ariadna Farres installed the solar panel experiment and Jennifer Garcia Carrizo started scanning the exterior of the base with a 360 camera, as part of her Hypatia’s Circular Odyssey project. It was very windy and hard to stabilize the camera tripod, during a wind gust one camera lens was damaged.

The team that stayed inside the main hab worked on their respective research projects. Anna Bach (Executive Officer and resident artist) worked on her children’s book. Meantime, Helena Arians (Engineer), Monica Roca i Aparici (Mission Specialist) mounted part of the reflector structure in the RAM, so that it was ready for the afternoon EVA.

After a morning of hard work, the crew enjoyed a delicious rice and veggies lunch.

The second EVA was led by Monica Roca i Aparici, and supported by Anna Bach, Helena Arias and Marta Ferrer (Filmmaker) started. The goal of this EVA was to install the structure of the corner reflector on the concrete patch that is 20 meters NW of the base. The preparation for this EVA was special since the crew left the base through the RAM. Marta Ferrer documented the whole process while Monica Roca i Aparici, Helena Arias and Anna Bach worked on the installation.

The team that stayed inside the main hab worked on their respective research projects. Estel Blay finished the setting for her outreach space tomato seed project. Marina Martinez finished setting up the geology and chemistry lab. Jennifer Garcia worked on her Hypatia’s Circular Odyssey. Ariadna Farres tried to observe the Sun from the Musk Observatory, but it was very windy and had to abort the mission to avoid damaging the dome.

Around 6:30pm the crew started planning tomorrow EVAs and working on their daily reports.

Look Ahead Plan: Crew 310 will continue with their own experiments. Tomorrow the crew plans to finish installing the plates of the corner reflector, and the crew geologist will be performing her first official field trip.

Anomalies in work: The base experienced several power cuts when the solar panels were on. Some of the power cuts started when the hair drier or microwave was turned on.

Weather: Cloudy morning and sunny afternoon. Very windy all day (wind speed around 11mph), Temperature 43F/70F

Crew Physical Status: A crew member hit her back while working in the RAM, she has a bruise and scratch on her back.

EVA: Crew 310 conducted two EVAs. During the morning EVA, they first went on a rescue mission to retrieve the LilyGo. Once it was retrieved, the EVA team installed a solar panel experiment near the base solar panels and started mapping the exterior of the base with a 360 camera. During the afternoon EVA the crew started mounting the reflector, they managed to install the corner reflector structure.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, HSO Report, EVA request #5 #6, EVA Report #3 #4, Operations Report, GreenHab Report, Journalist Report, Pictures of the Day.

Support Requested: None

Crew 310 Sol Summary Report 05-02-2025

Sol: 3

Summary Title: Enjoying the SpaceTatouille cuisine

Author’s name: Ariadna Farres, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

The morning started with an early and challenging EVA, the goal was to finish the installation of the corner reflector. The EVA team was composed by Ariadna Farres (Commander), Monica Roca i Aparici (Mission Specialist), Helena Arias (Engineer) and Marta Ferrer (Filmmaker). During the first part of the EVA they managed to detect the parts where to install the pegs for the guy wires to stabilize the reflector. The wires were too long and they decided they would resize them later. They then proceed to move the three reflecting mirrors, from the RAM to the patch where the corner reflector is being installed. Putting them all together was a challenge, but they managed to do that successfully. The final piece was to install the GNSS antenna in the middle of the corner reflector. Around 12:00 pm the crew returned to the house.

The crew that stayed inside the main hab, did their daily 30 min routine and worked on their respective research projects.

The afternoon EVA was led by Marina Matinez (Geologist) who went on a geological field trip to Valles Marineris. Anna Back (resident artist) and Estel Blay (Health and Safety Officer) joined Marina on this EVA. Jennifer Garcia (Journalist) was supposed to join them, but she was feeling tired and stayed in the main Hab. Marina managed to collect a lot of samples that she will start analysing tomorrow.

Today was also a very special day for the crew, since they enjoyed the meal designed by the winners of the International Challenge organized by Space Faculty from Singapore. The winners were SpaceTatouille, a group of four amazing kids, ages 8 to 9. They created a complete menu designed for astronauts, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, tailored to meet the astronauts’ nutritional needs. The meal was prepared in the US, dehydrated and shipped to the MDRS two weeks ago. This has been a fun experience and we have enjoyed a little of Singapore for lunch.

The crew ended the day planning tomorrow’s EVAs and doing their daily reports. They are looking forward to finishing them soon to be able to enjoy a beef stew and delicious dehydrated spaghetti with meatballs from the SpaceTatouille menu.

Look Ahead Plan: The crew is looking forward to completing the large-scale art project designed by Anna Bach, the artist in residence.

Anomalies in work: Several air leaks on the upper deck have been detected, creating a cold environment in the loft area.

Weather: Sunny and windy, Temperature 29F / 69F

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Crew 310 conducted two EVAs. The goal of the morning EVA was to finish installing the corner reflector, the installation is almost complete, it is only missing the guy wire. The main goal of the afternoon EVA was to collect geological samples around Valles Marineris.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA request #7 #8, EVA Report #5 #6, Operations Report, GreenHab Report, Journalist Report, Pictures of the Day.

Support Requested: Guidance to find a temporary fix for the air leaks detected in the upper deck loft.

Ariadna Farres Crew Commander

Crew 310 Sol Summary Report 06-02-2025

Sol: 4

Summary Title: Art is everywhere on Mars!

Author’s name: Ariadna Farres, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

The crew day started early as the toilet tank overflow alarm started beeping at 4:30 am, when one of the crew members was using the toilet. After emptying the tank we went back to bed to get a couple of hours of sleep before starting the work day.

Today half of the crew dedicated their efforts on putting together a large-scale art project that the Hypatia team has been working on. We are hoping to get it captured by a satellite in the next few days. Two EVAs were dedicated for the project. In the morning Ariadna Farres (Commander), Estel Blay (Health and Safety Officer), Helena Arias (Engineer) and Monica Roca i Aparici (Mission Specialist), scouted the area before crossing Kissing Camel Ridge and started working on the main structure. In the afternoon Ariadna Farres (Commander), Estel Blay (Health and Safety Officer), Helena Arias (Engineer) and Anna Bach (Resident Artist) worked on the main structure. Unfortunately the crew could not deploy the full artwork because it was very windy, and will try to do the full deployment on Saturday.

The crew members that stayed in the main Hab had a relaxing day. Jennifer Garcia (Journalist) kept recording the interior of the MDRS base with her 360 camera. Marian Martinez spent the day in the science dome, analysing the samples she collected in Vallis Marineris, using the Spectroscout instrument, a portable Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, provided by SPECTRO. Anna Bach spent the morning working on the children’s book, drawing scenes from the Hypatia crew adventures on Mars. Monica Roca i Aparici spent most of her afternoon working in the RAM and checking on the EVA team.

Look Ahead Plan: The crew will continue working on their respective research projects, and have their first team building night activity.

Anomalies in work: The toilet level alarm went off around 4:30 am

Weather: Sunny and windy, Temperature 49 F / 66 F

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Crew 310 conducted two EVAs that were both dedicated to work on the large-scale art project designed by our artist in residence.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA request #9, EVA Report #7 #8, Operations Report, GreenHab Report, Journalist Report, Pictures of the Day.

Support Requested: Options to try and fix the toilet tank level indicator.

Crew 310 Sol Summary Report 07-02-2025

Sol: 5

Summary Title: The heavy wind encouraged bonding among the crew

Author’s name: Ariadna Farres, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary:

Today’s forecast was strong winds, so the team decided to just do a morning EVA and stay inside the base in the afternoon, and we were not wrong, in the afternoon we had wind gusts of over 40mph.

Mònica Roca i Aparici (Mission Specialist), Marina Martinez (Greenhab officer), Jennifer Garcia Carrizo (Journalist) and Marta Ferrer (Filmmaker) went on the morning EVA, that started with some work around the corner reflector and then they walked towards Marble Ritual to collect geological samples.

The crew members that stayed inside during the morning, Ariadna Farres (Commander), Anna Bach (Executive Officer and resident artist), Estel Blay (Health and Safety Officer) and Helena Arians (Engineer), did their daily exercise routine to keep the crew fit. This is also part of one of the Human Factors projects led by Helena Arias.

In the afternoon the crew stayed inside the base, apart from working on their respective projects they took some time to talk about life and have some bonding time. They also took some time to film some outreach videos for the girl and women on science day.

The crew is excited to see what Helena and Jennifer have prepared as a night activity after dinner.

Anomalies in work: we have observed that Opportunities rear wheel is low on air pressure.

Weather: Windy and Sunny, Temperature 38 F / 66 F

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Crew 310 conducted one EVAs in the morning, where the crew walked to Marble Ritual and collected geological samples.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA request #10 #11, EVA Report #9, Operations Report, GreenHab Report, Journalist Report, Pictures of the Day.

Support Requested: We ask guidance for Opportunities wheel situation

Crew 310 Sol Summary Report 08-02-2025

Sol: 6

Summary Title: The Sun is finally shining on Mars

Author’s name: Ariadna Farres, Commander

Mission Status: Nominal

Sol Activity Summary: The crew started with an early EVA, as they wanted to be before 8am around Kissing Camel Ridge to start working on the large-scale artist project. There was a satellite pass at 10:08 am and another at 11:31 am, so the art project needed to be up by 10 am. Estel Blay (HSO), Anna Bach (Artist in Residence), Monica Roca i Aparici (Mission Specialist) and Marta Ferrer (Filmmaker) were in charge of this EVA. Thanks to the low wind, this EVA was a success as they managed to deploy everything on time for the satellite to capture the moment. The crew that stayed in the base was expectant and also cheered when the first satellite passed.

The crew that stayed inside, worked on their respective projects. Marina Martinez (Greenhab Officer and Geologist) analyzed some of the geological samples she has been collecting. Ariadna Farres (Commander and Astronomer) was able to finally observe the Sun from the Musk observatory. Jennifer Garcia (Journalist) and Helena Arias (Engineer) worked on filming some outreach videos for one of the projects.

After enjoying a healthy lunch, the crew swapped places, Estel, Marina, Monica and Marta stayed inside, while Marina, Ariadna, Helena and Jennifer went on an EVA. During the afternoon EVA the crew went back to Kissing Camel Ridge, where the art project had been placed. To avoid problems with possible high wind gusts in the evening they started by removing the large-scale art piece. They then kept exploring the area to collect geological samples.

The crew that stayed inside in the afternoon, kept working on their respective research projects. Estel Blay worked on her solar panel experiment, Mònica Roca stayed inside the RAM preparing things to keep setting up the corner reflector. Anna Bach and Marta Ferrer, where at the science dome where they filmed some videos for several projects.

Once the EVA crew was back in the main Hab, they tried to figure out what might be the problem with the anomalies with LilyGo #7 and #10. After checking that all crew members had returned with their LilyGo and making sure they had eight of them in the main Hab they reported that to Mission Control.

Around 6:30 pm the crew started planning their activities for tomorrow and working on their reports.

Anomalies in work: (1) The air on spacesuit #7 stopped working unexpectedly during the morning EVA, but was able to be reset. (2) LilyGo #7 showed an anomaly in the field, the iMac shows #7 is still outside but we have it physically in the Hab.

Weather: Sunny, Temperature 28 F / 54 F

Crew Physical Status: Nominal

EVA: Crew 310 conducted two EVAs. A morning EVA was to complete the large-scale artist project before crossing Kissing Camel Ridge. An afternoon EVA to take down the large-scale artist project and collect some geological samples around the area.

Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, EVA request #12 #13, EVA Report #10 #11, Operations Report, Astronomy Report, GreenHab Report, Journalist Report, Pictures of the Day.

Support Requested: Guidance on how to address the anomalies experienced with spacesuit #7 and LilyGo #7.

Crew 306 Sol Summary Report 01-03-2025
Sol: 12
Summary Title: First day on earth.
Author’s name: Jesus Meza
Mission Status: Complete.
Sol Activity Summary:
The day began like any other. The crew woke up at 7:00. We had our last breakfast together around 08:00. Rod made our last batch of eggs with a black bean burger patty on the side. We used our last bit of salsa to spice up the meal. We spent the morning chatting about our experiences during the mission. At approximately 11:00 we split up to our respective areas to clean and organize the station. The science dome, ram, and greanhab were cleaned and all samples removed. The HAB was also cleaned and all samples the kitchen was inventoried. At 03:30 the team gathered together for our last puzzle task for Ryan’s project. We arrived back on earth and exited sim at approximately 16:30. In the evening we all took showers, then drove out to Stan’s for our first meal on earth.
Look Ahead Plan:
Sol 12 was the last day of our rotation. Tomorrow (Earth day 01) we will again wake up at 07:00, finish the last couple things on our cleaning checklist, and be ready for inspection at 09:00. We plan to depart MDRS by 10:00. The crew remains excited to be back
Anomalies in work: None.
Weather: It was a cool and cloudy day with a high of 42 degrees.
Crew Physical Status: The crew is happy and well.
EVA:
No EVAs activities were conducted today.
Reports to be filed:
Sol Summary, Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Crew Photos. End-Mission Research Report, Mission Summary.
Support Requested: None. Thank you for all you’ve done for crews 305 and 306.

Crew 306 Sol Summary Report 02-01-2025
Sol: 11
Summary Title: Last call for science.
Author’s name: Jesus Meza
Mission Status: Active. All systems are nominal.
Sol Activity Summary:
The day began at 7:00. Ryan made crepes for breakfast and we topped them with mango or strawberry frosting that Adriana had made the night before. At 9:00 the team preformed mediation, and at 09:15 the team began preparations for EVA 12, the last EVA of the mission. Keegan, Elizabeth, and Rod went back to White Rock canyon and Barrainca Butte to perform DRONE flights. This time, the team was successful in performing Li-DAR scans of the area. Elizabeth was also able to collect more ambient magnetic data from the area around the Butte. Meanwhile at the HAB, Ryan ran coms while Adriana and Jesus worked to wrap up their research in the science dome. Jesus performed iron extraction from the last set of soil samples collected at Eos Chasma and found that they contained the highest iron yield yet. The hematite solar cells on the other hand seem to not be photo-sensitive, instead acting like chemical batteries, generating charge from the reaction of the hematite with the copper electrode and iodide tincture. Adriana continues to monitor the growth of her mushroom samples and began to pack up some of her experiment. The EVA team returned to the HAB at 13:18. The crew then had lunch together, Ryan and Adriana made lentils and rice. At 15:00 the crew split up to wrap-up research tasks. Ryan ran the last set of VR test for the crew. Keegan worked in the RAM on prototype hardware for a wearable CO2 and Temp sensor for the EVA suits. Rod worked on processing his DRONE data. And Elizabeth work on her EMF data.
Look Ahead Plan:
Sol 12 will be spent wrapping up our experiments, cleaning up the facilities, and packing up our supplies. The crew anticipates being ready to exit our simulation at 16:00, take some photographs outside the HAB, and maybe a traditional burger from Stan’s. The crew is sad that our time on mars is coming to an end… but we are excited to arrive back on earth.
Anomalies in work: None.
Weather: It was a beautiful day on mars. The skies were mostly clear with scattered clouds. The temperature high was 46 degrees F. Average winds were 2 mph, with gust up to 5 mph.
Crew Physical Status: The crew happy and well.
EVA:
EVA 12 was the last EVA of our rotation. Keegan led Rod and Elizabeth back to White Rock Canyon and Barrainca Butte. This time the DRONE was very co-operative and performed as expected. The team was able to perform a total of nine Li-DAR scans of the two EVA sites. The team also acquired a couple hours of ambient magnetic data for Elizabeth’s project. All objectives for this EVA were completed. No additional EVA’s will be required for the mission.
Reports to be filed:
Sol Summary, Journalist Report, Greenhab Report, Operations Report, Crew Photos, EVA Report, and EVA request.
Support Requested: The crew would like to request the crew car for a drive down to Stan’s Burger Shack tomorrow evening. Mission support can come along with us if they would like. Don’t worry, we will try to shower before dinner.