Mars Desert Research Station

May 5, 2026

Operations Report – April 25th

Report title: Operations Report

Crew #: 335

Position: Engineer

Report prepared by: Katherine Berry

Date: 25Apr2026

Sol: 6

Non-nominal systems: None

Notes on non-nominal systems: None

ROVERS

Spirit rover used:

Hours: 306

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 40%

Currently charging: Yes

Opportunity rover:

Hours: 270.5

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 37%

Currently charging: Yes

Curiosity rover used:

Hours: 0

Beginning charge: N/A

Ending charge: N/A

Currently charging: Yes

Perseverance rover used:

Hours: 0

Beginning charge: N/A

Ending charge: N/A

Currently charging: Yes

General notes on rovers: None

Summary of Hab operations:

Water Use (see notes): 15.7 gal/d

Main tank level (remaining gallons, see notes): 161 gal

Main water tank pipe heater (ON or OFF): OFF

Main water tank heater (ON or OFF) OFF (was removed)

Toilet tank emptied (NO or YES): NO

Summary of internet: Connection was used for research, accessing, and working on homework, sending reports and listening to music.

Summary of suits and radios:

David, Suit: 9 Radio: 2 Headset: 6

Elisa, Suit: 8 Radio: 1 Headset: 1

Matteo, Radio: 3 Headset: 3

Summary of GreenHab operations: (use information from the GreenHab report)

Water use: 1.6 gallons

Heater (ON or OFF): Auto

Supplemental light (hours of operation): Auto

Harvest (name, weight in grams): 0g

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Used to film creative projects, drying clay and manipulating clay.

Dual split (Heat or AC, On or Off or Automatic): Automatic

Summary of RAM operations: None

Summary of any observatory issues: N/A

Summary of health and safety issues: None.

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: None

May 5, 2026

Sol Summary – April 25th

Crew #: 335

Position: GreenHab Officer

Report prepared by: Lot Brugge

Date: 25APR2026

Sol: day 6

Summary Title: Experimentation

Mission Status: Going fair

Sol Activity Summary:

Some of us started off the day with a very special alarm clock this morning. A peculiar creature entered our sleeping cabin and started rapping. It had a pretty interesting hairdo too. Maybe it was a toy Dave’s granddaughter gave to him, maybe it was an extraterrestrial, we’re yet to find out.

Three of us went on a lovely morning EVA to Somerville overlook. The view was beautiful as always. Dave spent time doing a panoramic shoot, and the filmmakers were busy capturing the landscape. Another successful day of filming!

We spent most of today at the science dome trying to get the microwave kiln to work. It took a lot of waiting and a bit of trial and error, but things finally came together. At one point we could see the small hole in the kiln glowing a deep Martian orange, which was a pretty satisfying sign that it had reached the right temperature.

For this run we used our “sixth crewmember,” the little desert mouse we met yesterday, recreated in clay. After a 12 minute microwave firing and then about an hour of waiting for everything to cool down, we gathered around to see the result. There was a lot of curiosity and honestly pretty high expectations at that point.

When the lid was lifted, we saw that the clay had completely changed. It started as a light greenish blue, but after firing it had turned into a warm orange color, almost the same tone as the mouse. This happens because the heat causes chemical changes in the clay. Minerals inside it, especially ones that contain iron, react with oxygen at high temperatures. That reaction forms iron oxides, which give the clay those orange and reddish tones. At the same time, the particles in the clay fuse together, which is what makes it hard and ceramic. There was no cracking or breakage, so overall it felt like a real success and everyone was pretty stoked.

Our crew engineer had a very busy day too. She spent a lot of time working on M16 astronomy data collection and also on her rover studies. She completed three runs, including ground runs and drone assisted ones. It was a busy day for everyone but with some good results.

Anomalies in work:

Another perfect day for crew 335, no anomlities to report.

Weather:

It was cloudy today and around 70 degrees outside.

Crew Physical Status:

Two of our crewmates woke up with a headache. They continue to struggle with fatigue, though the symptoms have slightly decreased in intensity over the course of our stay here on Mars.

EVA:

Another beautiful day,the crew enjoyed the view and the three of them captured the beauty in their own way, collecting and moving and still imagery.

May 5, 2026

EVA Report – April 25th

Report title: EVA Report

Crew #: 335

Position: Commander

Report prepared by: Dave Laude

Date: 25APR2026

Sol: 6

EVA #9

Purpose of EVA: For Dave’s panaoramic photo project of areas of interest to crews. Also, we will have film makers aboard making videos.

Start time: 10:13

End time: 12.50

Narrative: On the way, about 1KM east of Compass Rock Dave spotted a possible easy entrance into Candor Chasma. We stopped at found a shallow sandy trail into the Chasma, much easier and safer than the west entrance. Next trip there, we’ll give it a try. We arrived at the Somerville overlook area making the last 100 meters by foot due to steep and rough dirt road. Dave performed his panoramic photo survey on a prominant point and the film makers Elisa and Matteo recorded videos.

Destination per MDRS Map: Somerville Overlook

Destination Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): 4253000N, 522000W

EVA Participants: David Laude + Elisa Strinna + Matteo Calore

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: The crew departed the MDRS via Moonwalk Road, then followed Cow Dung Road 0110 north, turned east onto Galileo Road, left just after Compass Rock and followed narrow road east to Somerville Overlook.

Mode of travel: Rover + Walking

May 5, 2026

Astronomy Report – April 25th

[category astronomy-report]

Report title: Astronomy Report

Crew #: 335

Position: Engineer

Report prepared by: Katherine Berry

Date: 25Apr2026

Sol: 6

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested: MDRS-WF

Objects to be Imaged this Evening: None, bad weather.

Images submitted with this report: None, images in process.

Problems Encountered: None.

MUSK OBSERVATORY

Solar Features Observed: N/A

Images submitted with this report: N/A

Problems Encountered: N/A

May 5, 2026

GreenHab Report – April 25th

Report title: GreenHab Report

Crew #: 335

Position: GreenHab officer

Report prepared by: Charlotte Brugge

Date: 25APR2026

Sol: day 6

Environmental control (fan & heater): Automated

Average temperatures (last 24h): 92.95

Maximum temperature (last 24h): 116.7

Minimum temperature (last 24h): 69.2

Hours of supplemental light: Automated

Daily water usage for crops: 6 liters

Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 0

Water in the Tank (160 gal useful capacity): 91.2

Time(s) of watering for crops: 17.30

Narrative: watered and checked the plants, I gathered two types of clay, one of them is still drying in there.

Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams) 0

Support/supplies needed:0

Future GreenHab Improvement Observations: None noticed today

May 5, 2026

EVA Report – April 24th

Report Title: EVA Report
Crew #: 335
Position: Crew Artist
Report Prepared by: Elisa Strinna
Date: 24 Apr 2026
Sol: 5
EVA #: 8

Purpose of EVA: To conduct drone flight tests.

Start Time: 13:30

End Time: 16:25

EVA Summary:
Today we conducted Kat’s first EVA, as she had previously been unable to participate due to medical concerns. The EVA was planned to be relatively easy. We drove most of the way along Brahe Highway, with minimal walking required.

We stopped to allow Dave and Kat to practice piloting the drone, while the filmmakers documented the activity. Around halfway through the EVA, toward the end of the drone flights, Kat began experiencing some pain. However, she assessed the situation as manageable and chose not to return to base.

She remained resting in Opportunity rover for the remainder of the EVA, while the rest of the crew continued exploring the area and filming.

May 5, 2026

Astronomy Report – April 24th

[category astronomy-report]

Report title: Astronomy Report

Crew #: 335

Position: Engineer

Report prepared by: Katherine Berry

Date: 24Apr2026

Sol: 5

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested: MDRS-WF

Objects to be Imaged this Evening: NCG 7000

Images submitted with this report: M16 Currently in process. I only have the raw image files for this set and am having some difficulty with calibration, alignment, and stacking. I have emailed Peter for guidance with Afterglow and will update the report once the images are successfully processed.

Problems Encountered: Difficulty processing raw images (calibration, alignment, stacking)

MUSK OBSERVATORY

Solar Features Observed: N/A

Images submitted with this report: N/A

Problems Encountered: N/A

May 5, 2026