Crew Photos – January 10th
Journalist Report – January 10th
Crew 272 Journalist Report 1-10-2023
Sol: 9
Author: Kenny Pritchard, Crew Journalist
Title: Saving Private Chewy
Our morning stretches this sol were followed by a freshly baked bread-and-toppings breakfast thanks to Megan, who woke up early to start the process. Many of us elected to adorn our bread chunks with Nutella, which is somewhat of a coveted resource out here. There’s air, water, Nutella, and shelter. It’s Martian gold!
The EVA of the sol brought Kshitij, Mason, Madelyn, and Arly back to Kissing Camel Ridge for the competitive showdown of a lifetime. Mason’s research includes a search-and-rescue scenario, where the high-speed, high-tech, high-flying drone was to be pitted against two valiant, scrappy, underdog humans to see who could first locate a lost and incapacitated (hidden) astronaut (box containing colorful t-shirts and an uninflated, inflatable Grogu/Baby Yoda). Who will win? Get your tickets while you can! Pay for the whole seat, but you only need the edge! Back at the Hab, we eagerly awaited the scores, serving as a point-of-contact for the EVA crew as usual. Kshitij hid the boxy astronaut (henceforth referred to as Private Chewy), and the athletes were off to the races. Private Chewy was first hidden on the East side of the region, in a flatter area, where humans and the drone should have a fair fight. He was next hidden on the West side of the region, where the obstructive hills should provide an advantage to the drone. For the first attempt, Madelyn and Arly planned to attack the perimeter of the area from both sides (within line of sight of each other). For the second, they moved together through the hills in their joint mission. Mason flew the drone out with a grid-pattern search. Ultimately, the humans were victorious in both trials! But some complications place an asterisk on their claim to the trophy. In a post-game interview, Mason cited strong winds and connectivity difficulties. Several times, the AI-driven drone lost connection and flew back to its launch site. The drone even did pass over the target first, but Private Chewy was invisible in the resolution available for live video feed. Also, Kshitij, not known for his tight lips when it comes to secrets he’s excited about, may have accidentally tipped off the humans in round two. No boxes were harmed in the making of this production.
Those of us stuck indoors (the Hab-rats, per Adriana), engaged in the traditional pastime of cleaning and sorting geologic samples. Upon her return, Madelyn collected a fresh harvest of carrots and beans in the GreenHab. Next, on tonight’s episode of the Great Martian Baking Show, Adriana and Kshitij are making another cake to celebrate the birthday of backup crew GreenHab Officer Ian Rimer. Happy birthday Ian, from Mars to Earth! Madelyn will be collaborating with Ian on research when we return to Purdue, but tonight, she is collaborating with the stove top to make some quesadillas. Mm mm mmm!
EVA Report – January 10th
Crew 272 EVA Report 10-01-2023
EVA # 7
Author: Arly Black
Purpose of EVA: Simple simulation of search and rescue of a lost/injured astronaut at Kissing Camel Ridge. Drone versus human performance is evaluated in the context of efficiency of finding the astronaut.
Start time: 10:00 AM
End time: 1:00 PM
Narrative: The EVA began extra on-time today as Arly and Madelyn were over-eager to go kick some drone butt. The crew hustled into the airlock and about 3 minutes in realized they had no maps… After grabbing the maps and starting the airlock countdown again they emerged into the sunlight. Madelyn and Arly hopped into Spirit with Madelyn driving, while Mason and Kshitij rode in Perseverance with Kshitij driving and leading. They drove to Kissing Camel Ridge where, once again, no camels were observed, kissing or otherwise. Kshitij went to hide the lost astronaut (i.e. a cardboard box) on the east side of the ridge, while the other three turned their backs and played with colourful rocks like preschoolers in a sandbox. Kshitij maintained line of sight with the rest of the EVA crew the entire time. The east side of the ridge is flat with several large boulders and one hilly mound, so it is ideal for maintaining LOS while providing numerous hiding places. Kshitij said “go” and the competitors were off! The drone sped on ahead, while Arly and Madelyn split up to cover more ground. The human strategy turned out to be a roaring success as Madelyn let out an “AAAHHHH” and the lost astronaut was discovered behind a large boulder on the north side. Mason complained of drone connectivity issues, but we don’t tolerate excuses when it comes to saving cardboard lives.
The next test saw Kshitij hiding the lost astronaut on the west ridge. This time, Madelyn and Arly stuck together in their search given the hilliness of the landscape. The drone again experienced connectivity issues, prompting it to consistently return to its owner. At one point the drone was hovering almost directly above the hill upon which the astronaut was hiding, but the poor connection left Mason unable to see the poor soul he was there to rescue. Given Kshitij’s slight bias towards the drone, he announced prematurely that the drone had won, but the wily female searchers seized the moment and ran to retrieve the astronaut from its lonely mountain peak. Once again, human resilience and ingenuity wins the day. Although, if we’re being honest, the drone would have won if not for the connectivity mishaps (hope you’re okay with a pity win, Mason). After two successful rescue attempts (from the lost astronaut’s point of view, if not the drone’s), the EVA crew packed up and journeyed home with pockets full of petrified wood. What a beautiful day for a rescue!
Destination: Kissing Camel Ridge
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518400, E4249500
Participants: Kshitij Mall (Crew Commander), Mason Kuhn (Crew Engineer), Madelyn Whitaker (GreenHab Officer), Arly Black (XO/Crew Scientist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove south on Cow Dung Road until Kissing Camel Ridge. Walked on foot along ridge to the east and west relative to Cow Dung Road. Returned to rovers on foot and drove back to the Hab via Cow Dung Road.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking
GreenHab Report – January 10th
Crew 272 GreenHab Report 10-01-2023
GreenHab Officer: Madelyn Whitaker
Environmental control: heater
Average temperatures: 67 F
Hours of supplemental light: 4 hours
Daily water usage for crops: 6 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 1 gallon
Water in Blue Tank : 236 gallons
Time(s) of watering for crops: 1600
Changes to crops: Harvested beans and carrots, no new plantings.
Narrative: Monitored and watered GreenHab crops, monitored and watered experimental crops. Harvested beans and carrots for a snack.
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams): 10g beans, 80g carrots
Support/supplies needed: N/A
Sol Summary Report -January 10th
Crew 272 Sol Summary Report 10-01-2023
Sol: 9
Summary Title: Operation Rescue Grogu and his buddy Chewy
Author’s name: Kshitij Mall
Mission Status: All nominal
Sol Activity Summary: After completing another third of the Bollywood movie Lakshya (means Objective) past night, the crew got ready for their objectives for the sol and woke up by 7:30 am. The crew completed some morning stretches led by me. The breakfast (bread, Nutella, and peanut butter), was made by Megan and supported by Madelyn. The EVA crew then got suited up for the rescue operation. Following the buddy system, we thought not to leave the lost astronaut, whom we named Chewy, out alone. So, we also had Grogu’s (whitish) box as a moral support for Chewy. Chewy comprised a cardboard box with a white t-shirt and blue flag taped using a masking tape. After a briefing, the EVA team got ready to launch the rescue operation by 10 am. The rescue operation today was more so a competition between the drone Garud flown by Crew Engineer Mason versus the human team comprising XO Arly and Greenhab Officer Madelyn. I served as the referee for this Martian competition. We reached the Kissing Camel Ridge and conducted the Search and Rescue mission twice. The first time Madelyn and Arly found and rescued Grogu and Chewy (the boxes), while the second time Mason was hovering over the box before the humans, but the video was slightly grainy. While everyone was in line of sight, the drone had some connectivity issues, which were intermittent. The final score was Humans 1.5 – Drones 0.5.
While the EVA crew was out, Adriana organized the rocks in the Science Dome. After getting back to the hab from a relatively simple EVA, we were back to completing the daily personal surveys and cognitive performance tests. Madelyn watered and monitored the growth of Martian plants in the Greenhab. She also got us some green beans and carrots in the hab, which was quickly devoured by me and Arly. Mason is going to investigate the connectivity issues with Garud the drone. The video saved by the drone clearly shows where Grogu and Chewy boxes were identifiable, just not in the live feed. A specialized drone primarily meant for Search and Rescue operations would perform much better on Mars. We had a debriefing session to go over the EVA and the plan for tomorrow.
Madelyn prepared delicious quesadillas for dinner and was assisted by Kenneth. We also celebrated the birth-day of our backup Greenhab Officer, Ian Rimer, with a cake and a green balloon representative of the greens in the Greenhab. Irrespective of who won today: humans or drones, Grogu and Chewy were very happy to be rescued and back to Hab Sweet Hab. The night plan is to complete the final third part of the movie Lakshya and then sleep by the quiet hours. We’ll also complete Andres daily questionnaire. Tomorrow will be another rescue operation, but of the BTS. And that won’t be a competition, but a collaboration between the humans and the machines (drones). Part of the crew also plans to walk to Hab Ridge and support Adriana’s geological experiment upon approval of our EVA request.
Look Ahead Plan: Retrieving BTS and then exploring the Hab Ridge area
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Overcast, Strong Winds
Crew Physical Status: Good
EVA: One
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Journalist Report, EVA Report, EVA Request, Greenhab Report.
Support Requested: None
Crew Photos – January 9th
Journalist Report – January 9th
Crew 272 Journalist Report 1-9-2023 Sol: 8
Author: Kenny Pritchard, Crew Journalist
Title: Gift Camel
Rejuvenated and well-rested from the previous sol, we began this morning observing a serene, colorful sunrise from the wide window in the Science Dome. Actually, I began the morning by slamming my head into the ceiling while trying to turn off the alarm in my space-conscious room, but that doesn’t sound as good. I threw together some chocolate chip pancakes for the crew after our regular stretching session, and we were all set to go. Adriana covered a brief overview of the EVA as usual, which was planned to be a simple trip to Kissing Camel Ridge to collect geologic samples, observe ancient flow regimes, and test out some more drone scouting.
Kshitij, Mason, Adriana, and I started suiting up for our EVA about a half hour before the planned departure time. Typically, the whole crew heads down to the lower deck to help prepare. The suits are bulky and much easier to don with a helping hand. We gathered all of the equipment we needed, performed radio checks to make sure we’d be able to communicate clearly, adjusted our suit straps as necessary, and stepped into the airlock to prebreathe. Mission Support has presented us with new headsets courtesy of a recent interplanetary cargo shipment, and they worked great! A brief rover drive led us to Kissing Camel Ridge, where we found a surplus of interesting rocks, minerals, fossils, and paleoflow indicators, but a shocking lack of kissing camels. We’re pretty sure we know which formations earned it that name, but it’s still hard to see… Maybe if you squint… Mason did his usual business with the drone and scouted out locations for search & rescue tests he’ll attempt to run in the coming sols. Adriana collected more samples and found some useful info for her research. Kshitij supported Mason’s drone efforts, and I picked up an oversized pocketful of the petrified wood chunks that littered the ground in that area. We finished our objectives and made it back to the Hab with time to spare!
In the GreenHab, Madelyn is in an important phase of her research. She’s pulled some samples of her sprouts to analyze how quickly they’ll wilt after being harvested – part of her investigation is to test claims that the fertilizer she uses will promote longevity and better shelf-life in the plants. She’s also planning for her ultimate harvest on Sol 11 when she will conclude her data collection here at MDRS. Megan was unfortunately forced to scrap a failed hammer print (Pima the 3d printer is a fickle contraption), but luckily, she has already finished printing two others that will be sufficient for the field-testing in a few sols. Lastly, Arly introduced a mid-mission component of her cognitive survey which identifies major contributors to workload on EVA. Because my making breakfast this morning was a schedule adjustment, I also happen to be on dinner tonight, but the crew is generously sparing me from double duty by taking a chunk out of our leftovers instead. Or maybe they just don’t want to eat more of my food? I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth! Or… a gift camel?
Operations Report – January 9th
Crew 272 Operations Report 9-1-2023
SOL: 8
Name of person filing report: Mason Kuhn
Non-nominal systems: Wiring in EVA Suit 7
Notes on non-nominal systems: I have located an issue with the wiring after opening the back of the suit. It could be a damaged wire or a semi-functional soldered connection. I will send a separate email detailing my findings because I have a few attachments I would like Mission Support to look through.
ROVERS
Spirit rover used: No
Hours: 206.8
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 100%
Currently charging: Yes
Opportunity rover used: Yes
Hours: 111.5
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 67%
Currently charging: Yes
Curiosity rover used: Yes
Hours: 219.0
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 64%
Currently charging: Yes
Perseverance rover used: No
Hours: 253.5
Beginning charge: 100%
Ending charge: 100%
Currently charging: Yes
General notes on rovers: Opportunity and Curiosity were used on today’s EVA. Nominal performance from both.
Summary of Hab operations: Per Mission Support’s request during 272’s mission training, I have replaced the zip-tie connections on the 2 piece suits (from the backpack to the helmet collar) with the provided steel cable ties. I tried on the suit to test its comfortability, and it was similar to slightly more comfortable (as well as more durable). I also opened the backs of suits 7 (non-nominal) and 9 (nominal) to compare the two electrical wiring systems. An issue was located in suit 7’s wiring.
WATER USE: 22.9 gallons
Water (static tank): 226.5 gallons
Static tank pipe heater (on or off): On
Static tank heater (On or off): On
Toilet tank emptied: Yes
Summary of internet: Nominal
Summary of suits and radios: Suits 1, 5, 9, and 10 were used during the EVA to Kissing Camel Ridge. All suits performed nominally with airflow and minimal fogging. All suits have been cleaned and are currently charging. There were no issues with radios or headsets on the EVA, and the new headsets are an improvement! All radios that were used have been charged and removed from the charging dock.
Summary of GreenHab operations: Monitored and watered GreenHab crops and experimental crops. The lighting system was found to be unplugged, and it was plugged back in last night by mission support. The lights did turn on last night and are fully functional.
WATER USE: 7 gallons
Heater: On
Supplemental light: 4 hours
Harvest: 6g beans, 30g dill
Summary of Science Dome operations: No crew activity, there was Mission Support activity.
Dual split: On (from approximately 8:00 pm to 8:00 am)
Summary of RAM operations: N/A
Summary of any observatory issues: N/A
Summary of health and safety issues: N/A
Questions, concerns, and requests to Mission Support:
- Please see my next email for information about suit 7
Best Regards,
Mason Kuhn
Crew 272 Engineer
EVA Report – January 9th
Crew 272 EVA Report 09-01-2023
EVA # 6
Author: Arly Black
Purpose of EVA: 1) First geology EVA to Kissing Camel Ridge. Specific focus on evidence of KCR as an inverted paleochannel as proposed by Clarke and Stoker (2011). 2) Geologist vs non-Geologist field performance evaluation. 3) Drone scouting of surrounding area for feasible search and rescue simulation location of future EVA.
Start time: 11:00 AM
End time: 2:00 PM
Narrative: Upon placing the fancy, new, plush headsets on their heads, the EVA crew knew their days of comms issues were over. It was love at first “copy”. With the previous headsets banished to the town of non-nominal toys, EVA prep went off without a hitch, and all explorers were suited up, thrust into the airlock, and exposed to awful puns with time to spare. The crew exited the airlock and danced their way to Opportunity and Curiosity (don’t think we didn’t see those moves Kenny and Kshitij). They drove south along Cow Dung Road, parked where the road intersects with Kissing Camel Ridge, and continued on foot 100 m south of the west ridge. Kshitij and Mason proceeded to use the drone to scout out potential locations in which to perform their search and rescue research operations. They found that the southern part of the ridge is simply perfect for their planned activity due to clear lines of sight and several good hiding places for a lost astronaut. The drone range reached 2800 ft, more than enough to cover the search grid of interest. Mason then took videos of crew members enjoying their time out in the field.
Simultaneously, Adriana and Kenny went further up the ridge, but within light-of-sight, searching for more paleoflow indicators (Adriana is worried about overusing those words, but I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of them). She took dip measurements, documented around 12 different sites of paleoflow indicators, and wrote some lithologic descriptions. She collected samples with sedimentary structures in them and excitingly, she believes she has found coal seams (geologists rejoice!). Along with minor frolicking and rock-hugging, Kenny documented crew activities and participated in further geologist vs non-geologist performance tests. Besides formations allegedly shaped like large, amorous, humped mammals, the ridge is also home to a staggering amount of petrified wood, which the crew gathered in droves! After taking a final group shot with the drone, the team packed up their supplies and their hard-earned booty and made it back to the Hab a half hour early as they had achieved all their objectives. Ultimately, this was a very successful EVA and the remaining crew back at the Hab can’t wait to get out there to collect some colourful terrified tree bark of their own!
Destination: Kissing Camel Ridge
Coordinates (use UTM WGS 84): N518400, E4249500
Participants: Kshitij Mall (Crew Commander), Mason Kuhn (Crew Engineer), Kenny Pritchard (Crew Journalist), Adriana Brown (Crew Geologist)
Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Drove south on Cow Dung Road until Kissing Camel Ridge. Walked on foot along ridge to the east and west relative to Cow Dung Road. Returned to rovers on foot and drove back to the Hab via Cow Dung Road.
Mode of travel: Driving and walking
GreenHab Report – January 9th
Crew 272 GreenHab Report 09-01-2023
GreenHab Officer: Madelyn Whitaker
Environmental control: heater, fan
Average temperatures: 67 F
Hours of supplemental light: 4 hours
Daily water usage for crops: 6 gallons
Daily water usage for research and/or other purposes: 1 gallon
Water in Blue Tank : 243
Time(s) of watering for crops: 1000, 1600
Changes to crops: Harvested beans and dill.
Narrative: Monitored and watered GreenHab crops, monitored and watered experimental crops. Harvested beans for a snack, dill for dill bread.
Harvest: (include which crop and mass in grams): 6g beans, 30g dill
Support/supplies needed: Lighting system was found to be unplugged. Plugged in last night by Dr. Rupert. Lights turned on last night, is now fully functional.
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