2022-2023 Field Season (#22)

SOL 18: Sheltering from the Storm

05:14 PM: The weather is in a foul mood today. While the entire crew started their day as usual this morning, the sky darkened and the wind picked up. Quentin and Somaya went to work calmly in the Science Dome early in the day, and by the time they returned, the deafening howls of the wind were already shaking the HAB. The entire crew then gathered to observe what this storm looked like from the portholes. We were impressed by the large sand clouds whipped up by the wind, giving us the feeling of being trapped in the middle of a sandstorm. The walls of the GreenHab shook under the gusts, and the hatch leading to the solar observatory’s sky also vibrated heavily. When we realized this, a question arose for the crew: Should we go out to the observatory to secure it properly, risking that the volunteer for this expedition might see the tunnels between the modules overturn on them due to wind pressure? We therefore organized urgently. It was decided that Quentin would close the hatch, and equipped with the walkie-talkie from the Lower-Deck, he would communicate directly with Erin who would indicate when the lulls occurred so that he could cross the tunnels at the right moment. The sky was in a bad mood, and since the corridors were not perfectly airtight, he felt the gusts while crossing them, but he finally managed to secure the observatory.

For a few hours, we contented ourselves with continuing our activities in the HAB. Robin started assembling the SUPAEROMOON rover, but we must be patient and wait for all the prints to finish before we can finally test it. Meddi analyzed the data from the Micropouss’ experiment, and Célyan even tried his hand at embroidery.

In the middle of the afternoon, the wind blew a little less strongly, and after launching recordings for the Twins2 experiment, Crew 311 headed to the RAM and GreenHab to discuss possible improvements for these modules. The RAM is already very optimized; we quickly turned our attention to the greenhouse, but once there, we struggled to hear each other due to the loud wind. We therefore concluded our little activity in the HAB, where the gusts whisper that they still have things to tell us.

Tonight, Somaya and I were supposed to prepare an EVA for tomorrow morning to search for beacons in the Sea of Shells region using a 3D map, but the weather forecast is not good, and we are forced to postpone it. The desert is not kind to analog astronauts; one must know how to adapt.

SOL 15: Crew 311 draw its path in the Desert and on Paper

03:15 PM: Today, the Martian sky was covered with clouds. Quentin, Robin, and Meddi had planned an EVA the day before but had to wait for confirmation from Mission Support this morning, thirty minutes before their departure. Any weather event is a good reason to cancel an EVA on Mars, but the weather remained favorable, allowing our three companions to venture further than they ever had before. Their EVA took place in an unexplored region of MDRS crews from ISAE-SUPAERO: Sea of Shells. They took many drone photos to create a 3D map.

This week, roles are reversed. Erin and Célyan will first retrieve the beacons scattered in the area using a 2D map while Somaya and I can study their location using the 3D map generated via photogrammetry. Meanwhile, I concluded the first phase of the HUMANISE experiment. This involves testing different teleoperation methods with the goal of controlling rovers directly from the Moon or Mars during future manned missions. We all tested operations via PS5 controllers and now we will pilot our robot using a virtual reality headset!

05:31 PM: This afternoon, the entire crew discussed optimizing space and furniture arrangements in the HAB, our main habitat. I acted as the moderator and tried to transcribe the crew’s ideas onto paper. This activity was proposed by Michail Magkos, an architect engineer from KTH University of Sweden, with whom we are already collaborating on other experiments like Orbital Architecture.

The goal is to perfect the layout of the station so that it can be considered for future space bases. Even in a base like MDRS, there are still many areas for improvement and living at the heart of the station for two weeks allows us to perceive them more clearly.