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Operations Report – March 14th

Crew 223 Operations Report 14-MAR-2020

SOL: n/a

Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert

Non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

Notes on non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

Friday generator:

Off at 6:00am

On at 10:00pm SOC was 86 %

Saturday generator

Off at 6 am

At 7 pm, SOC was 99%

I do not plan to turn it on tonight

Diesel Reading – 60%

Station Propane Reading – 69 %

Ethanol Free Gasoline – 5.5 gallons

Water (loft tank): 40 gallons

Water Meter: n/a units

Water (static tank) – 300 gallons

Static to Loft Pump used – not known

Water in GreenHab – did not check gallons

Water in ScienceDome: 0 gallons

Toilet tank emptied: yes

Perseverance rover used: no

Hours: 152.5

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Sojourner rover used: no

Hours: 104.5

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Spirit rover: no

Hours: 134.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Opportunity rover used: no

Hours: 70.3

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: no

Hours: 139.6

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Notes on rovers: Nothing to report

ATV’s Used: No

Reason for use: n/a

Oil Added? no

ATV Fuel Used: None

Hours the ATVs were Used today: 0

Notes on ATVs: Nothing to report.

HabCar used and why, where? Not used.

CrewCar used and why, where? The CrewCar is in Grand Junction and the

crew did not use it at all. They used the director’s truck to go to

Grand Junction this morning and pick up two rental vehicles to drive

to LAX.

General notes and comments: Nothing to report

Summary of internet: All ok but slow due to high winds

Summary of suits and radios: nothing to report

Summary of Hab operations: I turned the heat off at the Hab to conserve power.

Summary of GreenHab operations: I turned the heater down to 16 degrees

to conserve power. I also unplugged the supplemental lights as they

are really not needed anymore and also to conserve power.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Technician came to see what was

needed to complete installation of dual split unit. This will be

completed next weekend.

Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report.

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Happy Pi Day!

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Mission Summary – Crew 223

Mission Summary – Crew 223

Our mission could be summed up in one word: adaptability. During those two weeks, we had to adapt to a whole different planet. The way we fed ourselves was different, our daily routines changed, the landscapes we saw were completely foreign. We had spent the entire year preparing for this mission with the previous crew (Crew 222), but it still was very different from all our expectations. We have learned a lot about how to live on Mars, science and friendship. We have learned how to evolve in an environment that we did not know and was sometimes dangerous. We got used to the Hab and this incredible station that we discovered on our first day.

Team members: (From top to bottom) Clément Plagne (Journalist), Aurélien Mure (Commander), Luc Fortin (Engineer), Blandine Gorce (Health and Safety Officer), Florian Delpech (Astronomer), Valentin Bellemin-Laponnaz (GreenHab Officer) and Marion Lebrun (Crew scientist)

We are a crew of students coming from ISAE-SUPAERO, an engineering school in France, and we prepared this mission with the second crew of our school, the Crew 222.

Food and plantations:

Food is a key aspect of Martian life and not only because it is a bare necessity for humankind. It has an important influence on human physical and psychological health. During the two weeks we spent in the MDRS, we exploited at best the production that could be harvested from the GreenHab. And it gave us a huge improvement on our daily habits:

  • Since most of Martian food is dry, having to harvest some fresh herbs and vegetables was a relief for most of us. It was essential to be able to gather some lettuce for a fresh salad or some zucchini flowers for an original meal. Having a place to grow crops is essential to the good mood of the crew and the well-being of their digestive system.
  • The GreenHab is the secret garden of our station, it looks like no other place. Supervised by our GreenHab Officer, we were able to grow crops such as wild rocket, spinach, cucumbers, sweet pepper, radishes, tomatoes, swiss chard… We also had an experiment testing the influence of music on plants. In fact, if we need a lot of crops to grow with few resources on Mars, it is essential to enhance the growth rate of the plants. Valentin experimented on radish to see if some precise noise sequence would enhance the production of proteins inside the plant.
  • We also tested a new type of plantation. Thanks to the Aerospring tower, we tested a vertical plantation and grew lettuce into foam. It allows to cultivate out of soil with a circular system of water and it is all lightened by LEDs. It was efficient to grow lettuce, but it is hard to quantify its efficiency because our two weeks mission was too short to see a significant different.

Daily routine and protocol:

Martian life is sequenced by strict protocol that must be the best for the health of the astronauts and the procedures of the experiences.

  • Our daily routine started with sports, then EVAs according to the weather and in the afternoon, we had a lot of time for experiments in the science dome or in the Hab. Having a day timed precisely helped us to get used to this different lifestyle. The protocols for EVAS are timed due to the depressurization and pressurization and because of the danger of going out on Mars.
  • On Mars resources are limited. We had to be aware of every kind of resource we were using and how we were using it. We changed the way we used water, not consuming it for showers or dish washing. Water is used daily but more than ever it must be preserved because it is limited and so hard to get on Mars. We preserved it so well that we only used only 7 Liters per person and per day. Aurélien and Benjamin, the commander of the crew 222 worked together to simplify the way we count water and give a visual signification of water use.

Human factors and teamwork experience:

Living as a crew is not always easy, but it is a key point for the success of the mission. During the two weeks, we learned a lot about each other, about cohesion and about communication.

  • Marion held two different experiments on communication. The first one consisted to test our communication in a foreign language by building LEGOs. And the second one consisted in testing our communication in situation of stress.
  • We worked a lot on team building through relaxation and positive psychology. It helped calm the stress of the crew members when they were having a hard time. It also helped understanding the dynamic of the Crew. We had a functional yoga program to get rid of the cramps after the EVAs. The conclusion on this experiment is that creating a safe space where everyone feels good helps a lot the efficiency of the mission.

Necessity on Mars and future exploration:

Although it is very exciting to go and explore Mars, this is the most dangerous part of going on another planet. You can become very aware of the danger and the fragility of your own life, when being in a suit in the middle of a desert with no communication.

  • During EVAs, we realized that having a functional life support was essential, so Aurélien and Luc spend a lot of time making sure that our life support would be functioning under any circumstances. They also worked our own life support that was supposed to be tested during the mission. Unfortunately, it was still a bit unsafe to test it, even after two weeks of improvements. We also tested the efficiency of communication in these dangerous situations. In fact, after an EVA where one of the Crew members had lost her earplug, we created a protocol only using sign language. We were able to test its efficiency during two EVAs and concluded on the necessity of having a coded language in case of emergency.
  • During our exploration, we realized that the shapes of Mars can be anything but what was expected so it is essential to understand the environment around the station. We had to experience working on a better understanding of our environment. The LOAC is a system that measure the particles in the air in order to better understand the climate. And the MegaARES measures the electrical field on the ground. The results will be analyzed by the the laboratory Laboraton and the scientist Jean-Baptiste Renard back in France.
  • Last but not least, discovering the universe on Mars is perspective that gives a new exploration point of view. Studying the sky would be useful for further space exploration to be able to observe the sun and be aware of any solar storm. Florian was able to observe the sun and searched for supernovas during the nights. He was able to make all the observations and he will analyze the results back at ISAE-SUPAERO with Eishi, the Astronomer of the Crew 222.

As a conclusion, I would say that we grew up and realized that no matter where you are in the galaxy, it feels good to have a place one can call home.

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Operations Report – March 14th

Crew 223 Operations Report 14-MAR-2020

SOL: n/a

Name of person filing report: Shannon Rupert

Non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

Notes on non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

Friday generator:

Off at 6:00am

On at 10:00pm SOC was 86 %

Saturday generator

Off at 6 am

At 7 pm, SOC was 99%

I do not plan to turn it on tonight

Diesel Reading – 60%

Station Propane Reading – 69 %

Ethanol Free Gasoline – 5.5 gallons

Water (loft tank): 40 gallons

Water Meter: n/a units

Water (static tank) – 300 gallons

Static to Loft Pump used – not known

Water in GreenHab – did not check gallons

Water in ScienceDome: 0 gallons

Toilet tank emptied: yes

Perseverance rover used: no

Hours: 152.5

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Sojourner rover used: no

Hours: 104.5

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Spirit rover: no

Hours: 134.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Opportunity rover used: no

Hours: 70.3

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: no

Hours: 139.6

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Notes on rovers: Nothing to report

ATV’s Used: No

Reason for use: n/a

Oil Added? no

ATV Fuel Used: None

Hours the ATVs were Used today: 0

Notes on ATVs: Nothing to report.

HabCar used and why, where? Not used.

CrewCar used and why, where? The CrewCar is in Grand Junction and the
crew did not use it at all. They used the director’s truck to go to
Grand Junction this morning and pick up two rental vehicles to drive
to LAX.

General notes and comments: Nothing to report

Summary of internet: All ok but slow due to high winds

Summary of suits and radios: nothing to report

Summary of Hab operations: I turned the heat off at the Hab to conserve power.

Summary of GreenHab operations: I turned the heater down to 16 degrees
to conserve power. I also unplugged the supplemental lights as they
are really not needed anymore and also to conserve power.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Technician came to see what was
needed to complete installation of dual split unit. This will be
completed next weekend.

Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report.

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Happy Pi Day!

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Astronomy Report – March 13th

Crew 223 Astronomy Report Mar 13 2020

Name: Florian Delpech

Crew: 223

Date: 3/13/2020

MDRS ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY

Robotic Telescope Requested (choose one) MDRS-14

Objects to be Imaged this Evening: N/A because of the bad weather

Images submitted with this report: 1 picture of the California nebula to celebrate our come back on Earth! It was a pleasure working with you, thanks a lot for this opportunity!

Problems Encountered: N/A

MUSK OBSERVATORY

Solar Features Observed: N/A

Images submitted with this report: N/A

Problems Encountered: N/A

NCG1499_03132020.png

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Sol Summary – March 13th

Crew 223 Sol Summary Report 13-03-2020

Sol: 12 Summary Title: That’s all folk’s

Author’s name: Aurélien Mure – Crew Commander

Mission Status: crew out of sim

Sol Activity Summary:

The crew woke up at 7:50am. The sport session began at 8:00am. Members are struggling to sleep, that is why we moved the sport session, knowing that the weather did not allow us to go outside in the morning. We did all the cleaning work on the hab, the GreenHab, the science dome and the RAM. As we had to Unmount our LOAC and MegaAres, the crew worked on the Human Factor experiment in the late morning.

We went out with a lot of wind and after 4 weeks of hard labour, the weather station fell down one hour before we were supposed to unmount it. but no worries, nothing is broken. The EVA was not so easy because of the wind.

We washed all the materials and we went out of sim. After a long debriefing on how we have lived the mission, we were ready to cook for tonight !

Look Ahead Plan : Unmount the outdoor experiments.

Anomalies in work: None.

Weather: rainy in the morning, 4°C at 8:30am then cloudy and windy in the afternoon.

Crew Physical Status: All crew members safe and sound.

EVA: LOAC and MegaAres unmounted

Reports to be filed: Journalist report, Operations report, Green Hab report, EVA report, Astronomy report, Scientist, food inventory, Mission summary

Support Requested: None

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Operations Report – March 13th

Crew 223 Operations Report 13/03/2020

SOL: 12

Name of person filing report: Luc FORTIN

Non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

Notes on non-nominal systems: Nothing to report

Thursday generator:

Off at 6:30am

On at 10:16pm SOC was 89%

Friday generator:

Off at 6:00am

On at 10:00pm SOC was XX%

Diesel Reading – 60%

Station Propane Reading – 70%

Ethanol Free Gasoline – 5.5 gallons

Water (loft tank): 47 gallons

Water Meter: 149826.48 units

Water (static tank) – 202 gallons

Static to Loft Pump used – yes

Water in GreenHab – 110.3 gallons

Water in ScienceDome: 0 gallons

Toilet tank emptied: no

Perseverance rover used: yes

Hours: 152.4

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Sojourner rover used: ASSIGNED TO DIRECTOR

Hours: Nothing to report

Beginning charge: Nothing to report

Ending charge: Nothing to report

Currently charging: Nothing to report

Spirit rover: yes

Hours: 134.2

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 92%

Currently charging: yes

Opportunity rover used: no

Hours: 70.3

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Curiosity rover used: no

Hours: 139.6

Beginning charge: 100%

Ending charge: 100%

Currently charging: yes

Notes on rovers: Nothing to report

ATV’s Used: yes (1, 2 and 3)

Reason for use: ATVs 1, 2, 3 started during the EVA Engineer.

Oil Added? no

ATV Fuel Used: Nothing to report

Hours the ATVs were Used today: Nothing to report

Notes on ATVs: Nothing to report.

HabCar used and why, where? The HabCar is parked at the MDRS Campus.

CrewCar used and why, where? The CrewCar is in Grand Junction.

General notes and comments: Nothing to report

Summary of internet: All ok.

Summary of suits and radios: Suits 7, 8, 9, 10 were used during the EVA.

Summary of Hab operations: Nothing to report.

Summary of GreenHab operations: Nothing to report.

Summary of ScienceDome operations: Nothing to report.

Summary of RAM operations: Nothing to report.

Summary of any observatory issues: Nothing to report

Summary of health and safety issues: Nothing to report

Questions, concerns and requests to Mission Support: Nothing to report

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EVA Report – March 13th

Crew 223 EVA Report 13-03-2020

EVA # 12

Author: Clément Plagne (Journalist)

Purpose of EVA: Dismantling experiments LOAC and MegaARES

Start time: 15:05

End time: 15:43

Narrative: The experiments were dismantled quickly and efficiently in spite of the heavy winds and wet ground.

Destination: LOAC and MegaARES area, off Entrance Road

Coordinates (use UTM NAD27 CONUS): 12S 4250800 518500

Participants: Clément Plagne (Journalist, EVA Leader), Aurélien Mure (Commander), Luc Fortin (Engineer), Valentin Bellemin-Laponnaz (GreenHab Officer)

Road(s) and routes per MDRS Map: Entrance Road, Cow Dung Road

Mode of travel: Rovers : Spirit, Perseverance

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GreenHab Report – March 13th

Crew 223 GreenHab Report – 13-03-2020 GreenHab Officer: Valentin BELLEMIN-LAPONNAZ

Environmental control: Ambient with Door open

Average temperature: 24°C

Low temperature: 23°C
High temperature: 25°C

Hours of supplemental light: 4 hours (from 9P.M to 1 a.m.)

Daily water usage for crops: 12.7 gallons

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

Water in Blue Tank— 97.5 gallons

Time(s) of watering for crops: 3 (one only for tomatoes)

Changes to crops: NA

Narrative: This morning, was a special as the weather was windy and rainy. I watered the GreenHab as usual. I felt a bit sad as it is the end of the mission and many fruits will be to be good to eat in two weeks (approx. 15 cucumbers, 5-6 tomatoes). I am also sad to learn that no crew is coming next week. Yet, I had a really good times in the GreenHab. I enjoyed a lot taking care of the plants. I was like on heaven.

Harvest: 25g Basil / 5g Oregano / 20g Sage / 100g Rocket

Support/supplies needed: NA

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Journalist Report – March 13th

Crew 223 Journalist Report 13Mar2020

Author: Clément Plagne, Journalist

Sol 12: Closing in

It’s weird to wake up knowing that that heavy airlock door you heard shut such a short time ago was going to open just that evening. Honestly, while knowing that it’s over will be a relief, I think all of us would also like it to last just a little longer. It’s part of the experience to know that you can never do everything you intend to, and that you will face challenges that will slow you down. The job is as much about dealing with these challenges as it is doing what you came here to do. And challenges we had to face, even today. We had so many great days early on, I think that the MDRS gods decided to punish us before the end.

We awoke not only to the thought of that door, but also to pouring rain. A bad situation on clean-up day. The corridors between buildings in the station are insulated, but we still walk on the ground, or, as we had to today, the mud. Wind was howling even after rain had stopped, and the EVA that we had already moved to the afternoon was becoming even more perilous. After four weeks of loyal services to our two crews, the weather station for the LOAC experiment finally lost against the wind and fell over, mere hours before being dismantled. Nevertheless, the EVA was a great demonstration of all we’d learned during our previous expeditions. In hostile conditions of strong winds and loose, muddy terrain, we managed to perform all intended procedures quickly, safely and efficiently. The conclusion of a job well done on all EVAs.

And, some time later, the experiments were all packed up and ready to go back home. We’d been entrusted with them, and we hope we did a great job of gathering data. Everyone in the station did their best, that is, excellent work, so we have high hopes for the results to be valuable. We were just counting minutes until we could say the simulation was broken, and there it was: the outside, not seen through a glass helmet. We all ran around in the mud like children, and waited for Shannon, whom we’d invited over for dinner, to come inside the Hab. She’s done a fantastic job of helping us throughout the mission, and we are all grateful to have her here.

I’m writing these last few lines while she’s here: she has far too many good stories about her tenure at MDRS, and I’m finding myself hurriedly doing my best to finish up before missing the comms window. Tomorrow will be my last report, and there’s a lot to think about and a good look back to do.