Crew 187 EVA Reports
POSTED ONJANUARY 26, 2018 EVA Report – January 24th EVA Report for 24Jan2018
Author: Oscar Ojeda
Purpose of EVA: Usage of rovers for battery discharge, aerial mapping of terrain, testing of mid-range EVA protocols, testing of the Guache I Rover, Collection of possible halophile samples.
Destination: Intersection of Quarry Road and Cow Dung Road
Coordinates: 518400 E, 4255500 N
Participants: Atila, Danton, David and Oscar
Narrative: One successful EVA was undertaken on this day. A crew of 4 departed the habitat at 11:35, aiming for the two main goals of discharging the rover’s battery and to keep testing the different projects. After taking Cow Dung Rd for about 30 minutes, the crew arrived at Quarry Road, where several aerial shots were taken, testing the 3D mapping software, as well as a first field run of the Guache I rover. On the way back, the crew stopped on two more locations to perform the same activities, taking aerial footage, and testing the Guache I rover performance over different types of terrain. The expedition never left the main road for more than 20 meters. No halophile samples were taken, because no relevant sites were found during the expedition. The batteries of the rovers were discharged, and in particular, opportunity dropped to 55% during the traverse. The crew entered the airlock at 13:55 and finished the EVA.
No incident or anomaly was sustained during the EVA.
POSTED ONJANUARY 26, 2018
EVA Report – January 25th
EVA Report for 25Jan2018
Author: Oscar Ojeda
Start time: 10:00
End time: 15:00
Purpose of EVA: Aerial mapping of terrain, testing of long-range EVA protocols, testing of temperature regulation vest, Collection of possible halophile samples.
Destination: Candor Chasma
Coordinates: 520500 E, 4251000 N
Participants: Atila, Luis and David and Tania
Narrative: The exploration team left the Hab at 10:35. Being the last exploration for the majority of the crew, they were willing to go to the depths of Candor Chasma and conquer it. They took the 4 ATVs and advanced on the main route until arriving at Galileo Road 1104 with the intention of entering the canyon from an area near the intersection between Stream Bed Connector and Cactus Road. Not being able to visualize Stream Bed Connector, the expedition team arrived Mountain Goat Trail and returned by the same way to find Stream Bed. Apparently, no one has used this path for a long time and it was impossible to find. Because of that, the expedition team returned to Galileo Road, and had a short communication with the Hab. They decided to advance approximately half a kilometer in the direction of Cactus Road and stop. They walked almost 10 minutes and found a perfect entrance for Candor Chasma. At 12:03 they entered into the depths of such majestic beast and advanced for 50 minutes. They found traces of Martian species that resemble terrestrial antelopes, but they had no encounter with any living species. At 12:55 they decided to take the road back and were ready to return home at 1:43 pm. The way back happened without incident and they arrived at the Hab 14:20.
No incident or anomaly was sustained during the EVA.
POSTED ONJANUARY 26, 2018 EVA Report – January 26th EVA Report for 26Jan2018
Author: Oscar Ojeda
Start time: 10:00
End time: 15:00
Purpose of EVA: Aerial mapping of terrain, testing of long-range EVA protocols, testing of temperature regulation vest, Collection of possible halophile samples, Testing of the Guache Rover.
Destination: Unnamed zone on 1101 marker, west of Cow Dung Road, near white rock canyon
Coordinates: 519000 E, 4247500 N
Participants: Danton, Oscar, Tania, and Cynthia
Narrative: Today we were going to a place that was never explored by a crew before, and we took out our official pet, the Porg, with us. The crew left the airlock at 10:35 and headed south in 4 ATVs, upon finding the pole 1101 trough Cow Dung road, after about half an hour of traverse, we proceeded to drive into a road that hasn’t been used in a long while. The Road was very harsh, and we had to go very slow, so we decided to name the road “Despacito Rd”. Upon arriving we found several areas to explore, each one as beautiful as the other. Then is was when we realized that it was our last exploration EVA, and our goodbye from Mars. We walked through a canyon, which we decided to name Porg Canyon. The area is very rich geologically, with several sedimentary deposits, as well as clast rocks. There was also evidence of herbivore animals. The crew walked for 2 hours in the canyon and returned to the ATVs, starting the road home. Midway, the crew stopped in a rocky plain to test the functionality of the Guache Rover, using a wheel that was 3D printed in metal by the company ITAMCO, and designed with Purdue University. After that the crew resumed the way home, entering the airlock at 14:45.
No incident or anomaly was sustained during the EVA.
POSTED ONJANUARY 24, 2018 EVA Report – January 23rd EVA Report for 23Jan2018
Author: Oscar Ojeda
Purpose of EVA: Aerial mapping of terrain, testing of long-range EVA protocols, and long-range operation test of Cóndor Space Suit Simulator, Collection of possible halophile samples.
Participants: Oscar, Cynthia, Tania, and Danton
Coordinates: 518500 E, 4256500 N
Narrative: Two EVAs were undertaken today, the second one consisted on driving through Cow Dung Road to discharge the battery od each of the new rovers, to increase their battery life. The crew departed at 16:00 and was returning at the hab at 17:00. One of the crewmember’s radio was drained during the return, so he took the center position in the formation, for safety.
The first EVA took a crew of 4 to Lith canyon. The goals of the EVA were attained. The crew left the airlock at 10:35, securing the elements to the ATVs and taking the specified route, taking Cow Dung road north. The crew arrived at the entrance of the Special Region and struggled for about half an hour to find the entrance to the rest of the road, which is not easily visible. After finding the entrance the crew proceeded with the rest of the vehicle road, taking Lith Canyon Road to it’s end. At this point, the ATVs were left and the crew started walking up a hill to have a better visual of the area and plan the next exploration steps. Aerial footage was also taken from the Drone. Walking exploration of Lith canyon was undertaken, walking west from the position where the ATVs were parked. The crew walked towards the western wall of the canyon, departing after into the eastern limit, where aerial footage was gathered. The zone presented a significant amount of cactus and hervibore presence evidence. The crew started the return walk by 14:05, arriving to the ATVs by 14:45. The ATVs were boarded, and the road back resumed. On the way back, a sample of soil containing salt deposits was taken for further analysis for Halophiles. The crew arrived to the hab at 15:35, ending the EVA.
POSTED ONJANUARY 22, 2018 EVA Report – January 22nd This is the report for today’s EVA
Purpose of EVA: Primary: Long-range EVA protocol testing, Sample collection for possible Halophile identification, identification of relevant sampling sites, heating vest testing.
Secondary: Outreach and Educational graphic material collection. Relevant sample collection.
Participants: Atila, Danton, Luis, and David.
Coordinates: 517100 E, 4256400 N
Narrative: Today was the first long range EVA undertaken by the crew, and it was an eventful one, fortunately with a very happy ending. It is important to say that the temperature was a challenging element for the crew. The EVA started at 12:00 with the egress of the crew of four of the airlock. By pairs they boarded the two rovers and departed north by Cow Dung road, however, by the rapid discharge of the opportunity rover, the crew returned to the hab to rest, eat something, and take two ATVs instead of Opportunity. The EVA was resumed at 13:30 with a new egress of the crew, this time boarding Deimos and the 1 and 2 350 ATVs. The crew departed north until the north of Copernicus Hw, where they left the vehicles and started walking at 14:50. The crew walked about 15 minutes to a valley(38° 27.448N 110° 48.031W) and stayed there for about 5 minutes, where they took the route back, taking relevant samples in the way, as well as aerial footage(38° 27.0021N 110°48.565W). There were a lot of hervibore prints as well. While on Brahe Hwy the battery meter of Deimos suddenly started dropping fast, taking about 5 minutes to go from 71% to 26% charge, as reported by the Engineering officer. The crew decided to switch positions to reduce the weight, and kept going, however the charge kept dropping. The crew decided to walk along the vehicle, and afterwards to push it. The crew followed this procedure for 50 minutes. Afterwards they took the jumping cables (for battery charging) and pulled the rover with one of the ATVs until they were in sight of the crew in the hab. Unfortunately, the cables broke, and it was impossible to pull the rover further. At that point the crew was already 45 minutes above the closing time of the EVA window, and director Shannon went out to help them. The crew broke simulation, towed and pushed the rover up to the habitat and made an ingress to the hab, out of sim.
They were greeted with hot cocoa and blankets by the rest of the crew, who were happy to see them again.
POSTED ONJANUARY 21, 2018 EVA Report – January 21st Purpose of EVA: Primary: Mid-range testing of the Cóndor Space Suit Simulator, Mid-range EVA protocol testing, Sample collection for possible Halophile identification, further exploration of El Dorado Canyon.
Secondary: Outreach and Educational graphic material collection. Relevant sample collection.
Participants: Oscar, Luis, David, and Tania.
Narrative: Today marked the last of the mid-range EVAs programmed, leading to longer and even more interesting exploration. The weather was favorable, but windy. The crew donned the suits and exited the airlock at 12:30, the four crewmembers then boarded the Rovers Spirit and Opportunity and followed the path planned, towards El Dorado canyon. After approximately 25 minutes of traverse, and after passing Robert’s Rock Garden, the Rovers were parked on the side of the road, and the expedition started walking with Southeast course, towards the entrance of the canyon, upon finishing the rocky plains, two crewmembers had to return to the Rover, given that the aerial drone was left behind. Upon reuniting, the crew resumed the traverse until the entrance of the canyon. More herbivore and cougar prints were found in the area, but not as fresh as on the previous EVA to the canyon. The crew entered the canyon and followed the dry riverbed. Along this path, water samples were taken, aerial footage with the drone, as well as traditional photography. The crew followed the path until the eastern exit of the canyon, heading south to meet Cow Dung road again. However, the sampling sites that were found during the firs EVA to the area were not found, since they probably belong to a subsidiary structure, south of El Dorado canyon. It is suggested that further detailed mapping of this area is undertaken, to identify all the morphologies present. While returning through Cow Dung road, heading north, a crewmember’s cell phone (used as a compass and camera) was lost, so a search formation was done, and the crew headed south, being able to find the device, and resuming the walk back north. The walk lasted about 25 minutes, reuniting with the Rovers and heading back to the habitat. The EVA ended at 15:20 with the ingress of the crew from the airlock to the habitat.
The aerial footage is being processed, as well as the performance of the Cóndor Space Suit Simulator, which will be subjected to detailed inspection tomorrow.
The only incident related with the EVA was the lost and recovery of the cell phone.
POSTED ONJANUARY 19, 2018 EVA Report – January 18th Crew 187 EVA Report 19JAN2018
Good evening Mission Support…!! Here is the EVA Report for 19JAN2018.
Purpose of EVA: Aerial mapping of MDRS campus
Participants: Danton, and Cynthia
Narrative: Today the crew had a short EVA. All the main goals were successfully attained. The EVA consisted of taking aerial and ground footage of the MDRS campus. The images were taken by the Spark drone used by the crew. The footage was taken at altitudes of 20, 25, 40 and 50 meters above ground level. Images will be provided with the daily reports. The EVA window requested was 2 hours, but the activity lasted 35 minutes. The two members of the expedition were using Exo Suits.
No incident or anomaly was sustained during the EVA.
Thank you so much…!!
Oscar Ojeda – EVA Officer
POSTED ONJANUARY 18, 2018 EVA Report – January 18th Purpose of EVA: Aerial mapping of terrain, testing of mid-range EVA protocols, and mid-range operation test of Cóndor Space Suit Simulator.
Participants: Atila, Cynthia, Danton, and Oscar
Narrative: Today we had a successful and interesting EVA, attaining all the main goals, as well as a secondary goal. The crew left the airlock at 13:15. It was the first of an intended set of mid to long range of explorations in the area of MDRS. The crew donned the suits, consisting on 3 Exo suits and the Cóndor Space Suit Simulator. The target area was a canyon located south east from the habitat, which has not been much explored. Given the fact that this canyon has not been named, crew 187 decided to propose for it the name of El Dorado Canyon. A crew of 4 departed in two Rovers, Curiosity and Deimos, going south from the habitat through Cow Dung Road. After a traverse of approximately 15 minutes, passing Robert’s Rock Garden, the crew parked the vehicles and started walking east towards the entrance of the canyon. After traversing a rocky but flat terrain, the crew arrived at the southern edge of the zone, entering the dry riverbed by a small slope, which was found by following prints of a herbivore animal. Upon arrival, the crew started walking East, following the riverbed, quickly finding several elements of interest for future exploration, such as dry salt deposits, which could harbor extremophile microorganisms, frozen ponds, and sedimentary and clastic geological structures. These structures were present during all the traverse, being even more relevant towards the deepest segments. When the crew had made a walk of about 20 minutes from the ridge, a small pond was found, and the observation was made that it was probable to find wild animals around, which was confirmed by finding several prints of was probably a pack of herbivores, also a carnivore feline print was found, which we assume, belonged to a Mountain Lion. The print was presumably fresh, of at most hours, which made the crew to decide to stop the walking exploration, send the drone a few hundred meters ahead, and proceed to return, following the same path. A few samples of rocks with salt deposits were recovered and stored. Unfortunately, upon landing, the drone’s camera mount engine was locked, and the issue is being assessed by Danton. At the arrival to the ridge, the crew started walking West, to find the main road and the Rovers to head back to the habitat. During this walk a coral fossil was found and retrieved. The crew arrived to the Rovers and headed back to the MDRS campus. Upon arrival the Cóndor Space Suit proceeded to the airlock, due to the fact that the battery was drained, and it could represent a hazard to operations. The rest of the crew made a short excursion inside the RAM module to inspect the contents related to the HSO, as well as to store the cage for the Curiosity rover. The EVA ended at 15:55.
We also noticed that the coordinates given by the map do not match the ones provided by the GPS equipment available in the lab, we’d like to further explore this issue.
No incident or anomaly was sustained during the EVA.
Oscar Ojeda – EVA Officer
POSTED ONJANUARY 16, 2018 EVA Report – January 16th Purpose of EVA: Collecting regolith samples for use on science projects (15kg, Atila and David)
Participants: Atila, David, Luis, and Oscar
Narrative: Today’s EVA was fortunately a short one, the most time you spend out in Mars, the most risk you have of suffering an incident, and safety comes first, despite of the always breathtaking views that you get. All the goals of the EVA were successfully attained. On a particular note, the excursion leader, Oscar, used the flexible segment of the Condor Space Suit Simulator, in combination with the Exo Suit. The requested EVA window was of two hours, with previous knowledge that it would last under an hour, planning for possible issues arising. At 9:15 the crewmembers started getting ready in the lower deck, donning the flight suits, as well as the accessories, such as radios and snoopy caps, the required elements for the activity were taken, mainly consisting of sealable bags, 3 shovels, and a bucket. Afterwards the crew proceeded to decompression protocols in the airlock, egressing the Habitat main door at 9:51. The crew proceeded to walk towards the base of Overlook Ridge, on its Northeast segment, where 10 full bags of regolith were collected, as well as a full bucket, all containing around 16kg of soil samples. The samples were then moved to the side of the hab, and after requesting permission, moved into the airlock. The crew sustained depressurization procedures, and then proceeded to doffing.
No incident or anomaly was sustained during the EVA.
Thank you,
Oscar Ojeda
POSTED ONJANUARY 15, 2018 EVA Report – January 15th Purpose of EVA: Space Suit activity recognition and Assessment of in-suit performance
Participants:
EVA 1: Atila, Danton, Oscar, Cynthia
EVA 2: Atila, Luis, David, Tania
Narrative: The crew conducted the first EVA set of activities today, and it was a huge success, whit all the objectives completed. The main goal of the EVA was to get all the crewmembers a first approach to external operations, and to test the main tools we would be using from now on, on each of the projects. The EVA was designed to also test the performance of the crewmembers with the gear on, to plan better the next EVAs, and assignments. Both crews performed the same routine, with small variations. The routine began by the donning of the suits, proceeding to enter the airlock, 5 minute depressurization, and going out in front of the hab. From there, the group took a straight route until the south of Marble Ritual, try the quadcopter operation, and the shovels for sampling. Upon return to the hab area, the crew left some of the equipment back and mounted the vehicles, 3 ATVs and the Curiosity Rover. It is important to clear that the requested Rover was Deimos, but the designated driver in EVA 1, Danton, would not fit inside of it, requiring the use of the one without safety cage. In order to keep the same protocols, EVA 2 used the same Rover. The next route was traversed by vehicle and took the crew to Pooh’s Corner, where a second brief walk was undertaken, towards a small mound on the East of Cow Dung Road. Afterwards the crew returned to the vicinity of the hab to perform the last test, which consisted of making summit of Overlook Ridge. The crew then returned to the airlock, sustained repressurization, and upon entry to the hab, proceeded to doffing protocols.
Each crewmember was interviewed upon finalization of the doffing on qualitative, and quantitative factors, as well as general comments on the performance of themselves on the suit. Further comment on this will be posted on the final report.
Oscar Ojeda
EVA Officer – Crew 187
