Crew 202 Sol Summaries
JANUARY 12, 2019
Sol Summary Report – Jan 12th
Crew 202 Sol Summary Report 12-Jan-2019
Sol: 14
Summary Title: Back on Earth
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello and Oscar Ojeda
Mission Status: Nominal, the crew is back on Earth and met crew 203!
Sol Activity Summary: After breakfast, the crew began cleaning the habitat and the other facilities and got ready to meet crew 203. We had a short excursion with the Program Director and after dinner crew 203 is shadowing crew 202 for report training.
After a long trip, crew 203 was finally reunited in Grand Junction, had an amazing trip all the way to the station, and were warmly welcomed by crew 202. We joined the excursion and had our last dinner on Earth as we prepare for our mission
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow crew 202 will leave campus and crew 203 will receive field training
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Sunny and warmer
Crew Physical Status: In great health
EVA: none
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, Astronomy Report, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
POSTED ONJANUARY 11, 2019 Sol Summary – January 11th Crew 202 Sol Summary Report 11-Jan-2019
Sol: 13
Summary Title: I see Earth
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: Nominal, end of mission and ready to get back to Earth and outside of the habitat tomorrow
Sol Activity Summary: the crew started the day with some good stretching and a last, short EVA within walking distance from the habitat. In the afternoon, we began cleaning the various facilities, packing, and getting ready for our reentry, descent, and landing.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow the crew will open the airlock and leave the habitat, back on Earth and ready to welcome crew 203
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Crew Physical Status: In good health
EVA: The Executive Officer, Crew Journalist, Crew Engineer, and Crew Geologist went on EVA on the ridges west of the habitat
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, Astronomy Report, Journalist Report, Final Science and Outreach Report, Mission Summary
Support Requested: None
POSTED ONJANUARY 10, 2019 Sol Summary – January 10th Sol: 12
Summary Title: Getting close
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: Nominal. The crew is ready to wrap up their projects and prepare their return to Earth
Sol Activity Summary: this morning after breakfast we had visitors from our pale blue dot. A few guests visited us, to learn about our research projects and the importance of analog missions for the exploration of Mars. The crew followed us during our work, in our daily life, and in our EVA. Due to the footage of our work at MDRS, the EVA started later than planned. Meeting earthlings was a little anticipation of the experience we will have once back on Earth. Until this visit, we did not fully realize how isolated we have been. After sharing some of our daily routine with our guest, we went back to our life as Martians, and spent the afternoon working and cleaning the habitat.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will have one last, short EVA to walking distance from the habitat, to pick the last geological samples. We will also wrap up our research projects, clean the whole campus, and prepare to meet crew 203
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Sunny and warm
Crew Physical Status: In good health
EVA: The Commander, Executive Officer, Crew Journalist, Health and Safety Officer, and one guest had an EVA in the area west of the intersection of Cow Dung Rd and Galileo Rd
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Astronomy Report, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
JANUARY 9, 2019 Sol Summary – January 9th Crew 202 Sol Summary Report 09-Jan-2019
Sol: 11
Summary Title: Beyond the Dinosaurs
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: Nominal, the crew is working on the final touches of the part of their projects that has to be conducted at MDRS (some will have to study the data collected here once back on Earth)
Sol Activity Summary: this morning had a session of stretching for the back and shoulders. After breakfast, four crew members went on EVA towards Lith Canyon. Due to the safety protocol concerning the battery charge status of the rover, the crew walked the final part of the road, about 0.8 miles, to the west entrance of Lith Canyon. Walking around the special region (and “beyond the dinosaurs”), the crew studied the features of Lith Canyon from the northwestern wall. The condition of the west entrance did not allow the crew to hike down into the canyon.
After collecting radiometric data, the EVA crew walked back to the rover and drove the long road to the habitat, to join the remaining crew.
The afternoon was spent working, cleaning, making pizza dough, and resting. Tonight we are preparing a pizza and board games night.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will host a CBS crew that will grab footage of our work here. We plan to have an EVA, as well as work on our research projects
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Cloudy and warm
Crew Physical Status: Tired and in good health
EVA: The Commander, Executive Officer, Crew Geologist, and Crew Engineer had an EVA in the area of west Lith Canyon
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Astronomy Report, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
[end]
POSTED ONJANUARY 8, 2019 Sol Summary – January 08th Sol: 10
Summary Title: Take me home, muddy road
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: While our return to Earth is getting closer, the crew is in full activity with the final part of their data collection and research project.
Sol Activity Summary: this morning started with yoga and meditation, in view of a long EVA. After breakfast, due to the current conditions of the road and to the intended destination of the proposed EVA, the crew worked out the details of the EVA with the Program Director and Assistant Program Director. After receiving the "go, but be careful", three crew members departed on their ATV. I have never visited the Skyline Rim region, after giving up my place to a crew mate last year and have been craving this excursion into the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary for a long time. Unfortunately, even this year I was not able to reach the area (already planning for next year. Third is the charm, right?), after encountering a thick layer of mud along Copernicus Hwy 1574 south and deciding to abort the primary destination out of safety concerns. The ATV would probably have made it, but the risk of getting stuck due to muddy tires was a possibility, and since these layers have been there for 145 million years, there is a good chance that they will be there next time I am around! The EVA had a few intermediate stops on the way back home. In the meanwhile, the crew members in the habitat swept the science dome for the fourth time in the mission and began a deep cleaning of both the lower and the upper deck of the habitat. Luckily, the EVA crew managed to scrape most of the thick chunks of mud from their boots, and to clean their EVA suits and flight suits without destroying the great job made by the rest of the crew. After an afternoon of work and some rest, we are now ready for a relaxed evening.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will attempt an EVA in the area of Lith Canyon, pending condition of the area and behavior of rover batteries (they performed well since the temperature increased)
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Sunny and warmer, snow almost completely melted
Crew Physical Status: Tired and in good health
EVA: The Commander, Crew Geologist, and Crew Journalist rode the ATVs towards Skyline Rim, but turned around short of the final destination due to excessive amount of mud on the road. Stops on the way back provided insight into the late Jurassic / early Cretaceous layers
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
POSTED ONJANUARY 7, 2019 Sol Summary 9 – January 7th Crew 202 Sol Summary Report 07-Jan-2019
Sol: 9
Summary Title: Some thoughts to home
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: Second week is proceeding according to plans, all research projects working as expected, with much data collected and some more work to do once back on Earth
Sol Activity Summary: After a cookies and movie night yesterday, strong wind caused a noisy night in the habitat, but the morning routine of stretching got all of us ready to go as usual. In the morning and early afternoon, three crew members performed a long EVA, while the crew astronomer worked in the Musk solar observatory and the crew geologist sorted and analyze the rocks collected in the last few days. The late afternoon and evening were also spent in working on research projects.
At the beginning of this week, a though begins to crawl in: we will be back on Earth and outside this habitat at the end of the week. However, there is still much more to do, and while we think of home, school, work, and ice cream, we are still Martians, ready to put our effort into the research we are doing and into the many daily activities that keep our habitat up and running.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will have an EVA towards Skylim Rim to study and collect samples from the Mancos shale layer
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Windy and sunny, with snow melting and muddy trails
Crew Physical Status: The expected amount of tiredness, but morning routines is helping with any soreness
EVA: The Executive Officer, Crew Engineer, and Health and Safety Officer had an EVA to Cactus Road and the Canyon area, where they collected samples for the crew geologist and measurements of radiation
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Astronomy Report, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
POSTED ONJANUARY 6, 2019 Sol Summary – January 5th Crew 202 Sol Summary Report 05-Jan-2019
Sol: 7
Summary Title: Half-way
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: We are now half-way through our mission, and enjoying the warm habitat while expecting more snow overnight
Sol Activity Summary: To help recovering from the toughness of Mars, this morning we opted for yoga and guided meditation for our morning routine. Following the warmest EVA of the mission (temperatures still around freezing, but bright sun), today we had the coldest EVA of the mission, due to cloudy sky and cold wind. The EVA was intended to reach the areas of canyons at the end of Cactus Rd, but the snow made it difficult to recognize the trail in certain areas, so the EVA crew stopped along the way to work on their research project. After a hot lunch, the afternoon was spent watching a movie, working, and resting.
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will have a short EVA if precipitation ends and conditions are acceptable. Mostly, we will enjoy a day indoor.
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Cloudy, expecting snow tonight and tomorrow morning
Crew Physical Status: Some tiredness here and there, but generally very good
EVA: The Commander, Executive Officer, Crew Geologist, and Crew Engineer had an EVA to the East, along Galileo Rd and the initial part of Cactus Rd. Condition of the trail did not allow to go all the way to the canyons region (snow made it very hard to discern the trail, and the Commander decided to stop in a region of interest along the way).
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Astronomy Report, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
POSTED ONJANUARY 6, 2019 Sol Summary – January 6th Sol: 8
Summary Title: School starts tomorrow
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: Despite waking up to a white Mars again, the mission is proceeding very well, and we also managed to have a short EVA
Sol Activity Summary: Today, Sunday on Earth, the sol started a little slow. We woke up 30 minutes later than the usual schedule and had some great stretching. After sweeping the tunnels and enjoying some personal time, we had a short EVA to gather measurements on radiation. Two crew members took a shower today. The struggle with alternating icy cold and scalding hot water is real, but the aftermath is amazing! The tired crew enjoyed a relaxed afternoon, thinking of students at Purdue who will start their classes tomorrow
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will try again to have an EVA towards the canyon area
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Sunny and warmer
Crew Physical Status: Two crew member are in perfect mood after the shower, four more crew members are doing good
EVA: The Executive Officer, Journalist, and Health and Safety Officer had an EVA along Galileo Rd and to Marble Ritual
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
POSTED ONJANUARY 5, 2019 Sol Summary – January 4th Crew 202 Sol Summary Report 04-Jan-2019
Sol: 6
Summary Title: Settling down
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: All projects are moving forward, with some ups and downs. We are collecting plenty of data, and each of us is giving much contribution, both with our own research projects and as test subjects for our crewmates.
Sol Activity Summary: Our morning routine continues to be a varying mix of useful stretching and conditioning exercises. Today the crew members who stayed in the habitat yesterday went on EVA and vice versa. The physical and mental stress of the mission is beginning to creep through, but the crew is reacting very well. Time is flying, and it is already Sol 6 of our mission, we now feel this is "our" place, that we live in and that we take care of. It is a great view when coming back from EVA. The crew keeps having a great time together: before each EVA, the whole crew is involved in the preparation, and those who stay in the habitat are always ready to welcome the EVA crew with some hot meal. After the usual afternoon of rest and work on the projects, the crew is preparing for the evening (yesterday we had a movie night).
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will have a geology EVA towards canyons, pending advice on practicability of roads.
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Still cold but getting warmer. Some snow on the ground and on the north face of hills.
Crew Physical Status: Exercises and much work are giving us health and some soreness. Morale is high!
EVA: The Commander, Health and Safety Officer, and Crew Geologist had an EVA to Greenstone Rd and to the region North of Kissing Camel Range, to collect sand and shale samples.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Astronomy Report, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
Cesare Commander, MDRS 202
POSTED ONJANUARY 3, 2019 Sol Summary 5 – January 3rd Crew 202 Sol Summary Report 03-Jan-2019
Sol: 5
Summary Title: After a low-power night
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: The crew is continuing work on all research project. The morning was spent in power conservation mode, during which half of the crew performed an EVA and the other half stayed in the habitat to work on various projects. The power is now nominal.
Sol Activity Summary: After a good morning stretching and some light exercises, half of the crew went on EVA #4 while the rest worked on projects (and some origami) in the habitat. The afternoon was spent resting and working on research projects, including microbiology, geology, and astronomy. The crew is doing great, and every little difficulty or tiredness is overcome with laughter and a cohesion among crew members which is a joy to the eyes!
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will have a geology EVA in areas of sand dunes and continue our projects.
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: Sunny and cold with melting snow on the ground
Crew Physical Status: In perfect health
EVA: The Executive Officer, Crew Engineer, and Crew Journalist had an EVA to the region North of Kissing Camel Range, to collect clay and shale samples and identify sandy regions.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Geology Report, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
Cesare Commander, MDRS 202
POSTED ONJANUARY 2, 2019 Sol Summary – January 2nd Sol: 4
Summary Title: Engage!
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: Today we began our real exploration, with the first medium-length EVA. The EVA supported geology and two more research projects. The mission is proceeding greatly, with a great combination of work, exploration, fun, and enjoyment of life together on Mars.
Sol Activity Summary: The day began on a stress-relieving note, with some yoga small exercises and postures led by the Commander. After breakfast with crepes and Nutella, the whole crew participated in the preparation of EVA #3, which lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes. The afternoon was spent resting and working on research projects. After sunset, the crew had a little scare due to some malfunction in the power system, which was luckily solved in a short time by the Program Director.
My commander role keeps giving me emotional moments very often. Once again, it is amazing to receive twice as much good vibes, from my own experience, and from seeing the joy and happiness of my crew. Today the EVA was exhausting as usual but full of laughter, and the work becomes incredibly light when friends are around, and good feelings are within us. We are having our first emergency tonight, with the power system being a little mercurial (on Mars?), and we are currently in power conservation mode, but with the mood still very high!! 😀 Any non-nominal situation is more learning on our way to Mars!!
Look Ahead Plan: Tomorrow we will have a second EVA for a collection of geological samples and support to phase 2 of the research project on crew stress (after completion of the EVA). Crew members in the habitat will work on their projects, besides dealing with the daily maintenance
Anomalies in work: The generator is currently off, campus in conservation mode
Weather: Sunny and cold with melting snow on the ground
Crew Physical Status: In perfect health, helped by the morning yoga. Some expected muscle soreness for the EVA crew
EVA: The Commander, Executive Officer, Crew Engineer, and Crew Journalist had an EVA to the region along Pleiades Rd, after riding the rovers along Cow Dung Rd. The snow is finally melting, and the fluvial deposit area around Pleiades Rd only had 1 inch of patchy snow, which did not cause any hazard, while the hills on the sides of the road were completely uncovered and yielded interesting clay samples. On the way out, scenarios were discussed for the project on EVA decision-making. While in the field, we worked on geology and on radiation measurement. The EVA had a long time in the field, between hiking and working, and was a great experience of the toughness of outdoor operations on Mars.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, EVA report, EVA request, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
Cesare Commander, MDRS 202
[end]
POSTED ONDECEMBER 31, 2018 Sol Summary Report Dec 31st Crew 202 Sol Summary Report / Commander Report 31-Dec-2018
Sol: 2
Summary Title: So it begins..
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: The crew is now in full simulation. We are on Mars, though it looks like we landed somewhere close to the polar cap!
Sol Activity Summary: What an exciting day here! We woke up to an unexpected 2 inches of fresh snow, in a winter wonderland. Since we still had to complete our training with Rover driving and EVA suits training, we were not in simulation yet, so we could sweep and shovel the tunnels, the front porch, and the solar panels without wearing suits. The Rover training got all of us slightly cold, so we decided to get back in the habitat and enjoy some hot chicken noodle soup before completing the training. In the afternoon, we finally celebrated the beginning of our simulation, which started immediately with two short EVAs that gave every crew member a chance to experience how driving and hiking in a heavy suit feels. What a great feeling for me to be back into my space suit. I am also lucky because the two-piece suit fits me perfectly! But the top for me today was to look at my crew mates during the airlock pressurization, and outside in the field: in their eyes and their enthusiasm I saw a reflection not only of me last year, during my first experience in EVA, but also the same joy that I feel this year. It is good to be here, and it is great to see a completely different face of Mars, an icy and snowy face. But the cold did not stop us, each member of the crew has aspirations to go to space or to help our effort to reach Mars, and some discomfort is a small price to pay in exchange for being a part of this!
Look Ahead Plan: Due to the large amount of snow, we will not attempt any EVA tomorrow (except for engineering EVA to keep our front porch clean of snow), and we will spend an amazing New Year’s Day getting to explore our home for the next two weeks. We will start a few outreach and crew conditioning projects, and enjoy the day on Mars!
Anomalies in work: None
Weather: cold, with some snow precipitation during the day
Crew Physical Status: In perfect health, and all EVA-tested
EVA: Two short EVAs to Marble Ritual, to get the crew used to EVA protocols, communication protocols, and the joys and pains of activity in a space suit.
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, Greenhab Report, Two EVA Reports, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
Cesare Commander, MDRS 202
POSTED ONDECEMBER 30, 2018 Sol Summary – December 30th Crew 202 Sol Summary Report / Commander Report 30-Dec-2018
Sol: 1
Summary Title: It’s the final countdown
Author’s name: Cesare Guariniello
Mission Status: The crew is almost on Mars, ready to begin their isolated life in the most amazing habitat in the world. Oh, wait, outside of this world!! Destination: Mars.
Sol Activity Summary: Today five excited earthlings and one "slightly more experienced" half-Martian learned a little bit about life on Mars. A few fixes to the extension cords that power the water tank were followed by a mix of chores in the habitat, setting up rooms, sorting food, and replenishing our water supply. The late afternoon has been occupied with fixing the automatic observatory, and with the first part of crew training.
It is hard to find words to describe the feeling of being "at home" again, and how great it is to discover I am still amazed at everything around me. It is really hard to refrain myself from pouring into my crew a lot of stories from my past experience. I do not want to spoil any surprise for them, and I wish they will meet the same challenges and the same prizes I had last year. The entire crew knows how great an opportunity this is and is ready to take advantage of every moment of it, the funny and the tough ones! We already had hard work, and we already had funny moments and plenty of laughter with the program director and the assistant program director! Before we even lock the door of our habitat, I can tell I am home again!
Look Ahead Plan: EVA and Rover training tomorrow morning will be followed by beginning of simulation, and two very short EVAs to give all the crew a chance to try the experience and discomfort of EVAs in a hostile environment that requires the use of space suits and air packs. And for New Year’s Eve Dinner, a few visitors from Earth are expected!!
Anomalies in work: Slight delay in training due to many trips necessary to refill water tanks. EVA and Rover training moved to tomorrow morning
Weather: COLD and sunny. Melting snow on the ground
Crew Physical Status: In perfect health and ready to begin their mission on Mars
EVA: N/A
Reports to be filed: Sol Summary, Operations Report, HSO Initial Report, Greenhab Report, EVA request, Journalist Report
Support Requested: None
Cesare Guariniello, PhD
