Mars Desert Research Station Crew 122 Files Final Report
January 28, 2013
For further information about the Mars Society, visit our website at www.marssociety.org
The following is the final report of MDRS Crew 122, which just completed its tour. A full review of this year's activity at the Mars Desert Research Station will be given at the 16th International Mars Society Convention, which will be held August 15-18, 2013 at the University of Colorado, Boulder. For further information about the Mars Society, visit our website at www.marssociety.org
MDRS 122 Mission Summary
Crew 122 came to MDRS with ambitious goals. For us, the two-week mission was a way to prepare for our upcoming, four-month simulated Mars mission in Hawaii (HI-SEAS) as well as kick the tires of a simulated Mars mission in general. We learned more about each other’s personalities, passions, communication styles, quirks, and food preferences. And crucially, we were able to troubleshoot equipment and fine-tune protocols for the main HI-SEAS food study, as well as for our personal research projects.
The HI-SEAS food study contains a number of elements that will need to be efficiently scheduled and maintained. In addition to eating pre-prepared, just-add-water meals on certain days, and cooking and eating meals made of shelf-stable ingredients on other days, the food study demanded the crew log meals, perform a number of tests, and fill out surveys. At MDRS, we spent quite a bit of time and effort troubleshooting a protocol for logging meals. We also spent time familiarizing ourselves with hardware and software that measures airflow in our noses and the shape of our sinuses, and testing our ability to identify odors in unmarked, covered containers (using straws to get the smell out). We now have a better sense of the requirements of the food study, and the equipment and scheduling that will be needed at HI-SEAS.
And there was, of course, the cooking and baking. We all took turns working in pairs to prepare the two different types of meals. We learned about each other’s preferences for mushrooms, creamy soups, hot sauce, and sugar. We also shared dish duties and chores and scheduled them around EVAs, food-study tests, our own personal research, and general MDRS reporting. Fitting in all these tasks was only possible with the help of an extensive and exacting daily and two-week schedule that we constantly consulted throughout the mission.
While the crux of the HI-SEAS mission is the food study, we aim to simulate a Mars mission as well as possible. On a true mission to Mars, astronauts would spend a majority of their time conducting research unrelated to their cooking tasks. Therefore, each member of Crew 122 came to MDRS with a personal project to be refined. Overall, the crew found the time at MDRS on our projects useful and motivating.
Our crew commander, Angelo Vermeulen, plans to establish a remotely-tended greenhouse at HI-SEAS. While at MDRS, he held the first successful harvest of edible plants from the GreenHab in at least five years. One of the results was a side dish of fresh kale salad, beautifully plated by crew member Yajaira Sierra, and enjoyed by all. Moreover, Vermeulen established GreenHab tips and best practices so other crews can continue to enjoy the fruits (strawberries, in particular) of his labor.
Oleg Abramov, our crew geologist and HSO at MDRS, constructed his HI-SEAS research project to map and monitor the heat in our Hawaii habitat. This project was inspired by his time, ten years ago, on MDRS Crew 12 when he noticed inefficiencies in thermal design. During this mission, he took numerous thermal images of the habitat, GreenHab, and observatory multiple times throughout day. These images tell a striking story of temperature change over time and the precise location of insulation limitations, heat sinks, and hot spots. Additionally, Abramov used wireless-temperature sensors to gather dense datasets of temperature changes during the day in various locations. His work lays a solid foundation for mapping thermal features of the Hawaii habitat, which is important for better design of food storage, crew quarters, and scientific, horticultural and engineering facilities.
Our HI-SEAS science officer, Yajaira Sierra-Sastre spent her time at MDRS working on a number of projects. She’ll be running most food-study tests and maintaining control of data quality. During our mission, she familiarized herself with data collection and test-calibration protocols, as well as numerous possible options for a semi-automated food-logging scheme. Her personal research entails microbiological analysis of food samples and cooking surfaces as well as testing anitmicrobial textiles. At MDRS, she was able to test a variety of foods and surfaces and consider protocols for her textile research.
Simon Engler, our engineer, was able to find time in his already busy MDRS engineering schedule to troubleshoot the networking connection for his Clearpath Husky rover. He successfully networked the rover and its camera, controlling its operation and collecting video outside the habitat from inside. At HI-SEAS Engler plans to field test the Husky and other rovers at HI-SEAS, so the experience at MDRS was useful first go.
Sian Proctor, education and outreach officer for our HI-SEAS project honed her photographing, blogging, recipe-archiving, social-networking, and videography skills during our time at MDRS. She published on average two posts per day and more than 100 pictures during the two-week mission. She also shot, edited, and posted two videos, one of our crew introductions and the other an introduction to the HI-SEAS project. At HI-SEAS, she plans to continue blogging, photographing, archiving recipes, and creating video. The time at MDRS was well spent troubleshooting equipment (the best way to film during an EVA, for example), and developing a schedule for posting content and promoting it on social networks like Facebook.
Your correspondent, Kate Greene found the entire experience of MDRS truly enlightening. As the XO, she got a better understanding of her crew dynamics. As the crew journalist, she recorded observations of the facilities, crew, and impressions and shared them in her journalist reports. As the sleep and lighting specialist for HI-SEAS, she tested the equipment she’ll use during the four-month mission and tested protocols that will produce the best data while accommodating crew members’ sleep-wake preferences and habits.
Overall, Crew 122 was able to accomplish most of the goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the mission. We’ve established a number of best practices, and scheduling guidelines for our time at HI-SEAS, tested our elements of our personal research projects, and, of course, created and eaten quite a few delicious meals. Mahalo, MDRS! — Crew 122
For further information about the Mars Society, visit our website at www.marssociety.org.