Commander Report
03/04/2013
Melissa Battler
We're now over half way through our 2-week Mars Mission Simulation. The crew continues to get along
extremely well, and we're functioning as a cohesive unit. Our days are filled with hard work, and
over the meal hours we enjoy well-earned social relaxation time. We continue to learn from each
others' areas of expertise, and cultures. Last night we watched a movie together to celebrate our
half-way point, and this morning we slept in for an extra hour, then caught up on work around the
hab. This afternoon Csilla and Matt went on an EVA with the goals of sampling concretions, and
collecting data on the amount of time it takes a geologist to collect data and samples at a site of
interest. In addition, Hans and I spent some time in the Greenhab, harvesting swiss chard and kale for dinner!
We've made significant progress on all of our scientific investigations, but will use our remaining
four days to collect additional supporting data for several of our studies. The geological studies
still require the greatest amount of attention, and a total of five or six more EVAs between
tomorrow and Friday. For the GAL study (MDRS analogues of MSL Gale crater site) much data has been
collected, but we will continue to visit areas which appear similar to the Curiosity landing site on
satellite data, in conjunction with other planned EVAs, and Hans will photo document these. For the
SOS study (Sulfate analysis from Orbit/Surface) sampling has been completed at one site, but two
more EVAs will be required for me to collect sulfate mineral samples. For both the the SCE study
(concretions analogous to those discovered on Mars) and the VS study (vertical survey of
hills/mesas) most data collection has been completed, but one more EVA will be required for Csilla
to collect final concretion samples and images. Ayako has finished data collection for her MMH study
on habitability and sound, but over meals we will continue to listen to nature sounds. On the
second-last day Ayako will conduct a final debriefing for feedback on experiences of crew members
during their stay at MDRS. Two EVAs will be conducted on Wednesday to collect data for Hans MCE
(Mars Crowdsourcing Experiment) study. Tomorrow Matt will complete data collection for the HRI
(Human robot interactions) study, and later this week over breakfast Hans will complete the LUN
(Lunar Simcomm) technology test with colleagues in Europe. Volker has completed data collection for
his study of the habitat layout, and possible placement of a plant-growth chamber in a future
habitat which may have a design similar to MDRS. Additionally, throughout the mission Volker has
been keeping track of the time the crew has spent on various activities, as part of a Crew Time/EVA
metrics study which will help with the planning of future planetary surface missions.Â
With most of the data collection complete and solid friendships established, the crew is in good
spirits. However the cumulative effect of insufficient sleep is becoming noticeable. Additionally,
tomorrow we'll welcome our third group of media visitors. As much as we enjoy interacting with the
media and sharing our experiences and results with the public, "media days" tend to take a bit of
extra energy, and with our current level of fatigue this might make eloquent communication and
explanations of our studies a bit more difficult! So, we'll try to get to bed a bit earlier tonight
so that we can recharge and be as productive as possible for the rest of the week.