Commander Report
03/05/2013
Melissa Battler
This is my seventh Mars mission simulation at MDRS, but it’s the first mission on which I’ve spent a
significant amount of time really exploring various artistic outlets at MDRS, and creative ways to
keep stress levels at a minimum. This might have something to do with our Crew Human Factors
researcher and space artist, Ayako Ono. Ayako has completed an artist residency with the European
Space Agency, and her microgravity musical instruments have flown on the International Space
Station. On this mission she’s studying the effects of nature sounds on stress enzymes and blood
pressure levels. This study required crew members to sit quietly and listen to nature sounds, and
then describe what images or feelings were evoked, through drawing or writing. Although I was
already 100% supportive of this study even before I started my session, I was blown away by how much
I enjoyed my 15 minutes of simulated solitude. It was amazing how powerful the simple sounds of
water flowing over rocks, and the occasional bird call were for making me feel thoroughly and
completely at peace. All stress related to the mission completely melted away.
In addition, this crew happens to be very musically inclined. Ayako is a musician (mostly vocal
music), Volker plays guitar and sings, Hans plays piano, and I sing and play piano and guitar. I had
hoped to bring a guitar with me, but unfortunately didn’t have room for the extra luggage. The past
few nights, we’ve been really missing live music, so after dinner we’ve gathered around the table
with the MDRS “McNally Strum Stick” (a 3-stringed instrument, like a simplified guitar), keyboard
apps on a laptop and an iPad, and improvised percussion instruments, and have played songs together,
and even worked to compose our own song based on one of our favourite songs from the ‘Battlestar
Galactica’ soundtrack. When given the hypothetical choice between a musical instrument and fresh
fruit, after approximately one week without either, the crew musicians said that they’d rather have
a guitar. This seems to be a powerful commentary on the importance of music to the human spirit.
Yesterday I also had the opportunity to enjoy two of my other favourite creative outlets: gardening,
and cooking. Hans, our crew GreenHab specialist, and I spent some time in the GreenHab tending the
plants, and then harvesting some beautiful swiss chard. I spend a lot of time in my garden at home,
so it felt really good to get my hands in the dirt and take care of living things. Then, while Hans
prepared the chard, Volker and I got creative in the kitchen, and whipped up an amazing chicken
coconut-curry stir fry, and rice pudding for dessert. We’ve been experiencing a higher-than-usual
level of stress lately due to our busy schedule, number of media visitors, and external demands, so
it felt really good to get some of my frustration out in a creative, relaxing way. I’m not sure if
everyone benefits from mitigating stress through artistic outlets to the degree that I do, but based
on my own experiences on simulated “Mars” over the years, I would advocate that it is indeed
important to equip a crew with materials for hobbies and creative pursuits for a long-duration
mission to Mars. And, I’d like to thank Ayako for helping us to realize the full benefit of staying
balanced and nurturing both our scientific, and artistic sides.
________________________
CommanderCheckIn Report
03/05/2013
Melissa Battler
Crew Physical Health:
All are well.
Eva Depart Time:
15:00
Eva Return Time:
18:00
Narrative Of Field Mission Results:
Finished sampling of the inverted channel directly east of MDRS (labelled on the HALp map as "Table Top"
Narrative Of Field Mission Results:
Hab Maint:
-Repairs to PLSS #1 successful
-Propane refilled at 10 am
-Wifi router was re-set and antennae re-positioned, as suggested by MC, and wifi is now stable
Rep Sched:
CDR Report, 8 pm
Journalist Report, 8:30 pm
Photos, 8:30 pm
Eng report, EVA report, Greenhab report, HSO report, Science report - all sent
*Future EVA plan was submitted yesterday and already approved*
Tomorrow Plan:
Matt and Ayako will complete data collection for Matt's human-robot interaction study at MDRS, and Volker, Csilla, Hans, and Melissa will drive the Hab Car to the study site near Factory Butte (as per coordinates already submitted yesterday). We will drive south on Cow Dung Rd, then turn R to head W on Hwy 24, then will turn R to head N on Coal Mine Rd. until we reach our destination. Here we will sample gypsum to complete sample collection for Melissa's sulfate study, and simultaneously take images of the surrounding area to finish data collection for Bernard's Gale Crater analogue study.
Inventory:
n/a
Support Req:
-Port-a-potties will need to be emptied again soon
-What should we do with the bucket of dirty dish towels/wash cloths?
Miscelleneous:
We're seeing an increase in traffic along Cow Dung Rd; it seems that people are hiking and exploring (and possibly camping) in the area