Mission Logs TasMars 2013

A preserved expedition record. Dates, ages, roles and descriptions reflect the original account; references to live activities describe that period.

The Mission Logs are telling the story of TasMars 2013. Every day, the crew must fill in and send to Mission Support of Mars Society a number of reports. Writing them is not only one of the most important parts of the mission but at the same time, a very time-consuming task!

Daily Reports for Crew123 TasMars2013

About the Crew Reports @Mars Desert Research Station

Every day, the crew stationed at MDRS must submit the following reports:

Commander check-in report
Commander Report
Engineering Report
Health and Safety Report
Journalist Report
GreenHab Report
EVA Report

You will see all of these completed under each day of activity.

MDRS 2012-2013 Field Season Mission Support COMMS Procedures

Mars Society has setup procedures by which all crews report their undertakings and schedule every day, as well as any problems that may arise during the day such as accidents or engineering issues.

These procedures are to be followed anytime a crew is in residence at MDRS, whether or not the crew is in sim.

Summary of the daily schedule
Sat 26 Jan Melanie and Emma arrive by MS Van from Grand Junction early pm, David and Jen arrive in hire car from Salt Lake City late pm. Goto Day 01 Sun 27 Jan Preparation - Crew familiarize with Hab internal systems, operational and non-operational equipment. Briefing by Shannon and maintenance team. - Tidy pantry and kitchen. Activity work - Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production. - Inventory of Hab mechanical and electrical equipment. - Developing recipes using space storable food. Goto Day 02 Mon 28 Jan Preparation - Preparation for Seven Network Australia - Testing rover for Seven Network Australia filming Activity work - Bread making on Mars. - Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production. Goto Day 03 Tue 29 Jan Activity work Outreach 1: Seven Network Australia filming - In sim EVA for film crew - Filming Green Hab food production - Filming Rover operation Goto Day 04 Wed 30 Jan Preparation - Testing of Raman and Ocean Optics spectrometers for projects. - Visit Goblin Valley Activity work - Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production. - Inventory of Hab mechanical and electrical equipment. Goto Day 05 Thurs 31 Jan - Out of sim EVA 2 miles south of Hab in the morning. - Assemble the Quadcopter for project work. Project work - Investigation of rock coatings applicable to MSL. - Raman and reflectance spectrometer analysis of Gale Crater analog samples. - Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials. Activity work - Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production. - Inventory of Hab mechanical and electrical equipment. - Developing recipes using space storable food. Goto Day 06 Fri 1 Feb Preparation Preparation of dust suits Project Work - Application of risk analysis for planetary protection. - Flight testing an image-mapping quadcopter. - Investigation of rock coatings applicable to MSL. - Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials. Activity work - Bread making on Mars. - Developing recipes using space storable food. Goto Day 07	Sat 2 Feb Preparation Prepare Rover Project Work - Austrian Antipodes project: Field relay for Austrian Mars mission analog.- In Sim EVA - Flight testing an image-mapping quadcopter. - Investigation of rock coatings applicable to MSL. - Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials. - Application of risk analysis for planetary protection. Goto Day 08 Sun 3 Feb Visit Hanksville Project Work - Application of risk analysis for planetary protection. - Flight testing an image-mapping quadcopter. - Comparison of geological observations using a rover with ground truth observation. Activity work - Developing recipes using space storable food. - Inventory of Hab mechanical and electrical equipment. - Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production. - Outreach 2: New Zealand schools. Goto Day 09 Mon 4 Feb In sim- EVA Project work - Investigation of dust suits and quantifying dust transfer. - Investigation of rock coatings applicable to MSL. - Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials. Activity work - Bread making on Mars. - Developing recipes using space storable food. - Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production. - Outreach 2: New Zealand schools. Goto Day 10 Tues 5 Feb In sim- EVA Project work - Investigation of dust suits and quantifying dust transfer. - Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials. Activity - Bread making on Mars. - Developing recipes using space storable food. - Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production. - Outreach 2: New Zealand schools. Goto Day 11 Wed 6 Feb Preparation Transport of Jen Blank to Salt Lake City Airport In sim- EVA Project work - Investigation of dust suits and quantifying dust transfer. Activity - Developing recipes using space storable food. - Outreach 2: New Zealand schools. Goto Day 12 Thurs 7 Feb The project work is reviewed. Activity work - Bread making on Mars. - Developing recipes using space storable food. - Outreach 2: New Zealand schools. Goto Day 13 Fri 8 Feb Antipodes, Hab is cleaned up, equipment stored and reports completed. Goto Day 14
Sat 9 Feb Hab is handed over to crew MDRS124 Goto Day 15

Summary of the daily schedule

Sat 26 Jan

Melanie and Emma arrive by MS Van from Grand Junction early pm,
David and Jen arrive in hire car from Salt Lake City late pm.

Goto Day 01

Sun 27 Jan

Preparation
- Crew familiarize with Hab internal systems, operational and non-operational equipment.
Briefing by Shannon and maintenance team.
- Tidy pantry and kitchen.

Activity work
- Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production.
- Inventory of Hab mechanical and electrical equipment.
- Developing recipes using space storable food.

Goto Day 02

Mon 28 Jan

Preparation
- Preparation for Seven Network Australia
- Testing rover for Seven Network Australia filming

Activity work
- Bread making on Mars.
- Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production.

Goto Day 03

Tue 29 Jan

Activity work
Outreach 1: Seven Network Australia filming
- In sim EVA for film crew
- Filming Green Hab food production
- Filming Rover operation

Goto Day 04

Wed 30 Jan

Preparation
- Testing of Raman and Ocean Optics spectrometers for projects.
- Visit Goblin Valley

Activity work
- Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production.
- Inventory of Hab mechanical and electrical equipment.

Goto Day 05

Thurs 31 Jan

- Out of sim EVA 2 miles south of Hab in the morning.
- Assemble the Quadcopter for project work.

Project work
- Investigation of rock coatings applicable to MSL.
- Raman and reflectance spectrometer analysis of Gale Crater analog samples.
- Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials.

Activity work
- Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production.
- Inventory of Hab mechanical and electrical equipment.
- Developing recipes using space storable food.

Goto Day 06

Fri 1 Feb

Preparation
Preparation of dust suits

Project Work
- Application of risk analysis for planetary protection.
- Flight testing an image-mapping quadcopter.
- Investigation of rock coatings applicable to MSL.
- Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials.

Activity work
- Bread making on Mars.
- Developing recipes using space storable food.

Goto Day 07

Sat 2 Feb

Preparation
Prepare Rover

Project Work
- Austrian Antipodes project: Field relay for Austrian Mars mission analog.- In Sim EVA
- Flight testing an image-mapping quadcopter.
- Investigation of rock coatings applicable to MSL.
- Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials.
- Application of risk analysis for planetary protection.

Goto Day 08

Sun 3 Feb

Visit Hanksville

Project Work
- Application of risk analysis for planetary protection.
- Flight testing an image-mapping quadcopter.
- Comparison of geological observations using a rover with ground truth observation.

Activity work
- Developing recipes using space storable food.
- Inventory of Hab mechanical and electrical equipment.
- Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production.
- Outreach 2: New Zealand schools.

Goto Day 09

Mon 4 Feb

In sim- EVA

Project work
- Investigation of dust suits and quantifying dust transfer.
- Investigation of rock coatings applicable to MSL.
- Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials.

Activity work
- Bread making on Mars.
- Developing recipes using space storable food.
- Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production.
- Outreach 2: New Zealand schools.

Goto Day 10

Tues 5 Feb

In sim- EVA

Project work
- Investigation of dust suits and quantifying dust transfer.
- Collection of samples for Curiosity test bed analyses and organic extraction trials.

Activity
- Bread making on Mars.
- Developing recipes using space storable food.
- Maintaining and improving Green Hab food production.
- Outreach 2: New Zealand schools.

Goto Day 11

Wed 6 Feb

Preparation
Transport of Jen Blank to Salt Lake City Airport
In sim- EVA

Project work
- Investigation of dust suits and quantifying dust transfer.

Activity
- Developing recipes using space storable food.
- Outreach 2: New Zealand schools.

Goto Day 12

Thurs 7 Feb

The project work is reviewed.

Activity work
- Bread making on Mars.
- Developing recipes using space storable food.
- Outreach 2: New Zealand schools.

Goto Day 13

Fri 8 Feb

Antipodes, Hab is cleaned up, equipment stored and reports completed.

Goto Day 14

Sat 9 Feb

Hab is handed over to crew MDRS124
Goto Day 15

Proposed EVAs

The following EVAs are suggested to be performed by crew 123 TasMars.
Watch the updates on the Mission Dashboard!

Coordinates at MDRS are to be reported in UTM NAD 27 CONUS

EVA No.	Location	COORDINATES	Elevation	Description	Comments	Transit Mode
1	HAB RIDGE			informal non-sim EVA to the hab ridge	recommend as first EVA	on foot
2	COWGAT	Waypoint 167: 12 S 520350/ NAD 4247077	1346	photographic and sample gathering (rocks) 1/2	for the varnish	pressurised rover
3	Phobos Peak PHBPK	Waypoint 137: 12 S 519390/ NAD 4250183	1431	photographic		ATV, on foot
4	Lith Canyon	LTNE - Waypoint: 245 12 S 518909/ NAD 4256534 LTMP - Waypoint: 244 12 S 519307/ NAD 4256284 LWLT - Waypoint: 248 12 S 519442/ NAD 4255945		photographic, varnish? samples		pressurised rover
5	Kissing Camel Ridge	KSCRNG - Kissing Cammel Range - Waypoint 326 Inverted Channel at 12 S 519000 /NAD 4249500		Desert Varnish Site 1 top of ridge Site 2 pass with track		pressurised rover to 248, on foot
6	Antipodes sample collection	engineering bay MDRS			optional	on foot
7	Coal Mine Road via Factory Bench and the San Raphael Swell (?)	12s 0508255 UTM 4257618 12s 0505430 UTM 4260801	1430 1450	sample gathering (rocks) 2/2 Site 1 boulders off cliff of Ferron Sandstone Site 2 weathered siltstone, plant fossils and gypsum veins in Mancos Shale exposed in creek Site 3 “glass valley” – scattered gypsum veins in soil		pressurised rover and on foot
8	Goblin Valley			Photographic/ non sim	Be aware that Gobin Valley is a tourist site in the NP, so lots of people and not samples, plus a stiff fee to go in. Wild Horse canyon is good too, and not far from there. It’s free but still a reserve so no sampling.
	Wild Horse Canyon	Gypsum			An easy day would be great. It’s about 30 minutes from Hanksville and 10 minutes between them. Say a couple of hours at Goblin valley to explore it thoroughly, and then lunch and another couple of hours at Wild Horse Canyon. They are good places to view the deeper stratigraphy below what you see at MDRS – the Curtis (shallow marine) Entrada (fluvial, tidal to aeolian) and Navajo (sand dunes) formation. Plus good look at active barchanoid sans dunes on the way in. There are bedded limestones and gypsum in the Curtis as well.