Sol Summary Report (SSR):

Sol# 63

Person filling out report: Annalea Beattie

Summary Title:  Double EVA Day.

Mission Status: on track

Sol Activity Summary:

Two EVAs today. A special day for Yusuke as he, Claude-Michel and Anastasiya set up the first phase of his Dome Project. This is his initial trial at understanding how the dome as a shelter can be assembled in space suits (two hours and twenty minutes) and More on this exciting project tomorrow.

Jon and I went on an EVA, firstly checking current directions and timing relations in crossbedding in paleo-channels, (next week I will drawing diagrams of this geology in the spacesuit) and secondly road-testing the new, all electric EVA (which feels to me like a golf cart but is very fancy, very comfortable).We walked two kilometres along ridges, checking out the channels and losing calories from yesterday’s thanksgiving. Then the sole came off my boot. Bummer.

Anu spent time in the lab, Claude-Michel was interviewed by me for space.com and he tried to complete reports but is now cooking nachos pre-The Expanse. Alex wrote reports all morning, cooked lunch and in the afternoon was Hab -Com for us all, earning the big dollars he is paid. Early night. We are tired today.

Reports Submitted to CapCom:

1. Sol Summary- Annalea
2. Journalist – Anastaysia
3. Food Report- Claude-Michel
4. Field drawing – Annalea
5. Pictures – Anastasiya
6. Photo of the Day – yes

MDRS lessons:  

Electric cars have great suspension. (I know, it’s more like an observation than a lesson)

When you learn something, write it down. (Anu)

Feeling is more important than visible things (Yusuke)

Plans for tomorrow: Yes, EVAs.

Crew Physical Status:  Stuffed like a turkey at Thanksgiving

Weather: Freezing

Anomalies: Losing the sole of my boot is an anomaly.

Lost in translation of Yusuke’s world

Cheeky smile and kind eyes, this is our Executive Officer from Japan. Yusuke Murakami was born in Kita-Kyushu, east of Japan and grew up in Yokohama. His childhood hero was Arsene Lupin from the book “A mysterious thief”. It is the story about very smart, creative thief, that was stealing goodies from bad guys and giving it to poor people. Yusuke liked him also for his appreciation of the beauty of art. Lupin was stealing the paintings from rich men in order to show them to the world.  

Yusuke’s way of looking at life is very complicated, unique and surprising. If he had the time machine, he would live in the era of Stone Age. Because back then they were “real” humans, who created and invented things to survive and enjoy life. Yusuke loves tools and the process of making them. As he says, house or space station is the biggest tool for humans. From a kid, who was making knives out of stones, he grew up to a man with Master’s degree in architecture. There is a moment of chance that can change whole life and this happened to Yusuke. He always was thinking how to stay creative in the extreme situations and after reading about the Biosphere 2 project, Yusuke searched on the internet the similar projects where he could participate. And found the Japanese Antarctica Expedition. In order to investigate the human creativity in extreme environment, he dropped off from a PhD course and went to an Antarctic station. The team of 28 people spend 15 months in Antarctic Japanese Syowa station working on science and engineering projects. Yusuke was assigned as crew geo physicist after successfully passing the cross training course. This difficult and extraordinary experience has taught him that the consistency in long term missions is very important, because it gives the base for health and safety of the crew. It also creates traditions inside the crew. Traditions that bring a moments of joy. The second lesson he learned that the time for each crew member is subjective, living at the same moment but thinking on the different time scale. Even though we act individually but we have to think of our actions as a whole humanity. The third lesson is simple – good food, good laugh, good sleep! These will keep you being a “real” human and stop from becoming a robot. Since then his involvement into space field grew more and more and changed his life. Yusuke started to dream of creating space architecture. Space architecture has many similarities with his favorite time of human existence. People in Stone Age also had limited resources, plenty of creativity and risks.

How did he get into Mars 160 mission? Yusuke read the book about Japanese writer’s experience living at Mars Desert Research Station. But only after 6 years he had the chance to apply for Mars Arctic 365 mission. Mars Analogue stations are in between our existence on Earth and future life on Mars. This fascination kept him going to the finals and brought him to Mars 160 crew.

Our Executive Officer is full of surprises, which we encounter almost every day. Just imagine, a skillful architecture, who brought more gadgets to the station then we are all in total, dreams to live in the era of Stone Age and always worries of losing his human side to a trade of becoming a robot. It took me two hours to interview Yusuke Murakami and yet he is a mystery mind.

“Life doesn’t need an explanation” – Yusuke Murakami 

Field Drawing in the Spacesuit – Test Eight (Drawing Lichens)

Annalea Beattie

Aims:

1. To consider time constraints within suited drawing.

2. To tie the field drawing in with the sampling site of lichens.

3. To explore an unknown subject to see what can be learnt through drawing.

4. To continue to test the magnifying glass (which has less strength than the hand-lens but is easier to handle) as a tool for geological field drawing both in and out of sim.

Method:

1. Return to site near the base of cliff visited previously and draw one species of lichen.

2. Follow the scientist, and then draw from the sample site in detail, using the lens and the magnifier. Draw a scale, noting disrupted area from sampling, type of lichen, prominence, distribution, mode of growth (pathways , singular organisms, runs, patterning within communities, etc.)

3. Continue to draw within two hour time constraints.

4.Find something within the drawing to think about what can be learnt (content depth)

5.Consider the suit, tools and techniques.  Quickly sketch of the context of the site and note where sample was taken on outcrop sketch.

Discussion points:

After the lichen had been sampled, I chose to draw remaining lichen on sandstone boulder for pathways and spatial distribution.

1.Neck and shoulders cramping though this plateaued after the first hour.

2. I notice the hand lens is a great tool for observing lichen without the suit but to use it in the suit I have to get too close to the lichen to see detail. This becomes uncomfortable as I am lying on the ground.

3. More attention needed to substrate – distracted by abstract qualities of lichen.

Results:

The outcome was two 50 minute drawings of the spatial distribution and patterning of black lichen, Polysporina cyclocarpa.

1.Time constraints were appropriate in terms of the suit comfort.

2. Choosing one subject and spending dedicated time was worthwhile as drawing always encourages critical thinking. By following the lichen pathways in drawing I began to visually recognise clumping, pathways and spatial distribution, how individual movement follows contours of the rock. (I need to check with the biologists and the literature. More research on this particular lichen needed)

3. In terms of time constraints, faster drawing is not necessarily useful as it does not provide critical depth (although efficiency is paramount for maximum science return, for example sampling). A series of way points could be useful.

Food Report for of November 2016.

Π(Z^2)A: (for Very mathematically hungry martian with a taste of home)

Ingredients:
Dough
Flour
Water
Salt

Cheesy Pizza
Tomato paste
Dehydrated dice tomatoes
Dehydrated cheddar
Dehydrated mozzarella

White sauce Pizza
Mayonnaise
Dehydrated slice potato
Dehydrated corn
Dehydrated cheddar
Dehydrated mozzarella
Tuna

Sausage pizza
Tomato paste
Dehydrated cheddar
Dehydrated mozzarella
Dehydrated sausage crumbles

Note: This is how we made it with the ingredients at hand, Jalapenos, spinach is ingredients we could have added but it is possible to add anything you want, AS LONG AS YOU EAT IT, that is the rule no cheating.

Preparing the dough
Step PtD – 1: Fist of all you want to hydrate all your ingredients. Better to do it now than having to wait or to have crunchy vegetables and cheese later on. Also preheat the oven at 400F.

Step PtD – 2: In a big mixing bowl, put enough flour. Enough is not a precise measurement unit but enough for each plate, that will go in the oven, that you will have to cover. If you don’t have enough you can always add some later.

Step PtD – 3: Add the water and other spice you want to dough to have like salt. I can already ear your questions, how much water is enough ? The answer is simple put some mix the dough, add more water until the dough is elastic enough to cover use a rolling pin and to flatten to dough with a thickness of half a centimeter. If the you added too much water, you can add some flour, if there isnt’t enough flour add some more.

Step PtD – 4: Once the dough is flatten cover a flat plate to will co in the oven, it should usually shape as a rectangle or a circle, but any geometrical shape will work fine. You can cut the excess of dough if you have any and put it back in the mix for future use.

Making the Cheezy Pizza
Step MtCP – 1: In a new mixing bowl put the tomato sauce and all the other spices you want to mix in the mix. If you don’t want to add anything, save the planet and pour the tomato sauce directly on the flatten dough.

Step MtCP – 2:  Spray the hydrated dice tomatoes all over the tomato paste, you can put as much as you want, or any other vegetables you might want.

Step MtCP – 3: Mix the Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses and cover the whole pizza. I like to think the more is the best, but you don’t want to put too much cheese, a nice thick layer is good. Too much cheese will make it hard to pick up once it is cook, and will keep you dough wet.

Step MtCP – 4: Put the pizza in the oven, it will be ready when the cheese start to get all melted and start to get golden brown near the edge or more you decide who crispy you want it.

Making the White sauce Pizza
Step MtWSP – 1: Spread the mayonnaise over the dough in order to cover it all completely. It may seems strange but I guaranty you that it is good and safe. It is very popular in japan.

Step MtWSP – 2: Cover the mayonnaise layer with slice potatoes.

Step MtWSP – 3: Spray the corn over the potatoes.

Step MtWSP – 4: Cover the corn sprayed potatoes with a nice layer of cheese.

Step MtWSP – 5: If you want meat option cover the cheese with tuna. Also spices are good  at this stage. Tuna can also go under the cheese or just add more cheese over the tuna. Just be careful to not add too much cheese. Cheese has a tenancy to keep the dough wet and not crispy. You are now warn.

Step MtWSP – 6: Put the white sauce pizza in the oven until the cheese is all melted and start to get golden brown near the edge or more you decide who crispy you want it.

Making the Sausage pizza
Step MtSP – 1: Spread the tomato sauce on the dough. You can add spices here like pepper, salt, habanero powder or other stuff like mushroom, onions, etc… the power is yours only.

Step MtSP – 2: Mix the cheeses to create a mixture of cheese.

Step MtSP – 3: Spread over the tomato sauce around three quarter of the cheese mix, uniformly.

Step MtSP – 4: Spray the sausage crumble all over the pizza.

Step MtSP – 5: Cover everything with all that is remaining of cheese. You can also add spices here.

Step  MtSP – 6: Put the pizza in the oven. For how long ? Until the cheese is melted and that is start to get golden brown around the edge, or more you decide who crispy you want it.

The end ?
Step TE? – 1 : Once the pizza is cooked, cut in single portions size slice and serve to everyone that is hungry or that just wan to eat.
”

We didn’t thought it would be possible to have Pizza deliver on Mars, so town is too far away, so we made your own pizza from scratch. It was a huge success and even Jerry , our pack rat wanted to have a share. Since he was punish we didn’t gave him any and ate it all. Delicious and marvelous, even the mayonnaise one that we all were a little suspicious of.

As always please try this at home. Very little supervision is require to make or eat. Please enjoy.