Day 4 Mission Report
Morning Operations
An Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) was not on the schedule today due to the forecasted rainfall. However, the ground was dry enough and firm enough to allow for an EVA, so the crew made the decision to pivot today's plans and perform an EVA first thing.
EVA Operations
Mission Specialist Pierce conducted the second mobility test EVA (MOB2) of a 4 part mobility test study. The first mobility test (MOB1) was designed to gather baseline data for the NDX2 when utilized as designed, while this second test (MOB2) was designed to gather data on the effectiveness of using a hiking pack style suspension system to distribute the weight of the EVA suit more evenly across the Analog Astronauts body. The initial analysis of the data from MOB2 as compared to MOB1 is encouraging. At a comparable speed and distance, the MOB2 EVA configuration resulted in a 12% decrease in average heart rate.
Mission Specialist Lojek also conducted an external habitat check, looking for any damage from the rain, wind, and hail from yesterday. The new communications system proved beneficial, as Mission Commander Trevino was able to monitor near real time audio and video of the check of the habitat.
In preparation for EVA deployment, it was identified that the release mechanism for the “blueberry” suit would not disengage. Through forced manipulation of the rails, IVA was able to detach the suit from the mount to release EVA 2 (MS Lojek). Additionally, “tangerine’s” wall mount derailed and was stuck in the up position after release and would not reengage; however, EVA 1 (MS Pierce) was able to dismount successfully. After the EVA team vacated the EVA module, MC Trevino and MS Guthrie began assessing the mount discrepancies.
Upon observation it was noticed the wheeled system intended to lift the release was not gliding across the track properly. Furthermore, the handle release system had a faulty screw which was preventing proper contact with the plate system. MC Trevino corrected this by making a new screw and shortening the screw so it could sit flush. It is likely the continuous use of the blueberry suit has caused the mount system to fail.
The blueberry suit is designed for wearers of smaller stature, approximately 5-5.5 feet in height because ingress of the suit requires the wearer to place their weight to sit in the frame of the suit which is hung from the mount, resulting in stress of the mount to pull forward. Additionally, once a wearer is in the suit they are left in a “hang” which pulls down on the mount to now accommodate additional weight which is contributing to mechanical break-down.
Further investigation revealed abrasions on the wall above the mount for “tangerine” which indicated the plate for the mount release was making improper contact with the wall. This caused unintended interaction between the plate and the wall mount resulting in a negative response when the handle release was in use. Overuse of the release system also induces strain on the center spring which became disconnected and needed to be reattached. The mount plate bottom flashing is curved, likely to prevent the plate from releasing too far from the mount, however the curved design causes an unintentional directional change. This change results in the slide to become disengaged from the wheel set.
Future designs of the mount release should have larger wheel tracks to prevent the slide from coming out of the wheel track when raised. Mitigation method resulted in fabricating a bumper-glide for the ends of the mount plate. This causes the mount plate to maintain positive contact with the wheel track acting as a guide as it raises up the wall while preventing negative interaction with the wall (causing the gouging).
Operation checks of the modified mount system has produced positive results. Additionally, lubricant to reduce the friction between the “bumpers” and the wall was applied (wedge of deodorant).
Suggestion to reduce stress loads on the suits when ingress and egress is to have a folding bench placed under the suit mounting area. The bench would retract to provide the wearer weight displacement to reduce unintentional stress on the mounts by redirecting it to the bench. This will also reduce fatigue for astronauts waiting to ingress/egress the module by providing a resting spot. The bench should be in a stowed mode when not in use.
Plant Module Operations
In the Plant Module, everything is growing. The low lightwave length plants have already started to react to the red wavelength lights!
The NASA project. Yeah, growing in their little pods. The basil is popping up fast under the 230 nM lights.
Still nothing out of the MGS-1s mixture, MC Trevino has to really work to keep it wet. It’s amazing how fast it dries out, and Trevino is thinking the high sulfate content leads to greater evaporation.
Mission Commander Trevino mixed up 12 pods, creating a cocoon of dried moss that is highly absorbent, then inserted in the middle of the pods, the MGS-1s in combination with a small percentage of the organic soil used to plant Bonsai. It’s rutty soil with a bunch of rocks and sticks. Trevino intends to plant the fastest growing seeds He has on hand, Daikon Radish Microgreens. Trevino will be feeding the seeds initially with water for two days, then switching to a mixture of water and dried Spiruline from Cyanotech. Thank you, Erin Stamper!
Stress Mitigation Study
With this being the fourth day of the mission, this is the day to begin MS Lojek’s experiments, which are focused on a possible mitigation for stress through focused breathing. During the EVA and in the morning, the crew stopped for five minutes and simply breathed while focusing on their breath. The hypothesis of this experiment is that using Garmin devices to track stress levels, there will be an instant reduction in stress during the breathing events and an overall reduction during the mission timeline.
Evening Operations
The inclement weather has caught up with the crew, and there will be no EVA tomorrow. Additionally, a few minor leaks have begun in the habitat. Tomorrow will be spent cleaning, conducting habitat checks and maintenance, in addition to the daily surveys, cognition tests, and video logs.