10/02/2022:
The crew awoke at 0900CST beginning their day with daily surveys and breakfast coffee. They then prepped for their EVA’s today at 1000.
Daily Objectives:
Water Electrolysis
Mission Specialist Loy – 820 mL of hydrogen ions acquired negative charges from graphite cathodes and transformed into hydrogen gas – 405 mL of oxygen ions acquired positive charges from graphite anodes and transformed into oxygen gas. These gases were successfully stored for the first time using a syringe tube extractor, cutting storage procedure time by 20 minutes. The hydrogen and oxygen radicals were electrolyzed using 15V running at 1.83 amps. Procedure ran on a 10 mL NaOH solution base mixed into a 3000 mL flask of water.
MS Loy collecting hydrogen and oxygen.
EVA Operations
Overall, EVA operations took-up the majority of the day. At 1252CST, the crew began with Mission Specialist Guthrie and Loy to continue the mobility efficiency study. A series of events from power/battery, communication, and mechanical issues generated challenges for the crew. The crew identified through checklist procedures the battery packs for the personal life support system did
not have enough power, requiring the EVA
originally scheduled earlier in the day to be MS Guthrie and MS Loy prepping for EVA.
delayed. Through continuous monitoring of
the weather, the crew pushed up the EVA to accommodate projected rain. While donning the spacesuits, a series of mechanical failures required additional attention for the harness connections and the suit deployment mechanism. It is important to note, while the crew followed written procedures and checklists for EVAs, it is always possible for unplanned circumstances to happen. Working as a team, the crew quickly resolved the situations and were able to deploy the EVA safely.
While proceeding with the study, it was quickly noted a safety concern was presented with the harness and the crew member suffered from difficulty breathing. MS Ball quickly responded and readjusted the chest safety strap for MS Guthrie. Due to rain, the EVA was ultimately scrubbed at 1305 CST. After MS Loy and Guthrie returned to the hab, another safety concern arose when doffing the EVA suit, the harness would not release. Again, quickly assessing and reacting to the situation, MS Ball used the bolt cutters to release the harness from the spacesuit allowing for a safe egress of the suit. This process was part of the risk mitigation method for testing the mobility harness.
A second EVA was commenced at 1638hrs to recollect the data. Mission Specialist Loy completed his EVA Ops at 1740hrs. After the completion of the first EVA, it was noted that the harness was not calibrated correctly for MS Guthrie, so was recalibrated and a second EVA was commenced at 1850hrs and completed at 1930hrs.
Stress Mitigation Study
The first focused-breathing session was missed this morning as a result of the EVA complications. The second session was completed from 1530-1540hrs and a third will be completed before the crew rest for the night. Data still continues to be collected and analyzed for this project.
Humanure Plant Study
The first plant in the experiment breached
through the surface today (Cucumber, Bushy).
Light intensity will remain at 50% for duration of mission. Water levels are balancing at pre-calculated amounts as expected. An additional 20mL of water will be added through the topsoil daily until remaining plants sprout.
Cucumber sprout in regolith mix.