Mission Day 9
Mission Day 9 was one of the most exciting days so far. The crew entered official Mars Simulation status, complete with time delays in all communications. They will remain in this modality through the end of the mission. Communication delays affect almost every aspect of the mission and can really heighten the sense of isolation. Our ILMAH crew is doing a fantastic job of coping with the delays, and their experiences will provide valuable insights for future crews.
MD 9 culminated with the first ever MDRS-ILMAH analog to analog communication (no time delays there since both crews are living on the surface of Mars!). The event was broadcast live over facebook messenger and was an exciting demonstration of the power of analog missions to bring diverse groups together for a common cause.
Here’s a recap of the highlights of MD 9 from the crew:
Mission Commander Bill O’Hara:
Mission Day 9 was a very eventful day! They began with our final EVA of the day. Terry and Rose went EVA for their third EVA to give a total of six planned EVAs for the mission. They completed their drone flying exercises as part of the Cognitive Decay study and did a great job of it!
The afternoon was used to continue our research projects. Additionally I found time to place a few Martian meteorite samples under a microscope! Hope to pick back up with that work tomorrow.
The highlight of the day was a communication link we made with the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station! This was an exciting event for us! Linking to the MDRS crew we were able to have a great conversation on a number of subjects relevant to both missions. Both crews are simulating missions to Mars so we discussed the importance of analog missions and how they help the cause of human spaceflight, how coordination between analogs can benefit the research community, the importance of World Space Week and expectations of the upcoming Mars Society Convention. It was an honor to connect with another ongoing Mars analog mission and discuss these important topics! I want to thank the MDRS -228 Crew - Lindsay, Jin, Inga and David for taking the time from their busy mission schedule to meet with us!
Mission Science Lead Terry Trevino:
(this post references MD 7 – Terry’s been extremely busy for the past two days, and we are excited to have his input here regardless of the delay!)
Hello from mission day seven. I have always heard that the feeling of isolation can be somewhat difficult during these analog missions. But, we have each other and that is a good thing. The limited interaction during the day, has allowed me to focus quite succinctly on the science. And frankly, that is invigorating.
Yesterday was a big leap forward for our project to grow spirulina. Its Binomial name is Arthrospira, (its genome) and its epithet is Platensis. It is an amazing source of nutrition and many other uses which I will discuss in a short form presentation at the Mars Society’s TAKING FLIGHT: the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention on October 14-17, 2021 - A Virtual Event. Feel free to come to my two presentations, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday. Neither of these presentations could happen without the help and support of our cohort.
Today, we harvested 1000 ml of the Spirulina and I was able to produce a good bit of the dried powder. The exercise, in my opinion is a success. The capable minds of a qualified science team on a long duration space mission can certainly produce micro algae. Now, the next steps are to negotiate our way onto another platform, the ISS or others, to test the micro gravitational effects on the cellular structure of the rods. Our team has some preliminary research on this subject but we want to test this out using our soon to be developed photo bio reactors. During this ILMAH mission, we are focusing mainly on studying the ability of Spirulina to adapt, given the tools at hand in the habitat and the lack of a trained biologist on the team. I want to personally thank the American Public University System, #Cyanotech, the University of North Dakota and
@pablo de Leon
@erin stamper
@larry Harrison
@travis
@dr Kristen miller
And finally, my home team, @siobhanmacffeney and my children.
We can definitely grow spirulina anywhere if we have the basic tools! On this planet, other planets, in greenhouses or even in really inhospitable places. It’s a hearty little thingy.
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