Commander Report
Mars Log: 2014.12.18
The crew awoke in anticipation for the first medical EVA and in
preparation for our first Earthling visitors tomorrow: an
international production film crew producing a documentary about the
Next Generation commercial space pioneers and explorers and the new
burgeoning commercial space industry. Our visitors will be spending
the next two days with the crew team so it will certainly be very busy
and somewhat crowded space in the Hab. Thank goodness we are a small
crew team.
Yesterday, Matteo and I built the emergency medical rover and we were
excited to test it in action today during the simulation medical
triaging and search and rescue operations. The risks of injuries and
medical emergencies during space explorations are high during IVAs and
EVA planetary surface missions, therefore, standard operational
procedures and protocols are needed for training of future Martian
astronauts and settlers. Matteo installed a real-time 5.8 GHz
transmitter for the video capture and a 900 MHz transceiver for
controlling data. The EMR rover chassis was originally designed as a
Battlebot by Robots-Everywhere which makes it suitable for carrying
heavy weights up to maximum of 80 pounds payload. It was a total
success! The rover worked perfectly and maneuvered over the rough
terrain with ease. The footage obtained looked terrific and at times
it felt like we were watching footage from Curiosity itself! Well done
Matteo our crew engineer and “McGyvver Guy”…every crew definitely
needs a Matteo…he can create, build and fix ANYTHING!
Julielynn conducted her first EVA and performed wonderfully navigating
the Martian terrain, the radio telecommunications which gave us some
frustration as they kept falling out of our spacesuit pockets. She
assisted in carrying IGOR our injured astronaut and the EMR rover in
and out of the airlock for the simulation. Not an easy feat when you
are donning spacesuits, thick gloves, helmets and backpacks.
We tested the 3D printer and used it to print several parts to replace
the elbow joint on the hose on one of the backpack. This process took
about 120 minutes from start to insertion of the part into the hose.
The 3D printer is an example of a disruptive technology that will
enable humans to settle on Mars and other off-world planets. Tonight
we design a 3D CAD file of a surgical scalpel handle to print out
tomorrow during the telesurgery simulation operation for training
non-medical crews on model tissue in simple debridement and suturing
procedures… yes, our injured IGOR will be operated on by the crew!
We will end our evening tonight decorating the Hab for the upcoming
Christmas celebrations and maybe start our space helmet project. It
is so great that Crew 145 has been approved for a space art and crafts
project. We will be making our own space helmets out of paper mache
which will be used for a video collage for STEAM education. Three
cheers for SPACE ART!
Goodnight from Mars and thanks for tuning in and joining our
fascinating Martian adventure. Over and out.