SOL: 9
12/22/2015 / Tues
HSO James A. F. Giammona
Second in Command: Anna Ialeggio
Summary Title
A Miraculous Discovery
MISSION STATUS:
Crew 159 made a profound discovery today. XO Anna Ialeggio applied Sanex Shower Gel to the inside of the EVA helmets and it totally removed the problem of fogging up. This discovery is transformative. It greatly decreases the safety hazard of limited vision and makes the EVA much easier and more enjoyable. On EVA7, XO Ialeggio and HSO James Giammona again explored the terrain on the ATVs to map out the walkie-talkie range and to test out the new defogging solution. Crew 159 went to the observatory to watch the ISS flyover, but HSO Giammona was unable to make contact today. Another flyover will happen tomorrow.
Morning briefings focused on
1. EVA7 agenda
Mission planning for the day
1. 0800 – Breakfast/ Plan for the day
2. 0905 – HSO James Giammona laid out the plan for EVA7. He and XO Ialeggio would follow a similar route to that taken by EVA6. This is the first time HSO Giammona has been able to ride the ATVs while in sim. Once again, the goals were to determine radio range, practice geomorphological identification and evaluate XO Ialeggio’s new defogging solution.
3. 0950/1140 – HSO James Giammona leads EVA7. Weather was good and so ATVs were used to expand the range of exploration.
4. 1140/1210 – Lunchtime
A delicious couscous dish prepared by Commandre Barak Stoltz and Crew Engineer Chiara Cocchiara.
5. 1230/1300 Debrief led by HSO Giammona. XO Ialeggio’s idea for the defoggant was spectacularly successful and transformed the experience of the EVA! Ialeggio and Giammona were able to explore much more, ride more safely on the ATVs, and more clearly identify various geological features. This has been the best EVA that HSO Giammona has been on yet. Crew 159 strongly encourages this knowledge to be passed on to future crews.
6. 1300/1800 – Crew works on writing reports and working on personal projects.
7. 1813/1818 – ISS flies over Hab. This will be HSO Giammona’s first attempt to make contact with the ISS’s VHF digipeater.
8. 1800/1845 – Dinner time and social time.
9. 1900/2100 – CAPCOM time window
10. 2130/2230 Personal leisure time
11. 2300/0200 Astroengineer Barak Stoltz will work on calibrating the telescope and enabling remote operation.
Mission planning for the week
1. Crew will implement a rotating commandership where each crew member is commander for two days.
2. HSO James Giammona will work on contacting the ISS. ISS Finder says that Tuesday, Wed, Thursday, and Saturday around 1800 are when the ISS will fly over the Hab.
3. Crew members plan to work on the 3d printer if the proposal is approved and also on other personal projects.
Mission planning for the remaining time of the mission
1. On Friday, commander will submit final report by 5pm.
2. Crew 159 will help Crew 160 travel from Grand Junction and assist in assembling their supplies.
SOL ACTIVITY SUMMARY:
1. A highly successful EVA today for EVA7. XO Anna Ialeggio proposed using Sanex shower gel as a defoggant. A quick test suggested that the solution worked well, but a longer test was needed to validate it’s ability to suppress fogging over several hours.
2. After engineering check, HSO Giammona led EVA7 northeast along the main road on ATVs. They confirmed the boundary area where communication with the Hab becomes spotty and then ceases, which is perhaps a 3 minute ATV ride.
3. EVA7 continued on ATVs for ~10 more minutes before dismounting and exploring some interesting new terrain on foot. The EVA7 team encountered a landscape wildly sculpted by water action which revealed millions of years of geologic strata.
4. EVA7 encountered mimimal problems with condensation throughout the entire EVA which was groundbreaking. XO Ialeggio’s solution definitely works.
5. HSO James Giammona set up his Yagi antenna, tripod and radio to contact the ISS. Crew 159 clearly saw the ISS flyover, but HSO Giammona was not able to make contact. It is possible that he had the squelch on too high for the faint signals to get past the default setting.
Look Ahead Plan:
1. How are you going to follow up?
1. Crew awaits response on proposal to use 3D printer.
2. EVA8 will also use the defoggant on their mission.
2. What is the plan for tomorrow?
1. Tomorrow, EVA8 will be led by Crew Engineer Chiara Cocchiara. Astroengineer Barak Stoltz will accompany Crew Engineer Cocchiara.
2. HSO James Giammona will attempt to contact the ISS again during flyover at 1856.
Anomalies and any problems in work:
None
Weather: Partly overcast day. Very windy. 30-50 degrees F.
Crew Physical Status: Everyone remains in excellent health and high spirits.
EVA: where did you go?
After engineering check, EVA7 headed east on the ATVs along the main road for about an hour. After some exploring on foot, they returned the same way.
Reports to be filed:
Commander
Engineer
Journalist
EVA request
Daily Summary Report
Support Requested:
None
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