Mars Desert Research Station MDRS Crew 188 (ISU) Utah, US 2018
"Bending Horizons 360": Artist-in-Residence/Journalist-in-Residence at MDRS (US), and Artist-in-Residence at MIVP (AU)
Team ISU on Mars
The Mars Society, Mars Analogue San Rafael Swell of Southern Utah
Commander: Dr. Ryan L. Kobrick, CA/US. Executive Officer: Renee Garifi, US. Health & Safety Officer: Tatsunari Tomiyama, JP. Crew Engineer: Zac Trolley, CA. Crew Astronomer/GreenHab Officer: Julia DeMarines, US. Artist in Residence/Crew Journalist: Dr. Sarah Jane Pell, AU.
Crew 188, the third ISU team rotation at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), comprised of two weeks of intense research, team building, and mission simulation in the analogue Mars environment. Situated on the San Rafael Swell of Southern Utah, MDRS is analogous to Mars due to high altitude and geological features including superimposed streams exposing geology from the Colorado Ridge which rose between 2 and 2.5 million years ago, and specimens containing bacteria that photosynthesises through rocks. The research of MDRS Crew 188 included studies into material transfer, habitability, systems design, geology, biology, astronomy, human expression and performance under stress [1]. Relevant results that have been published to date, focus on the RoM capabilities for SIM spacesuits [2,3], RoE activities to improve extra-terrestrial life [4], RoA biometric and physic metric analysis on EVA [6], and RoI 360° EVA capture [5].
Summary of Research Experiments
1. Increasing Spaceflight Analogue Mission Fidelity by Standardization of Extravehicular Activity Metrics Tracking and Analysis
Analogue missions allow the flexibility of capturing many different operational data. This Embry‐Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Spacesuit Utilization of Innovative Technology Laboratory (S.U.I.T. Lab) project focused on capturing physical and biometric data from the 15 extravehicular activities (EVAs). Investigated EVA metrics included collecting GPS data (timestamps, waypoints, distance traversed), the “task” or EVA objectives, and biometrics (heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature, blood oximetry, and body acceleration). For consistency pilot data was collected with one crewmember, and future studies will build to full crew tracking. The investigation of human performance data with respect to workload expenditure, will help identify energy limitations, thus maximizing explorers’ potential.
2. Remote Video Capture Analysis of Spacesuits for Spaceflight Analogue Expeditions
The crew successfully captured on video prescribed range of motion tasks for an unsuited subject, and the subject wearing two different types of simulated spacesuits used at MDRS. The crew reported on operational checklist improvements and sent data to the ERAU S.U.I.T. Lab. This approach derives how to communicate effective instructions to a remote crew, and then analyze simulated spacesuit performance. The MDRS Crew 188 collected the second set of data with the first videos provided by the Hawai'i Space Exploration Analogue and Simulation (HI‐SEAS) 2017 mission. Improvements from the MDRS 188 team were sent both the AMADEE‐18 in Oman and the Mars Society Israel mission at the Makhtesh Ramon Crater, both occurring in February.
3. Dust Abrasion and Operations Investigation of Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG) Gloves
Final Frontier Design (FFD) outer‐layer Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG) spacesuit gloves were worn on EVAs by one crewmember. The gloves were photographed before the mission and after every EVA to examine the abrasive wear for post mission analysis. The gloves offered realistic dexterity limitations that would be expected in a pressured garment and outer layer.
4. Martian Dust Filter Tests
A new filtration unit from NASA Glenn Research Center was used to examine airlock dust contamination post EVAs. Measurements with an optical particle detector were taken five times encapsulating each EVA’s operations (pre‐ EVA before and after the crew entered, mid‐EVA, and post‐EVA before and after the crew entered). A variety of filters were changed on the filtration unit each test and a special vacuum filter was utilized when cleaning the airlock. All these test combined will look at particle size distribution and total load. Data collected from this research will further facilitate the mitigation of astronaut’s and habitat systems’ exposure to dust particles on the surface of celestial bodies.
5. Performing Astronautics
Dr. Pell initiated EVA experiments, workshop activities, movement participation and reflective pursuits, promoting interdisciplinary exploration and Earth analogues to contribute a critical cultural and aesthetic suite of responses to the MDRS experience including: 1) Bending Horizons 360: human‐environmental interactions on the Mars Analogue environment in 8K 360‐degree Panorama and 3D Video data. 2) Bubbles on Mars a creative Imagineering experiment on phenomena of blowing bubbles on Earth, to transfer and adapt for a Mars sci‐art activity. 3) Mars Olympiad: a series of speculative fiction performances designed and documented for a Virtual Reality or future immersive teaching and learning experience, and international outreach engagement coinciding with the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics, to expand knowledge and imaginative capacity for human performance, and teamwork on Mars. 4) Super Blood Blue Moon Total Lunar Eclipse: 6K 360‐degree Panorama Video of the Astronomical Phenomena from the Mars Desert Analogue Station. 5) Participation in research and interviews in support collaborations with fellow crew on EVA spacesuit validation, environmental interactions, science and engineering engagement, human factors and performance research, with local crews and global Analogue Crews. See Journalist-in-Residence.
6. In‐situ testing of VEGGIE prototype plant growth hardware: Orbital Aquifer System for VEGGIE (OASYS)
We utilized the GreenHab facility to test a new prototype vegetation system invented by NASA KSC scientists for watering plants in reduced gravity environments. Lettuce and basil were selected as ideal demonstration crops for their quick germination times and ease of harvest. The newly built GreenHab provides controlled temperature, humidity and light for a variety of vegetable crops growing throughout the field season. Due to limited time within the mission, the vegetable growth period was only 9 days. The OASYS system proved the effective germination of only one lettuce seedling from one of the three plant watering pillows due to an issue with the size of the pillows being larger than normal and the wicks not staying moist. Photos and data were sent to the principal investigators who rated this to be a positive test of the hardware.
7. Potential Human Activities to Improve Quality of Life on Mars
Tatsunari Tomiyama performed this Human Factors research project. Throughout this mission, the data collection has been completed 3 times and the detailed data performance must be completed later with statistical software tools. However, rough data analysis has been performed using tools in Microsoft Excel. The data analysis shows that personal hygiene will be strongly influenced for the quality of life during this simulation. Following to that, water and radio communication would also likely be influenced. Final details of the result will be analyzed later using computer software.
8. Project Stardust
This collaborative meteorological investigation of micrometeorite samples collected from field sites all over the world now includes samples taken from MDRS. We collected field samples from loose topsoil (less than 0.5 in) from hilltops surrounding the habitat, filtered, separated and imaged potential micrometeorites other spherules ranging in size from 50 µm to 2 mm, both extraterrestrial (iron ore‐containing), terrestrial and anthropogenic that have fallen through the atmosphere and landed on Earth’s surface. Soil samples in a range of particle sizes were bagged and labeled for submission to the principal investigator for further analysis by scanning electron microscope, which we do not have access to here. We are very excited to bring this project to MDRS because micrometeoroids contribute to the composition of regolith (planetary/lunar soil) on other bodies in the Solar System, not just Earth. Mars has an estimated annual micrometeoroid influx of between 2,700 and 59,000 t/yr. This contributes about 1m of micrometeoritic content to the depth of the Martian regolith each billion years. These types of analyses on Earth help us understand how the solar system was formed as we venture out to explore it.
9. In‐situ Chlorophyll Detection
Julia DeMarines, an astrobiologist, tested out three Chlorophyll detecting devices that are being prototyped by researchers from NASA Ames and Robotics Everywhere LLC (www.f3.to). These handheld Chlorophyll detectors can be operated in the field, indoors, and potentially underneath a Mars rover using Chl‐florescence. The results were mixed but overall positive. Julia first tested them indoors using a variety of living and non‐living samples collected in the field, in the Green Hab, and around the Hab. Once she was familiar with the interface, she was able to test these samples and get positive results from several leaf samples and negative results from green rocks and green plastic. She was also able to repeat results after resetting the devices. She was able to get a false positive using a green Sharpie marker and was also able to get false negatives on Sage Brush collected from in the field and tested in the science lab as well as Sage Brush measured in the field. Also in the field, she was not able to get a positive detection on a very green agave‐like plant. Overall, the detectors are promising to use if the interface were a little more user friendly and easier to see while in the field and while wearing gloves.
Academic Publications
[1] Pell, S.J., Trolley, Z., Kobrick, R. (2018) Technical recommendations to improve Mars Desert Research Station safety, simulation and science. In Proc. 69th International Astronautical Congress, Bremen DE 1-5 Oct, 2018. IAC-18,E5,1.1
[2] Kobrick, R.L., Lopac, N., Schwartz, P., Schuman, J., Covello, C., French, J., Gould, A., Meyer, M., Southern, T., Lones, J., and Ehrlich, J.W. (2018): Spacesuit Range of Motion Investigations Using Video and Motion Capture Systems at Spaceflight Analogue Expeditions and within the ERAU S.U.I.T. Lab. 48th International Conference Environmental Systems 2018, Albuquerque, US. ICES400:189.
[3] Kobrick, R.L., Lopac, N., Schuman, J., French, J., Tomiyama, T. (2018). Increasing Spaceflight Analogue Mission Fidelity by Standardization of Extravehicular Activity Metrics Tracking and Analysis. 48th International Conference Environmental Systems, Albuquerque, US. ICES403:191.
[4] Pell, S.J., Barnes, D.G, Mueller, F. (2018) Bubbles on Mars: 360° play and performance on EVA. In Proc. 69th International Astronautical Congress, Bremen DE, Oct 1-5, 2018. IAC-18,E5,IP,5.
[5] Pell, S.J. (2018) The Agency of Human-Robotic Lunatics. In Proc. 69th International Astronautical Congress, Bremen DE 1-5 Oct, 2018. IAC-18 B3,9-GTS.2.
[6] Pell, S.J., Kobrick, R.L, Barnes, D.G. (2019) Human Spaceflight Performance: Bootstrapping the intersections of Biometrics and Artistic Expression through planetary mission analogue EVAs. In Proc. 70th International Astronautical Congress, Washington D.C. US, Oct 21-25, 2019. IAC-19-B3,9-GTS.2
[7] Kobrick, R.L., and Agui, J.H. (2019). Preparing for Planetary Surface Exploration by Measuring Habitat Dust Intrusion with Filter Tests during an Analogue Mars Mission. Acta Astronautica. Vol. 160, 297-309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.04.040
Acknowledgements
We would like to extend our gratitude to the MDRS Mission Support Team who have supported our crew every evening during the Comms window. Special thanks goes to Dr. Shannon Rupert, Kayundria “Kay” Hardiman Wolfe, Bernard Dubb, Veronica Brooks, Sylvain Burdot, Graeme Frear, Jennifer Holt, Nishat Tasnim, Peter Detterline, Chris Welch, Volker Damann, Barnaby Osborne, Geraldine Moser, Joshua Nelson, Michael Davies, Dr. Chris McKay, Matteo Borri from Robotics Everywhere LLC, Dr. John Deaton, Morgan Eudy, Heather Allaway, Anderson Wilder, Dr. Luke Roberson, The NASA‐KSC VEGGIE Team, Juan Agui, the ISU Southern Hemisphere Program, University of South Australia, Monash Immersive Visualisation Platform, Australia Council, Blue Marble Space, Embry‐Riddle Aeronautical University, NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium, Space Florida, Dr. Robert Zubrin and the Mars Society, The Musk Foundation, MDRS Crew 147 and 162 and our friends and families on Earth.
Mission Simulation: 27 Jan – 10 Feb, 2018
MDRS188 (ISU) Mission Patch
MDRS188 Artist-in-Residence Mission Patch
MDRS Crew 188 Journalist Reports
From EVAs to a MarsHigh Pyramid: Reinterpreting Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for Mars.
MDRS Safety Case, 2018 IAC Paper
Technical recommendations to improve Mars Desert Research Station safety, simulation and science.
Bending Horizons 360°, 2018
Monash Immersive Visualisation Platform MIVP Artist-in-Residence. Affective EVA performance tool experiments.
Mars Olympiad, 2018 Virtual Reality 07:11
A space analogue competive live performance to virtual reality on Mars Desert Research Station.
Rock Stars, 2018 Virtual Reality 03:33
A live art cinematic virtual reality performance construction of a 100m square rock installation.
Bubbles On Mars, 2018 IAC IP
360° play and performance on EVA.
GreenHab, Utah US 2018
360 monitoring of MDRS ScienceDome & GreenHab NASAs Orbital Aquifer System for VEGGIE (OASYS).
Human Spaceflight Performance, 2019 IAC Paper
Bootstrapping intersections of Biometrics and Artistic Expression through planetary mission analogue EVAs.
MDRS188 Media/Outreach
2018 #ISUonMars #MDRS188
Ep. 2. Sarah Jane Pell | Kobrick CDR Daddy LOG 480
