Commander Report
Gregory Leonard
12/06/14
－－－－概略です－－－－
今日は、MurakamiさんのEVAです。
チームは、Heidi さんとVictorを加えた3人です。
村上さんの調査およびアウトリーチプロジェクトの目的は、日本の子ども達が選んだ場所を調査することです。
その場所は、子ども達が地球外生命が存在している可能性のある場所として、選んでくれました。
地球物理学的と生物物理学的な特徴を探すためのMDRSを火星に見立てた類似調査です。
Victorさんは、このEVAの中で彼の3Dバーチャルリアリティモデリングにさらにステレオ赤外線スキャンを試みました。
EVAの結果、以下のことが確認されました。
・ヘルメットの曇りが問題となったそうです。
これは、今朝のわずかな気温上昇によって引き起こされた汗が幾分原因となっているのと航行の選択も原因らしいです。
・いくつかのEVA活動が計画されているのに対して、ベースマップの解像度は、EVAでの障害になる可能性のある地形的特徴を見つけるためには不十分なことがあります。
時々、直線的に接近する方が最短距離であるにも関わらず、ゆるい傾斜のある僅かに永いルートのほうが良いことがあります。
良いルートを計画することは、地球においても不可欠です。火星においては、不可欠であると共に生命の危機が倍増することになりますね。
午後は、JuhoさんとToniさんによる工学EVAでした。
建設廃棄物の中の材料を使って医療避難用担架を組み立てるミッションでした。
これは、腕木を追加して、今後のEVAの医学的緊急事態とハブ輸送訓練とで使われるでしょう。
Toniさんは明日のEVAの準備をしました。
Susanさんは、極限環境での隔離と監禁による負の影響をヨガと瞑想で緩和できることを確認するため、その効果を測定するバイオマーカーとして唾液の分析を計画しています。午後には、その実験装置を完成させました。
金曜日の夜は、映画などを見てみんなで楽しく過ごしたようですね！！
村上さんの応援をよろしくお願いいたします。
応援サイトは、以下の通りです。
・日本火星協会 MDRSページ
・火星のいきものをさがそう！（ｆａｃｅｂｏｏｋ）
・MDRS天気予報（ｆａｃｅｂｏｏｋ）
下図は、Commander Reportには、紹介されてませんが、トガちゃんです。
村上さんのリュックで一緒に火星まで行ったのですね。
詳しくは、こちらで
－－－－原文です－－－－
After a full week at MDRS, and our 5th day in Mars analog simulation, it is surprising that each day is quite different from the rest, this despite the somewhat dry and routine appearance of our weekly scheduling spreadsheet. I suspect that this stems from the fact that our comfort and annihilation are separated only by the metallic shell of the Hab walls or the thin skin of our EVA suits. We do not go about in fear of these facts each day, but they are routinely part of our ‘wiring’, we space-faring individuals. Days and nights on Mars will be no less different, routines yes, but each day different.
After breakfast Biologist Yusuke Murakami presented his EVA plan and field objectives and directed his EVA team members XO Heidi Beemer and Engineer Victor Luo with their specific EVA tasks. Yusuke’s investigation and outreach project is an observational analog survey characterizing geophysical and biophysical zones where extra-terrestrial life could exist. Victor also used Yusuke’s survey sites to attempt further stereo infrared scans for his 3D virtual reality modeling.
The EVA team was out onto the surface at 0950 and completed their field plans using EVA vehicles, and also by foot. Upon return to the Hab, engineering EVA duties were completed. The entire team held our post-EVA debriefing. Fogging of helmets became an issue, due in part to sweating induced by slightly increased temperatures this morning, and also navigational choices. Base-map resolution, from which some EVA traverses are planned are sometimes insufficient to resolve topographic features that can become obstacles during EVAs. Sometimes a point-to-point approach, despite being the shortest distance is not preferable to slightly longer routes having gentler slopes. Good route planning is essential on Earth, and will be essential and at times life critical on Mars.
Scientist Juho Vehviläinen and Geologist Toni de Morais Teles completed an afternoon engineering EVA, collecting materials from the ‘Antarctica’ pile (aka the boneyard) to construct a medical evacuation litter. This emergency transport mechanism, in addition to cross-arm carry will both be trialed during an upcoming EVA medical emergency and Hab transport training. Toni has also completed final equipment preparation and checks, and prepared an EVA request for his science EVA tomorrow.
HSO Dr. Susan Jewell prepared laboratory equipment this afternoon readying for her salivary sampling and biomarker analyses associated with her stress mitigation research. Some crew will soon be pre-testing particiants in her investigation to evaluate yoga and mindfulness meditation to mitigate negative effects of isolation and confinement in extreme environments. MDRS is a perfect environment to initiate this work.
In addition to managing HabCOM operations for the first time, I also had my first cooking duties, paired up with Juho in the kitchen. Much to our surprise Juho and I managed to prep some rather tasty food today: pancakes and oatmeal this morning, tuna-veggie mac-n-cheese and lemon rice chicken soup (sans chicken) for lunch, and delicious pasta primavera with meat sauce for supper. We received two thumbs up on all meals, from an obviously hungry crew. I also began working on constructing the 7th stateroom in the loft. I framed out the first wall and it fits perfectly in the attic. This project requires careful planning during the building phase and will take up bits of my time for the next week. Like many crew on MDRS-144, I come here with multiple skill sets and experiences. My time in the carpentry and painting trades will come in handy here, at FMARS, and perhaps someday on Mars itself.
Last night, after CapCOM and evening chores were completed, the team settled in to watch a movie. There’s a small DVD library here at the Hab, comprised of donations from previous mission crews. Flipping through the two volumes of DVD’s we noticed a theme emerging: lots of science fiction and space exploration-based films. I suppose it’s relatively easy sometimes to select a movie with others who also embrace the same culture. We chose to watch an Australian made film “The Dish”, a ‘based-on-a-true-story’ docu-comedy which recounts the story of an Australian team of radio astronomers stationed at the Parkes radio telescope, and their role in providing vital deep-sky-network communications and video links for the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. Despite several technical glitches, the pressures of being thrust onto the world stage, and under the tight scrutiny of NASA technocrats, the radio observatory staff triumphed and fulfilled their objectives. This reminded me that despite all the preparations, the practice, the checking, the triple-checking, the testing, and evaluations, it is what was not prepared for, the ‘surprises’ that become the true test of individual and teamwork capabilities and resolve. After a week here on mission MDRS-144, it is gratifying to observe the cool, natural reactions of this crew to things unexpected, and the strength of the team as they support one another…essential stuff for all team exploration.
