SOL 7: Full throttle toward the second week!
Today’s program: Two Extravehicular Activities (EVA). This morning, Julien, Adèle, and I conducted an EVA, with Lou serving as CapCom. Our primary objectives were to replace the batteries of the atmospheric instruments and to explore “Compass Rock,” a site located further from the station.
Within the first few minutes, we faced a communication failure: Adèle’s radio was malfunctioning. It took us considerable time to diagnose a loose connection between her headset and the radio unit. This troubleshooting phase resulted in a 30-minute delay. Halfway through the mission, my radio experienced the exact same technical issue, though we were able to react and restore communication more rapidly. While these setbacks prevented us from exploring Compass Rock, we successfully completed the battery replacement.
The experience of putting on the spacesuit remains a powerful reminder of the Martian environment. Looking through the visor, with restricted movement and total silence broken only by radio transmissions, the immersion is absolute. Upon exiting the station, we immediately experience “tunnel vision,” requiring heightened vigilance as this is when operational errors are most likely to occur. On the Red Planet, far from the station, the radio is our only lifeline; when it breaks down, the sense of isolation is particularly profound.
Also, Célia successfully conducted her first observations using the solar telescope. After several days of high winds, weather conditions were finally optimal to open the observatory dome. Félix worked with Gaspard on his botany project. The objective is to study the potential use of resources coming from a confined space to improve soil fertility. He uses a Raspberry Pi system to monitor humidity and temperature and to document plant growth in the GreenHab.
This afternoon, Gaspard, Félix, and Lou performed a second EVA to relocate the atmospheric instruments west of Marble Ritual to a more sheltered area. Adèle served as CapCom. This sortie allowed us to test a new EVA protocol that we wrote immediately after the morning’s radio incidents. The team was able to exit and enter the station again without any problem.
Later in the afternoon, Félix, Célia, and I went to the GreenHab to water the plants, and Félix showed us his germinating broccoli microgreens. Simultaneously, Adèle, Gaspard, and Julien went to the Science Dome to complete their sessions for the Orbital Architecture and NeuroErgonomics experiments. Lou continued 3D printing structural components for the SupaeroMoon rover.
We are currently completing our daily logs and physiological questionnaires while awaiting the communication window. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will use the Parrot drone to start building a 3D map of the Red Planet.