Humans are each the weakest and the strongest hyperlink in the chain of space missions — Commander’s chronicle: lunar day 14

Dr. Michaela Musilova is the director of Hawaii Residence Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program, which conducts analog missions to the moon and Mars for scientific analysis at a habitat on the volcano Mauna Loa. For the time being, she is in uncover of the 2-week Selene III lunar mission and contributed this chronicle to Residence.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Commander’s Document for the Selene III Moon Mission at HI-SEAS

Lunar Day 14 (March 7, 2021)

Once all over again, I am dreading the tip that is impending. The tip of our analog mission on the moon. Tonight is the final night for the Selene III crew on mission on the HI-SEAS habitat and I cannot relieve myself from feeling emotional. More goodbyes, extra heartbreaks after which I in actuality appreciate one other lunar mission coming up in not up to every week. This fixed whiplash of feelings, each jubilant and sad, takes its toll on me. I as soon as almost in an instant wonder if what would not assassinate you does with out a doubt extinguish you stronger?

Whereas torn in a entire lot of instructions by my feelings, I am serene searching to retain it together in entrance of my crewmates. I am sure that they’re going thru something comparable. On one hand, they would possibly be able to not wait to catch relieve to their cherished ones, unusual food, showers and completely different commodities that many contributors appreciate relieve on Earth. On completely different hand, all of us bonded so neatly together that we’re all feeling sad about our time together coming to an pause.

Our mission became as soon as each demanding and a form of enjoyable. The Selene III crew did an out of the ordinary job of powering thru actually gloomy days of no solar peeking thru grime storms on the moon (aka heavy rainstorms in Hawaii). Even in the gloomiest moments, we had been ready to cheer every completely different up and get a particular aspect to our disaster. Not a single day went by with out laughter shared by the total crew. It is those times that I am going to omit the most, especially as I know they’ll never happen all over again. Even when we are going to meet all over again someday in some unspecified time in the future, it’ll also not be the the same as facing indecent challenges and experiencing good bonding moments on the mission.

Connected: Sunshine and ‘moonwalks’ heal the Selene III crew’s dying optimism

My downward spiral into sad tips started final night after we watched the movie “The Secret Lifestyles of Walter Mitty.” It became as soon as piece of a movie night we organized in honor of Science Verbal substitute Officer Brooke Edwards’ birthday. The crew cooked and baked all forms of tasty treats for this shapely occasion. Then, we gathered on the side of sizzling chocolate, lined in blankets, to catch pleasure from the movie no topic very chilly temperatures in the habitat (55 levels Fahrenheit, or 13 levels Celsius).

The movie hit dwelling with all of us. Just a few of us had been inspired to appear at out to catch extra out of existence. Others realized that they would possibly be taking some issues in their existence with out any consideration. For me, I became as soon as reminded of various immense adventures that I experienced in existence and how I mustn’t give up on some thrilling quests that I desire to switch on. Repeatedly the correct factors of adventures are the out of the ordinary of us that we meet alongside the system. Now, I am about to pronounce goodbye to an entire crew of such of us.

Despite my most up-to-date mood and feelings, I immersed myself in the leisure of tonight’s activities. I enjoyed every final 2nd I will also with my Selene III space household. This integrated taking half in video games appreciate “What Cease You Meme” and “Cards Against Humanity,” as well to finalizing the Easter egg contents that we would possibly perchance be leaving on the relieve of for the Selene IV crew. It is most effective appropriate that our mission will pause on a silly prove, since that is how it started.

As we say, my crewmembers also wrapped up their analysis projects. Bioscience Officer Jason Fischer shared with us the microgreens that he grew at some level of the mission. The microgreens most effective grew on one more-standard hydroponic nutrient resolution. Attempting to develop microgreens on simulated wastewater processed thru a bioreactor didn’t work neatly. Conducting this feasibility glance became as soon as thus important for Jason. In due course, he’s planning to adjust the simulated wastewater by either diluting it or casting off its excessive salt concentrations to support plant boost.

Brooke’s superb takeaway from the mission became as soon as that she felt appreciate the skills modified her as a particular person. She learned that having to depend on little resources to outlive in space makes one extra wide awake about the cost of having catch admission to to natural resources. Brooke also came across that a immense relationship between the crew is famous to the success of the mission and helps to retain stress at a minimal. 

Crew Operations Officer Eboni Brown came to the same conclusion. Analyses of her analysis files confirmed that with out a lawful support plot, chronic stress eliminates the valuable-wanting traits of an person. This prevents collaborations and emotional connections, which impacts lasting relationships with completely different crewmembers. 

Brooke and Eboni also persisted with growing spinach the use of human hair as fertilizer, as piece of the Mission to Mars student competition that I am running. To this level, the retain watch over and spinach fertilized with a bigger concentration of hair fertilizer appreciate sprouted. Brooke and Eboni appreciate willing instructions for the system to handle the experiment to the Selene IV crew, which will doubtless be collecting that metaphorical “torch” and passing it to future crews.

The execrable grime storms affected Crew Engineer Oscar Ojeda’s analysis project. He wasn’t ready to look at up on as many methodologies linked to doing moonwalks and the native geology as he hoped. Nonetheless, the files he became as soon as ready to rep underlined the importance of how human components, equivalent to within-crew relationships, can impact the outcomes of each analog and space missions. Oscar concluded that even with the total technological advancements that are coming into play, the superb and critical a part of future exploratory missions will always be something human.

Our Crew Bioengineer Zoe Maxwell spent a entire lot of the mission searching to troubleshoot her experiment on perchlorate and nitrate slit price the use of bacteria and aquaponics. Just a few of the concerns she encountered had been linked to the plastic tanks that she became as soon as the use of for the aquaponics piece of her project. They’ll also appreciate affected how the bacteria reacted in the plot. Loads of the fish in the tanks survived and Zoe gathered solutions that she’ll be enforcing when growing her project further in collaboration with Berkeley.

Even I became as soon as not ready to compose my analysis project, centered on lava cave indecent lifeforms (extremophiles), thanks to the grime storms. This is an ongoing project I am engaged on aiming to know what forms of extremophiles stay in these cave systems and how they live to recount the tale there, which is in collaboration with NASA Goddard Residence Flight Heart. As a replacement, I centered on taking care of my crew and performing outreach projects at some level of this mission. 

We had been all below further stress when the climate locked us in the habitat for days on pause. Those had been the times when private projects and problems wished to be space apart to work together as a crew and extra importantly, as a household. I enjoyed every particular person of those moments and they’re what I am going to be casting off from this mission. Because the crew figured out themselves, the human aspect of space missions will doubtless be each the weakest and the strongest hyperlink in the chain.

Commander Musilova signing off paying consideration to “Cease Alive” by José González from the movie “The Secret Lifestyles of Walter Mitty.” My eyes are filling with tears of each pleasure and sorrow. I will omit my immense crew, nonetheless fond memories of our time together will retain pushing me ahead. Selene IV mission here I come!

Be conscious Michaela Musilova on Twitter @astro_Michaela. Be conscious us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.