Humor saved the day for the Selene II lunar analog mission — Commander’s file: Lunar day 11

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

Commander’s Portray for the Selene II Mission at HI-SEAS

Lunar Mission Day 11 (Nov. 28, 2020)

One ingredient that I didn’t rely on to be doing on a Friday night on the moon used to be pushups. One hundred push-ups. It started as a shaggy dog tale when it used to be getting gradual and Operations Officer Fabio Teixeira hadn’t accomplished his on each day basis order yet. “Just staunch attain 100 push-u.s.and I am going to enable you to off,” I urged him jokingly. Next ingredient I do know, it’s practically 10 p.m. and plenty of the crew made up our minds to affix Fabio in doing pushups as just enhance. Now, it seems indulge in 100 situps are on the menu for tonight. I’m restful seeking to decide on out if it’s a signal that everybody’s turning into loopy on the moon (literally turning into “lunatics”) or if it’s their manner to expel excess vitality to withhold faraway from dropping their minds. 

While the jury is restful out on that topic, yet another ingredient that has been serving to again us sane is laughter. Every crewmember is a jokester, so we utilize our free moments teasing each plenty of. The 2nd all of us cried from laughter used to be once we had been taking part in Playing cards In opposition to Humanity just a few days in the past. It used to be a mountainous manner to vent out our frustrations, though I didn’t rely on to listen to most of what used to be acknowledged at some level of that game. Members sure showed their exact colours! For the first time in my lifestyles, I purchased light-headed from laughing too famous. It used to be moreover a mountainous distraction from the truth that we had been all cool, huddled together and bracing for a extraordinarily frigid night. 

We had been restful struggling thru mud storms and our photo voltaic panels weren’t recharging our batteries sufficiently. Daily, we had been getting closer and closer to a vitality blackout no topic all our efforts to lower our vitality utilization to a unadorned minimal. Living in very cool and darkish cases became the norm. 

Truly, The following morning, I held my breath as I purchased off the mattress. I thought to myself, “Will we now gain got vitality? Will we now gain got to attain an emergency spacewalk to expose on our support-up vitality provide?” I reached for the sunshine in my room and it labored! We restful had vitality! I’m so gay with the crew for all their sacrifices and teamwork that saved us from a vitality blackout. The cherry on high of the cake used to be when, out of nowhere, the mud clouds cleared and for the first time in days, we had been in a quandary to peer Mons Huygens (a.okay.a. Mauna Kea). The total crew got right here working to the window to love an “alien” ogle. 

Related: Powering thru challenges of the Selene II lunar analog mission — Commander’s file: Lunar day 7

The sure atmosphere at last allowed us to head on an extravehicular order (EVA), or moonwalk. Just staunch indulge in our mission, it wasn’t exactly a gentle walk. In the beginning, the mud storms hovered around the habitat; customarily transferring just a few meters faraway from us after which rushing support to engulf us in darkness again. I was at some level of a moon-to-Earth call when my crewmembers rushed to declare me that we now gain got an opening in the mud storm. Next ingredient I do know, we had been all in the airlock ready to attain some lunar research.

On the other hand, the clouds started coming at us the 2nd we stepped exterior the airlock. I right away went into verbalize-fixing mode and started calculating how famous time we had sooner than we would gain to reach support to the habitat. I urged Crew Engineer Ben Greaves, Crew Bioengineer Lindsay Rutter and Crew Methods Engineer Karen Rucker to originate developing the Hypercubes SPAC (Soil Plant Ambiance Continuum) geoweather quandary. At the identical time, I helped Fabio originate his drone that he and Crew Journalist Cassandra “Cassie” Klos operated from contained in the habitat. The clouds moved in even closer by the level we had been accomplished. As I was about to call the end of the EVA, we with out note chanced on ourselves in the peer of the mud storm. 

This sold us just a few extra minutes, so I urged Karen that she may well maybe maybe hobble test her newbie radio-communications technologies on the ridge above the habitat. I moreover inspired Lindsay to bring together her astrobiological samples in mini lava tubes shut to the habitat. Then, we heard from HabCOM (Habitat Communicator) Cassie that the drone detected a sure course for our EVA beyond the neighborhood of the habitat. Finally, I was in a quandary to educate the crew on the geology of the environment factual in time for the mud storms to shut in on the habitat again.

By Thanksgiving Day, the full crew used to be thankful for an expansion of things: that we now gain got each plenty of, we bring together each plenty of chortle, we support one yet another, we now gain got loving mates and family on Earth, and that the weather used to be favorable adequate for us to head on our first lava tube EVA. Cassie used to be in a quandary to bring together some magnificent magnificent art photography photos in the caves, while I helped Lindsay bring together extra astrobiological samples. Fabio used the time successfully to analyse the lava tube thru UV scans and LIDAR.

The spotlight of the day, for me, used to be our Thanksgiving feast. In a coordinated effort, many of the crew baked and cooked an expansion of dishes that made our lunar meal be close to as stress-free as festive meals support on Earth. In fleshy disclosure, our turkey used to be no doubt turkey-fashioned bread and the meat on the desk used to be freeze-dried hen. No topic, it introduced mountainous smiles to our faces and it positively overjoyed our tummies besides. I moreover taken aback the crew with some freeze-dried ice cream. Or no longer it’s the least that I’m in a position to attain to thank them for being such factual team-gamers. Many thanks to everybody who has been supporting us from Earth besides! Our right greetings to you all.

Related: How NASA tech helped bring together your Thanksgiving meals safe (and your family Zoom classes, too)

On that indicate, I’m realizing that it’s day 11 and our mission together on the moon is coming to an end. While this realization is making me unhappy, I’m moreover very gratified that the full crew is progressing so well with their research projects. They had been in a quandary to attain most of their mission milestones no topic the full challenges the mud storms threw our manner. 

As for me, I was principally fascinated by the crew successfully achieving their needs for this mission. Time allowing, I am going to proceed with collecting samples for my NASA Goddard astrobiology collaboration. Otherwise, it will gain to anticipate the upcoming mission starting subsequent week.

 Discover Michaela Musilova on Twitter @astro_Michaela. Discover us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Fb. 

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