1 August 2000: Marc Boucher’s Personal Journal: Base Camp, Devon Island
Note: Information on the current field season, as well as past seasons can be found here.
Simulation, Day 4
Crew:
Carol Stoker, Commander
Bill Clancey, Chronicler
Larry Lemke, Engineer
Darlene Lim, Biologist
Bob Nesson, Discovery Channel
Marc Boucher, Communications Officer
Exploration Office Valley EVA
Like yesterday we got up around 8:00 AM to start our day. The plan for the day was simple. Two traverses. One before lunch and
one after. The first traverse would head to Exploration Office Valley by way of base camp and stop at Lake Cornell on the
way back. This traverse should take about two hours. The afternoon traverse had not been decided yet. Once again
a communications protocol was in effect. However since the EVA crew would be out range or line of sight at times
they would contact us when they could. (See map and photos below) On EVA were Carol, Larry and Darlene. Marc and Bill
stayed behind to catch up paperwork and to man the communications gear. Bob Nesson was away on other business. The traverse
went very well.
Change of Plans
In the afternoon shortly after lunch we were informed that Larry and Carol would have to leave early to catch their plane.
This put an official end to our simulation. Before they left though we spent a good hour talking about the habitat and what
we would like to see happen to it in the future.
Mission Support
In the evening we contacted Mission Support and uploaded our data packet. Starting tomorrow we will have an informal
occupation for two nights. Bill, Bob and I will stay in the habitat until Friday morning. Then we will paint the floors and
winterize it.
The FMARS Chronicle – By Bill Clancey, Mars Society
8/01 Tuesday
0740 Again no power. I refuel the generator (after groping to find the choke)-no instructions are printed on the generator, only French and English cautioning about fire danger. Now I have the generator running, but there is no power.
0800 Bob is outside, first talking with Andy on the walkie-talkie, and now helping with the generator. He suggests that the first power strip is suspect.
0810 Larry is outside; he removes the first power strip and we have power.
How appropriate that our first full day in the hab we are already maintaining and troubleshooting our power system-and half the crew got involved.
0815 I start the time lapse camera so I can capture the morning’s activities on the top floor.
0830 Darlene is waiting to use the sink as I exit the room downstairs.
While I have been gone, Larry has removed my pot of heating water from the stove and substituted his personal coffee maker. Bob then fills the pot with cold water and I am left standing with a bowl of dry oatmeal. The time has been too short to learn about each other’s routines and how to coordinate our cooking.
I revert to heating my water in the microwave. Bob suggests that I put the cup in the middle of the turntable. Yesterday I had suggested to Marc that he put his cup on the outer edge. We naturally help each other in this way. Virtually strangers, we are observing and advising, developing a shared understanding of how things work and how to be efficient.
0845 We are finally all sitting together over breakfast.
Lines of sight inside the hab are important; sitting sideways on my seat to face Carol at the head of the table, I look squarely into Darlene’s open room. Open doors also block the light from the NW and SE portals. The doors need to close automatically, so we’re not looking at each other’s stuff. But we must also be able to prop the doors open, so we can mix private space and peripheral participation.
0858 We go outside with backpacks and gloves to stage our entry into the hab for the Discovery Channel. We joke about how to dress and what image to convey. I mention how I was impressed by Kelly Snook’s and Viktor Stolc’s high-fashion appearance (all in black and white) as they walked together in camp last week. Darlene explained that they shopped together.
Standing outside with the heavy Sony video camera on his shoulder -seemingly half the length of his body-Bob asks us to march in from the south and stay together. The trick is to look happy and alert, while watching your feet all the way to not trip on the sharp rocks. After take one, we repeat the entry with Bob inside shooting us stepping through the hatch and climbing the ladder.
0915 Bob and Larry go out to get more fuel and to retrieve a printout from base camp (which Marc had cleverly printed from the hab-again, over the tundra, out the dish, into orbit, through Ottawa, and back to base camp, 3/4 mile away)
0948 Sandy, a worker from Resolute, arrives upstairs with a fan and louvered cover, to be installed in the now boarded NE portal. He leaves the fan squarely in the middle of the floor, where it sits all day, until I move it about 10pm to shoot a panorama of the room.
We discuss Kurt Micheels’ design, in which private boxes (which Zubrin calls “coffins”) are stacked bunk style around the perimeter of the room. How would that mixture of private and public space compare to what we are enjoying?
1000 Larry refuels the generator.
1020 Darlene and Larry come back upstairs; Carol appears ready to go out.
Chris Salvino, base camp medic, is caulking the vertical spaces between panels upstairs. A caulking gun falls loudly to the floor.
Everyone but Marc and I are eager to go on EVA. I strongly prefer to stay inside every morning, exercising in the afternoon.
1030 We attempt to raise base camp on the radio to discuss Carol and Larry’s departure to Resolute. Using the walkie-talkies we must always be conscious of range (are we too far?), line of sight (is the person we want to speak to in view?), and battery power (a weak one may receive, but not transmit adequately).
I finally clean up my breakfast dishes. I wonder whether we should keep work off our eating table? Should we agree to clear it of laptops during meals? It’s nice to be able to move our personal laptops around.
I’m reminded of Steelcase’s personal work areas, which were designed in the early 90s to replace cubicles for “knowledge workers.” The idea is that in the space of four standard cubicles, one could have four private rooms, with large curved doors that roll open, allowing you to move your chair out to a central area to meet around a table. That kind of design might be suitable in the hab, too.
1040 Darlene, Carol, and Larry depart for base camp to arrange their flights to Resolute.
1041 Larry returns to the upper floor to retrieve some Tang in a bag, cached in his room. (Later Bob will bring out green tea and packets of oatmeal, which he gladly shares.)
1045 Darlene is calling downstairs for Carol, who then comes up the ladder looking for gloves.
All outdoor clothing should be stored downstairs. We have a kind of open closet in the EVA entry hatch, but it is mostly full of construction materials today.
1049 Carol returns and retrieves an alternate set of gloves.
1050 Marc and I hear heavy hammering on the first floor.
1102 Bob returns for his fanny pack.
Preparing to go out takes a long time. If the packs are dirty and stored downstairs, we will need something like a dumbwaiter to move our stuff up and down. Is it realistic to suppose that things we will use outdoors will be kept on the first floor and never needed upstairs? Certainly this works for gloves, but what about cameras, notebooks, etc.? We need to study what items are moved between the floors.
1118 The team (EVA1) reports by radio that they are on their way to Exploration Office Valley (near the airstrip), and that they will then proceed to Lake Cornell.
1125 I begin to document the layout of the top floor in a scale drawing (using Canvas).
1130 EVA1 reports they are at the edge of Exploration Office Valley.
1149 Seeing that the area around the hab is now clear of debris (a group of people having cleaned up the site all morning), Marc goes out to take panorama shots of the hab. Moments later, a helicopter arrives with Andy hanging out of the window, motioning frantically for Marc to get back inside. The downdraft appears to nearly blow Marc away.
1200 The helicopter is buzzing the hab round and round, as the Discovery team films the hab from every angle.
1231 EVA1 reports they are finishing their work at Cornell and returning to the hab (they had been held back by the helicopter and extended their traverse).
1240 Larry, Carol, and Darlene return. We discuss Larry and Carol’s plans to depart for Resolute before dinner, ending our shared occupation of the hab. Darlene says, “Mars must wait for us.”
We warm up the fish (last night’s arctic char) for lunch. The char and slightly charred potatoes tastes even better than last night.
1330 I complete my drawing of the hab’s upper deck.
Knowing that this is our last time together, the crew begins to discuss what we have learned. I take detailed notes, which I will present at the Mars Society meeting and consolidate into a report.
1453 We wrap up our meeting. It feels like a great success. Our brief stay together (short of two days) has provided enough interaction to highlight opportunities for the scientific study of life and work in and around the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station.
1500 I turn off the time lapse so John Kunz can work on the emergency exit (SE) portal.
Larry and Carol pack. We take group pictures and they leave. Our “formal sim” is over.
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