FMARS-15 Commander Report 28-07-2023

Author: Andrew Wheeler, Commander, FMARS-15

Weather: Clear skies, sunny. Wind cool, slight to variable in the morning building to gentle to moderate and dropping in temperature in the afternoon. Temperature low to mid teens Celsius. 

Following a successful internet meeting with the years 4.5 and 6 pupils from Kurwongbah State School in Queensland, Australia (local time Friday 2:20pm, FMARS time Thursday 11:20pm), the crew earned a relatively relaxed day in the hab catching up on advancing the science projects, updating maps and GIS databases and completing the niggling little engineering tasks that need completing but something else always seems to push them aside. In the afternoon, accumulated rubbish and waste was sent to the incinerator and, with the wind favorable, ignited for combustion.

A water replenishment run was carried out to the usual location where the water level was observed to still be dropping but seemingly at a slowed rate. At the same time, a windsock, constructed on site, was erected at the southwest end of the landing strip as a navigation aid.

Still later in the day, an unscheduled EVA, on foot, was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of visor modifications (an improvised external sun visor) and the impact on mobility of extensive suit repairs at the waist/upper leg interface of a separate suit. The traverse was only for 1.5km and included GPS locating of the newly positioned windsock and a check of a previously acquired creek crossing location. No polar bears were encountered.