July 21-26, 2008 - A Busy Few Days at the HMP Research Station!
Submitted by ewalker on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 00:14.
Photos of the Day: July 21 | July 22 | July 23 | July 24 | July 25 | July 26
My apologies for the lack of updates here. It's been a very busy week at the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station! Please see MarsOnEarth.org to catch up on the daily status reports, and science reports, both in video and written form. I have recorded some video of my personal account on what it is like to be here, but have not had the time to edit it quite yet. I will try to show as much of my personal adventures on this blog as I can, and will point you to MarsOnEarth.org for the more science-oriented updates and reports.
As you know, my job here this season for the Mars Institute is to document the research the scientists are doing, which is all related to the prospect of human missions to the Moon and/or Mars. It has been a very busy season so far, and is keeping me on my toes. Some of the research projects going on here have been related to robotics, planetary geology, geomorphology, plant life and other biology in extreme environments, the Arthur C. Clarke Mars Greenhouse, telemedicine, radiation experiments, communications, human factors, and core sampling of permafrost, to name several.
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| copyright 2008 Mars Institute |
I've been able to be personally involved with some of the telemedicine research, acting as a mock-patient (including some over-acting) in both a mock trauma scenario and mock surgical scenario. The doctors here are being telementored in real time by doctors in Vancouver, Houston and Detroit, and it is being funded by the Canadian Space Agency. Here are some pictures of the mock-appendectomy I received! Mock Surgical Scenario - July 24, 2008. In the scenario I was 29 years old. Doctors looked at my organs remotely via videoconferencing, and reported, "her organs are adequate for her age". It sounded funny at the time, but I guess it is good news since I am really 40.
Other exciting days involved traversing with HMP scientists into the Haughton Crater in order to document their activities. The Haughton impact structure is about 23 million years old and does not look like a typical simple crater. It is a very complex feature, roughly 23 kilometers (14 miles) wide. The geology and climatology of Haughton Crater are as close to Mars-like as can be had on Earth. The center of the crater contains impact breccia (ejected rock which has fallen back into the impact zone and partially re-welded) that is permeated with permafrost, thus creating a close analog to what may be expected at crater sites on a cold, wet Mars.
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| copyright 2008 Mars Institute |
Yesterday I went a traverse to the center of the Haughton impact structure with Dr. Vince Pisacane who is the R. A. Heinlein Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the US Naval Academy. I took photos and recorded a video science report of Dr. Pisacane setting up his HAWK2 Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) instrument, which measures the radiation risk in real time and is funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. The terrain toward the center of Haughton Crater really becomes quite Moon-like. It's absolutely breathtaking.
Dr. Pascal Lee (Director, HMP / NASA Ames, Mars Institute, SETI Institute) has finally arrived! He was "back on Earth" in meetings when I arrived. It is great to have him here. He brought his amazing dog, Ping Pong, who is no doubt the official HMP mascot. Ping Pong is extremely smart and soon she will have her own YouTube account. I will be sure to announce that when it happens. She sits next to me in the office tent while I work and it is the next best thing to having my 17 year old kitty, Baloney, next to me. I do miss Baloney terribly.
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| copyright 2008 Mars Institute |
Speaking of missing pets and loved ones - it was difficult being here the first few days, but I have since made it over that hump and am not only content, but very excited and proud to be here. It surprised me how hard it was to make it through the first few days, since I hadn't experienced that type of longing the first two times I was here with the HMP, in 2003 and 2004. My guess is that since this visit is much longer (over a month as opposed to 10 days and two weeks respectively) I needed to use a different mental strategy. Now that I've started taking things day-to-day instead of continually visualizing the total number of days being away from home, I have been able to more fully enjoy my experience here.
over and out.
-Elaine
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Elaine Walker
Mars Projects Manager
Space Frontier Foundation
marsfrontier.org
I get cold just reading
I get cold just reading these entries *brrr*
Couple of questions I'd ask were I to visit camp:
- Has the recent confirmation of significant quantities of frozen water near the surface on Mars impacted the Devon Island work/experiments and, if so, how?
- This may be a dumb question, but I gotta ask. I once read that the Earth's ozone layer was only a bout a quarter of an inch thick if one were to actually account for just the ozone itself. Would it not then be conceivable/useful to create a "double biodome" (one biodome inside another) where the inner biodome is surrounded by a layer of compressed ozone (trapped between the inner and outer biodomes) that would act as a transparent, yet effective, solar radiation shield on Mars? Ozone is relatively easy to make as long as one has electrical power and could apparently be manufactured in situ on Mars. I've wondered about this idea for a long time and hope one of the Devon Island scientists might be able to sanity check it.
Thanks for the cool (literally) blog and great to hear your organs are still adequate at 40. ;) Take care!
Steven
Answers to Steven's Questions
Hi Steven! The confirmation of frozen water near the surface on Mars didn't impact the work here because scientists here were already convinced. It's just that it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by the Phoenix Lander now.
Your other question (actually, BOTH of these questions) would be perfect for the "Ask A Mars Question" module on this page!
Elaine Walker
Mars Projects Manager
Space Frontier Foundation
Check Weather in Resolute
Hi Spud! I have been looking for a weather module to put on the site, but for now, you can check Resolute Bay weather here. It gives you the option of checking in Fahrenheit too. Resolute is the nearest civilization. I don't believe there is any web-based forecasting for Devon Island since it's uninhabited most of the year. ;)
I'm working on a video of my daily experience here, but since my duties to the Mars Institute (to do the formal reports on marsonearth.org) take priority, I haven't had the time to get it posted yet. I will write something up though! Thanks for the suggestion.
Elaine Walker
Mars Projects Manager
Space Frontier Foundation
Weather conditions...
Hello Elaine! You've talked several times about the "chill" in the air. I've poked around the project web-sites but haven't found any specific meteorological data for the camp and surrounding area. If this information is not being kept private, could you either post a link to where it can be found on the project site, or even just drop some info into the blog. What is the normal temperature when you wake up? Go to bed? What is considered colder or warmer than usual? On that note, since it's always light out, what time do you wake up and go to bed?
I'd also love to see a blog entry that describes what your living conditions are actually like there. There are certain things we all have to do every day that can be hampered by a lack of modern amenities. What sort of hardships do you all encounter in that situation?
Keep warm! ...and please keep the blogs coming!
-Spud
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