Crew 171 Mars Desert Research Station Mission
Mission Statement: Turning over a new GreenHab leaf while planting the seeds of human spaceflight inspiration for future generations
Mission Start Date: 17th Dec 2016 to 1st Jan 2017
Alison Gibson – Crew Commander
Anselm Wiercioch – Crew Executive Officer/Journalist
Brittany Zimmerman – Crew GreenHab Officer
Sean Gellenbeck – Crew GreenHab Officer/HSO
Geoffrey Andrews – Crew Engineer
Connor Lynch – Crew Astrophysicist
Introduction:
Crew 171 is a diverse team of human space exploration enthusiasts pursuing degrees in science or engineering at universities across the United States. The crew members were chosen to represent the Students for Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS-USA), a national student organization. As the first Martians of the season and the first to set up and utilize the new GreenHab structure, the team plans to conduct research supporting the development of bioregenerative life support systems; additionally, vibrating space boots for obstacle avoidance during EVA will be field tested.
Alison Gibson
As the Commander of Crew 171, I will help facilitate all of the proposed research activities in the GreenHab, as well as carry out my own research pertaining to my thesis project. I will ensure that all of the crew members have what they need to be productive on Mars with their research, and will work to remove any impediments on their productivity. I will stay involved in my crew members’ state of well-being, and ensure that everyone’s voice and preferences are respected as a group. I take responsibility for the success of the mission, and will therefore make sensible decisions in the crew’s best interest. I hope to be both a source of professional support as well as a friend to each crew member.
Anselm Wiercioch
As the crew Executive Officer, I’ll be assisting the commander with overall planning and morale boosting. I’ll also take over any additional of the commander’s responsibilities, should she become unavailable. I will be available to assist any crew members with their own research projects, as well as maintaining general hab upkeep and supporting the crew engineer. I’ll also be serving as the crew journalist and documenting our mission through a daily blog. A major component of the SEDS MDRS crew’s mission will be popularizing the idea of inhabiting Mars, and helping get the next generation excited about space and science.
Brittany Zimmerman
As the first GreenHab Officer to utilize the GreenHab, I am responsible for the setup and outfitting of the facilities. This will include the erection of removable lights, germination of seeds, installation of soil trays, assembly of hydroponic system, and preparation of data collection tools. It is my duty to have the GreenHab fully functioning with cultivars growing in several life cycle stages for future MDRS crews.
During this mission my I will also perform bioregenerative life support system research. Harvest index rates, density of canopy structures, plant conveyor stages and soil vs hydroponic growth options will be studied in order to reduce mass of hardware for flight systems per mass of produced edible biomass.
Sean Gellenbeck
As the Green Hab Officer #2, it is my responsibility to assist in the setup and maintenance of the new MDRS Green Hab. One of the major aspect of this setup is the seeding and germination of many new crops which in future missions can be harvested for consumption by future crews. Brittany (Green Hab Officer #1) and I will be working closely in this set up effort and comparing hydroponic and soil based growing systems.
As the Health and Safety Officer, it is my responsibility to watch out for the health and safety of all of our crew members. This includes ensuring that no one is unnecessarily put in to an unsafe situation or performing unsafe tasks and to appropriately care for our crew members in the event of any injuries.
Geoffrey Andrews
As Crew 171’s engineer, I will help support the technical activities of my colleagues in and around the Hab and in the greenhouse. I will ensure that the main systems of the Hab are in good operational condition, as well as keeping the ATVs and “rovers” running as necessary. In addition to engineering support, I am also leading outreach activities for the crew by responding to a series of “letters to Mars” which we have collected from schoolchildren across the United States.
Connor Lynch
As the crew geologist/astrophysicist, I am doing research to learn more about the ancient and current climates of Mars. I am doing this by using time-lapse cameras set up at strategic locations in the surrounding landscape. These cameras will capture change over time in the Martian landscape which may include water melting and drainage, erosion due to water and wind, and other geologic processes. I also can utilize a weather station that can take meteorological data that we can correlate to the video. Besides the actual data, I want to test how feasible using this equipment will be during an actual EVA on Mars. I am looking forward to documenting this work in the geology report.