Director of HMP Dr Pascal Lee (NASA Ames, Mars Institute, SETI Institute) talks about research projects this field season at the Haughton-Mars Project.
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Copyright 2010 Mars Institute
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
Dr Matthew Deans, from the Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) at NASA Ames, introduces his team for the K10 Experiment this HMP field season, followed by a robot montage! The role of the K10 rover at HMP-2010 is to try to understand how to use a robotic rover to follow up behind humans. This experiment is led by Dr Terry Fong and his team at NASA Ames Research Center. They are remotely operating the K10 robot from Moffett Field, CA. The K10 is obtaining maps of the terrain above and below ground with a variety of instruments.
At 2:36 the K10 robot is lifted onto the Mars-1 Humvee Rover with a crane built by John Schutt (HMP Camp Manager). Dr Pascal Lee, Director of HMP (NASA Ames, Mars Institute, SETI Institute) and his dog, Ping Pong, make an appearance as well.
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Video Editing by Elaine Walker (E/PO, HMP, Mars Institute)
Videography by Dr Matthew Deans (NASA Ames) and Elaine Walker
Credit: NASA/Mars Institute/Haughton-Mars Project
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
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| (Copyright 2010 Mars Institute |
We are all grateful for the airlift support of the Air National Guard's 102d Rescue Squadron, part of the 106th Rescue Wing based out of Long Island, NY. We'd like to thank in particular Col. Robert Landsiedel and his crew for their support and patience in Resolute Bay as they waited for the HMP-2010 field team to pull out in its entirety. We overnighted in Vancouver then went on to Moffett Field, CA. By now everyone has made it all the way home!
Please keep following MarsOnEarth.org for more updates, science reports, photos and videos in the next several days.
Pictured: (LtoR front): Elaine Walker (E/PO, HMP, Mars Institute), Jesse Weaver (technician), Valerie Meyers, Ph.D. (NASA JSC), Alex Whitworth (Explorer, Captain of the Berrimilla II), Lauren Artman (CSA), Parna Niksirat (SFU), Dr Pascal Lee, Director of HMP (NASA Ames, Mars Institute, SETI Institute) & Ping Pong (Pascal's dog), Kira Lorber (Mars Institute, HMP Logistics Manager), 3 Herc crew members (LtoR) back: Dr Matthew Deans (NASA Ames), Dr Stephen Braham (Chief Field Engineer and Associate Director, HMP / SFU), Vik Kumar (SFU), Isaiah Mandryk (UBC), Col. Robert Landsiedel, Jeff Fagan (chef), Herc crew member, John Schutt (Camp Manager), 3 Herc crew members & Kyle Hruz (Herc Co-Pilot), Travis Oaks (technician), Brenden (Herc Load Master).
Alex Whitworth, an explorer and Captain of the Berrimilla II, was the first person to sail around the world by including the Northwest Passage. He talks about how Pascal inspired the route for his second circumnavigation with a hand drawn map, and signs a tshirt with Pascal's map on the back.
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Copyright 2010 Mars Institute
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
Dr Stephen Braham (Chief Field Engineer and Associate Director, HMP / SFU), Dr Pascal Lee, Director of HMP (NASA Ames, Mars Institute, SETI Institute) and his dog, Ping Pong, are the only ones left on Devon and should be flying out very soon! The rest of Dr Braham's crew, Isaiah Mandryk (UBC) and Vik Kumar (SFU), have just arrived, along with Jesse Weaver and Travis Oaks (technicians). We hope to see the remaining three shortly and all leave for Vancouver on the Hercules C-130 just after lunch.
UPDATE: We all made it to Vancouver and are staying at the Marriott!
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| Copyright 2010 Mars Institute |
We hope to see remaining six get to Resolute from Devon Island in the morning -- Jesse Weaver and Travis Oaks (both technicians), Dr Pascal Lee, Director of HMP (NASA Ames, Mars Institute, SETI Institute), Dr Stephen Braham (Chief Field Engineer and Associate Director, HMP / SFU) and the remainig two on his team, Vik Kumar (SFU), Isaiah Mandryk (UBC). If all goes well, all will board the Hercules C-130 and overnight in Vancouver before flying to Moffett Field on the 17.
The seven who have just arrived are showering, eating and resting. We will get a group photo once they're feeling refreshed!
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| Kira Lorber (Mars Institute, HMP Logistics Manager) and Hercules C-130 Copyright 2010 Mars Institute |
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| Copyright 2010 Mars Institute |
There are still 13 HMP participants at the Research Station on Devon Island including Pascal, John Schutt (camp manager), Jesse Weaver and his assistant, Travis Oaks (technicians), Jeff Fagen (camp chef), Ben Audlaluk, Terry Pijaimini and his sister, Saalia Pijaimini (all 3 from Grise Fiord), Dr Stephen Braham (Chief Field Engineer and Associate Director, HMP / SFU) and his team of 3, Isaiah Mandryk (UBC), Parna Niksirat and Vik Kumar (both of SFU). Steve and his crew are taking down and packing the communications gear while the rest pack up the camp for the Winter. Also at camp is Alex Whitworth, the first person to sail around the world by including the Northwest Passage. We are glad that Alex has made it this year since he did not manage to last year.
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| Copyright 2010 Mars Institute |
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| Copyright 2010 Mars Institute |
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| (LtoR): Parna Niksirat (SFU), Dr Stephen Braham (Chief Field Engineer and Associate Director, HMP / SFU), Isaiah Mandryk (UBC), Vik Kumar (SFU) Copyright 2010 Mars Institute |
The NASA K-10, Landing Site Survey (LSS), and Opportunistic Science activities have utilized SFU's next-generation PlanetNet suite of technologies and architectures for their core communications support. In particular, data communications solutions in the field have reached the point where multiple 3D and HD video streams can be communicated across regional distances in future activities.
SFU has been working on a new project, called the GIGASOC, in which new technologies will be developed and supported to allow for the use of Gigabit per second (Gbps) trans-solar system communication technologies, for maximum exploration effect. This is a new game changing capability and requirement for future advanced human and robotic missions. There are several components to this work, some of which have taken place at HMP this season, other planned for future seasons, and other planned for other projects and locations.
Collaborating with CRC, CSA, and Telesat, high-speed satellite communications have been provided and tested. These technologies are critical for finding a future way to use HMP for next-generation analog mission and field technology R&D work, in which high speed communications and computing will be central and required.
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| Dr Stephen Braham (Chief Field Engineer and Associate Director, HMP / SFU) Copyright 2010 Mars Institute |
A very exciting development has been the initiation of the Remote Advanced Destination Systems Operations Centre (RADSOC) at HMPRS. This is an SFU-managed and designed Mars Institute facility at HMPRS designed for support of game changing ICT technologies. It will support local mission operation appropriate to Gigabit spaceflight, moving analog mission operations into the 21st Century, including the development of new Cloud-based computing and communication approaches. This year, the core RADSOC 10 Gbps optical network has been established and core architecture elements deployed and tested, expanding on the existing HMPRS 1 Gbps optical core network. This is a unique capability in Arctic exploration and in analog facilities. This new facility will define future analogs in other locations in the US and elsewhere, preparing mankind for the application of game changing, high-risk, bleeding-edge commercially, privately, and academically developed technologies to 21st space exploration.
This is just the start. Keep tuned in future years for our next steps!
[Dr Steve Braham is the Director of the PolyLAB for Advanced Collaborative Networking, a unit of the Telematics Research Laboratory, Simon Fraser University and Chief Field Engineer and Associate Director of HMP]
Jeff Fagan, the camp chef for this HMP field season talks about his role at camp.
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Copyright 2010 Mars Institute
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
HMP safety officer for this HMP field season, Vicky Glass, is a fire captain in Atlanta, GA. She talks about her role at the HMP camp.
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Copyright 2010 Mars Institute
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
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| photo credit: NASA/Mars Institute/Haughton-Mars Project |
Dr Steve Hoffman (Mission Designer, NASA Johnson Space Center) talks about his research at the Haughton-Mars Project this field season on planetary surface exploration.
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Credit: NASA/Mars Institute/Haughton-Mars Project
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
Valerie Meyers, Ph.D., talks about her Immune Suppression Study this field season with the Haughton-Mars Project.
See Accompanying Science Report
Dr. Meyers received a B.A. in chemistry from Texas A&M University in 2000 and a Ph.D. in pathology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2004. She is certified in general toxicology by the American Board of Toxicology. After working briefly as a scientific writer, she joined the toxicology group at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality where she developed effects screening levels (ESLs) for air monitoring and industrial air permitting, performed risk assessments, and communicated risk to the public, industry representatives, advocacy groups, and government officials. Since 2008, she has been a scientist with Wyle’s Integrated Science and Engineering Group supporting NASA’s toxicology office at the Johnson Space Center. In this position, Dr. Meyers performs toxicity hazard assessments of spacecraft payload and system chemicals and develops interim spacecraft maximum allowable concentrations (SMACs) to protect astronauts from toxic exposures. Currently, she is conducting and participating in a five-week study on immune suppression on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. The field work consists primarily of collecting saliva samples as part of the viral reactivation project being conducted by NASA’s microbiology group and analyzing specific markers on the surface of T cells.
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Dr. Valerie Meyers
Scientist, Toxicology
Wyle, Integrated Science and Engineering Group
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Credit: NASA/Mars Institute/Haughton-Mars Project
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
Elaine Walker (E/PO, Mars Institute) interviews Ron Sidgreaves and Todd Glazier (both of Hamilton Sundstrand) on their concept suitports. She and Jeff Fagen (camp chef) from Vanouver don the suits and go on a short "space walk".
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Copyright 2010 Mars Institute
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
The CRUX drill team: Dr Brian Glass (Senior Scientist, Drilling Automation, NASA Ames), Mateusz Szczesiak (Honeybee Robotics), Shannon Statham (Georgia Tech, Ph.D. student) and Dr Sarah Thompson (NASA Ames) talk about the CRUX (Construction and Resource Utilization Explorer Drill) at their site in the Haughton Impact Structure.
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Credit: NASA/Mars Institute/Haughton-Mars Project
July HMP 2010 archives | August HMP 2010 archives
