Log entry Sol 987
I've been working on my list of things that could go wrong. So far, I have the obvious and some not-so-obvious:
Hab decompression, I could live in the MDV or maybe it's time to finally take a few of the pop tents and turn them into a larger tent, more of a mini Hab. I guess I can't use all four… but why not? I thought I couldn't in case I had to rescue someone or several people from the Ares IV crew, but they have their own pop tents. Hmmm… It's time to do some planning. I know the fewer seal lines the better, but how large of a tent could I make from the flooring and canvas of the four pop tents that I have? I should be able to make it large enough to stand in and maybe large enough to move around a bit. I don't think I can make it self-standing. I think it would still have to attach to the rover airlock but at least I wouldn't have to only be in the rover or MDV. I might also be able to use the canvas from the pop tents to repair a hole in the Hab depending on its size so I suppose I shouldn't take them apart just yet. The nannies at NASA are going to wet their pants when I tell them I'm thinking about it. Guaranteed, someone will make a version back on Earth. That's really not a bad thing. It is good to have someone else double-check my ideas and test them. I shouldn't get so testy when they question me. It's not like they can truly imagine what it's like to live here. Anyway, back to my list.
High-velocity wind storm that tips the MDV, though I have added guy wires so I'm not as worried about that. Honestly, if a storm like that came along, my biggest concern would be the Hab, not the MDV. Side note: yes it's guy wires not guide wires, which is what I always thought it was. Then I thought it was guy because guys made them. Hey, I was like ten when I found out the correct word, give me a break. Apparently, it came down from the Dutch. The shipbuilders would support the mast or mainsail with "gei" wires to prevent movement. We got the term from them but just spelled it differently.
The water reclaimer, atmospheric regulator, or oxygenator could fail. I brought the ones from my old Hab at Acidalia Planitia so I have backups.
Solar flare - I don't remember the rating on the Hab canvas when it comes to the radiation of solar flares. ISS 2 and Hermes were built with new shielding to protect the astronaut inhabitants. The original ISS wasn't the same. If a solar flare was headed in its direction the astronauts had to suit up and head into their spacecraft be it the Soyuz, space shuttle when it was still in service, or the Dragon capsule. I will definitely be asking about this.
Another massive dust storm could hit that could cause me to lose power and force me back in the rover for a major overland trip. This is honestly not the worst scenario, other than the weeks on end in the rover thing. There is still an MDV at both Ares II and III sites, and if I ended up at Schiaparelli, then I'd just help the crew modify their MAV to fit me too. I know how to make the trip. I know what to take. I have plenty of food. I guess I need to ask Mars meteorology how often there is a "nearly planet-covering" dust storm.
One of those freak wind/sand storms could hit Schiaparelli and knock over their MAV before they get here and they won't be able to land. I should still be able to take off in the MDV as long as I have the tanks filled and the weight down, but will NASA even want to send a crew just to pick me up? If a storm were to happen before they launch that is. If they're already en route on Hermes they'll keep coming, of that I have no doubt. If it happened pre-launch maybe they'd still send Hermes and a skeleton crew with a pilot that could launch me. I can't see them taking away the Ares IV mission. I know that crew would still come to get me, but would they get a chance to fly their own mission again?
Multiples of these things could go wrong at once or consecutively and not allow me time to get them all fixed.
Hermes could have issues en route and not be able to enter orbit. Can the MDV make it to Hermes if it doesn't? Is there enough fuel? How far down would I have to strip the MDV to make it light enough?
One of the Ares IV crew could get sick or injured and not be able to launch. I know they all have backups from the Ares V crew but that's still something that could go wrong. They did ask me to think of anything and not just things that apply to me after all. They can only push back the launch so far. I know it is scheduled for early in the Hohman Transfer Window to allow for delays so maybe it's not a huge issue.
Back to Mars. One of those nearly planet-wide dust storms could cover all four landing sites and I'd have to go somewhere else entirely to escape it and maintain power. All the more reason to build my extra large pot tent if I'd have to live in it remotely somewhere. Wait, I just typed pot tent, not pop tent. I meant pop tent. I'm actually laughing so hard I had to stop typing for a minute. I can just imagine someone back on Earth reading this list and thinking I'd snuck marijuana to Mars. No, I do not have pot here, though I wonder if that would help my back pain. Ok, no, I'm not seriously wondering that. Back on topic. Why oh why do our rovers not have two airlocks? Why is THAT where we skipped the redundancy? I know a second airlock would also have meant an additional possible failure point, but if I had a second airlock I wouldn't have to collapse the pop tent to get out of the rover. I wonder if it's possible to take one of the Hab airlocks along and attach it to the enlarged pop tent so I don't have to use the rover airlock, to allow it to be self-standing. This is one of the worst-case scenarios. If I have to go someplace that isn't one of the current NASA sites I wouldn't have communication. Hell, I wouldn't have communication if I went back to Acidalia Planitia unless I find a way to repair Pathfinder. I guess I should get some advice on that. It's always a good idea to have backup comms. Why didn't I think of that before now?
That's it for now. I know I haven't come up with everything, but I've been thinking about this for days. Every time a new idea comes to me I stop what I'm doing and write it down. I'll probably keep thinking up possibilities, but for now, I'm going to go and try to concentrate on something else, like scanning the HAB canvas again.
Log entry Sol 988
Still thinking and I've come up with another idea, which will probably lead to another and maybe one more after that. It always seems to work that way.
Someone from the Ares IV crew could get sick while on Hermes and not be able to land. I know, I know they are essentially quarantined on the way here so they shouldn't get sick but they said to consider the ridiculous so… I suppose this isn't as big a deal. I know the doctor's quarters has medicine for any number of illnesses. Ok, enough about this possibility.
What if the MDV won't launch? That's a huge one. I know it powers up. I've turned it on. That doesn't mean it will launch though. It's been sitting here for a decade in the wind and sand. Yes, it was built to be as airtight as possible, but really after a decade, if some dust hasn't worked its way into the interior, and into the working parts, that would be shocking. Who knows what could go wrong? And there's no way of knowing until we try. There's only so much I can do by running diagnostics on the systems. Oh, I'll do all of them I can, every one that NASA and JPL can come up with. The best solution might be for Taylor to launch me in the MDV to Hermes before the Ares IV crew comes down to Schiaparelli. If we wait until their mission is done and they're back in orbit it's too late. If I go up first I can hang out on Hermes until they come back. If the Ares I MDV won't launch, they're going to have to come get me and do the overland flying with their MDV. The bonus to my being on Hermes, while they're on the surface, is it will give me time to settle in without being watched. It also means someone will be there to watch over the systems actively. We astronauts trust mission control, but when there's a large communication time gap we've always worried about something going wrong on Hermes and no one being there to take care of it before it becomes a major issue.
No more ideas are coming to me, I guess it's finally time to send this list to Mindy and wait for a response.
"Holy shit," Mindy muttered and sat back in her chair while she continued to stare at the computer screen and Mark's email. "Why didn't we think of that?"
She tapped her fingers on her desk for a moment before rolling the chair closer and pulling up a fresh document. Keys clicked rapidly as she typed and printed the document, composed and sent an email, and then composed and sent a second email. She rose, grabbed the copies from the printer, and rushed down the hall into a conference room.
Within ten minutes, every chair at the large table was full and the room was buzzing with speculation.
Mindy stood and raised a hand, the room quickly grew quiet. "I know we rarely deal with paper copies of anything anymore, but I also know there are some of us who still prefer to process new information that way. You can look at the screen here," she said gesturing to the interactive screen on the wall, "or you can grab one of these pages as I pass them around. Either way, please read and be prepared to discuss."
"How did we miss this?" Beth wanted to know.
"We all just assumed the MDV would launch because it powered up," Melissa replied.
"Still with all of us thinking about it," Rick commented, "none of us thought of that, but Watney did. We're never going to hear the end of it."
"No, we're not," Beck said, "but I think we have to do it like he says. I think we have to do it exactly as he's suggesting. We should have everything ready to go. He should modify and load the MDV. Once Hermes enters orbit, Taylor can attempt the launch. If it works, great. If not you can do the overland MAV trip or he can hop in the rover and meet you at Schiaparelli before you launch back to orbit."
"I don't like the idea of him making the trip in the rover," Venkat put in. "Do we even know if he can realistically make it in the time provided by an extended mission?"
"Comparing the time it took him to get from Acidalia Planitia to Valles Marineris and then the distance from VM to Schiaparelli, he should be able to make it with time to spare," Pat Aarends, the Ares IV mechanical engineer, informed the group. "That is if everything goes optimally though. If anything goes wrong and he is delayed, then I don't know."
"In other words, we need to make sure we do everything possible to make sure the MDV can launch or that we can fly the overland mission," Alannah said. "Taylor and I will get in as much time as we can with the simulator."
"I don't want you to stress yourselves or miss out on any of the surface mission training you need," Venkat said.
"If I may," Jack Harrison raised his hand a bit.
"Oh no," Martinez grumbled, "Harrison has another idea."
"Rick, don't be an ass," Beth said with an eye roll.
"Shouldn't we do a risk analysis of using the Ares I MDV to launch? Isn't there a better option? Does it really just come down to risking one person versus risking six?" Jack asked.
"There is no other option," Venkat replied.
Alex Vogel sat forward in his seat. "What about the Ares V MAV?"
A dozen heads turned to look at him.
"Couldn't Taylor remotely land the MAV at Valles Marineris instead of at Utopia Planitia? Mark can fill the tanks from the fuel plant. Then she could remotely launch it to Hermes. That could be done at the beginning or the end of the Ares IV mission. NASA could always send a new MAV to for Ares V just like they sent one for Ares I and program it to land as we have all of the lunar rovers," Vogel explained further.
"Damn," Martinez muttered, "that would work."
"It would," Taylor confirmed. "I can do that."
"We'd have to get funding for a new MAV though," Venkat said. "I think we can do that. We weren't planning on another short mission after V. The plan was to move to colonies at that point, but there has been a push to turn Ares V into the first colony mission. Either way, I have to go back to Congress for funding again anyway, so if that's what works best to rescue Mark and keep you all safe, then I approve the switch."
"The switch would also mean Mark could move into the MDV if necessary," Jack noted. "He won't have to do any work to lighten it."
"Which leads to fewer possible failure points as well," Mindy agreed with a nod. "Well then, we're decided. So long as Melody also approves, we will land the MAV at Valles Marineris, and give Mark time to fill the tanks, load samples, and strap in."
"All before we take our MDV down to Schiaparelli?" Taylor asked. "I just want to clarify."
"I think that's the best plan," Mindy replied.
Venkat nodded. "I agree. He can meet you all, and Marianne can do a quick examination and have a discussion with him. He can monitor all of the systems in real-time and settle in."
"How is that going to work," Rick asked. "Aren't there only six rooms on Hermes?"
"The rehab crew has done the work to turn the smallest lab into a bunk room," Venkat explained. "We thought we'd let Mark have the option of that one on the advice of Dr. Shields, so he can gradually resocialize. However, if he'd like the room he used on the way to Mars, Alannah gets the new room. We will ask him before your launch date so that when you board Hermes you know where to go."
Alannah nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. Taylor and I will schedule our simulator time and make sure we both can remotely land and launch the MAV, just to cover our bases."
"Then we're done here. Thank you all for coming in," Mindy said. "I'll send Mark an email and fill him in."
Log entry Sol 988 (2)
I love when NASA takes my ideas and uses them. It feels good. I know they trust me; they chose me as an astronaut, trained me, and sent me here after all. Then again, they have questioned several of the things I've done since I've been stuck on this damned planet. Every time I have to take apart the water reclaimer to clean it, you'd think it's the end of the world. I have two of them questioning me for crying out loud. I have a backup, not to mention I've done the whole procedure multiple times now. Anyway, they didn't exactly use my plan, other than my launching before they land and spending the month on Hermes. I wish I'd thought of using the Ares V MAV. That was a genius move. Now, I just have to decide where I want to sleep on Hermes. That's something I'm going to have to think about.
I do like the idea of my quarters being away from the crew as I'm worried about acclimating to living with people again. I know I've got some strange tendencies, and that was before I was left alone on a deserted planet… You're laughing at that, right? At least a chuckle? Come on, these are the jokes, people. Anyway, I'm sure I have new odd tendencies now. I don't want to drive my new crewmates crazy. We have to live together in a relatively small space for nearly a year to get home. If I'm alone by the labs it means I will only see them in the mess, the labs during work hours, or the rec room.
Then again if I have that space with no one around, will I isolate myself? I want to be around people, at least I think I do. What will happen when I get up there surrounded by six others? Surrounded? Yeah, that was hyperbole, but it's going to feel that way. I don't know.
Honestly, if the room is bigger it should go to Alannah. The commander should have the largest room on the ship. If she took it, then I could use the same room I used on the way here. It might be more comfortable, like being at home. Then again, it might lead to nightmares or make me miss my own crew more. Ugh, I guess I should probably talk through this with Dr. Shields. Well, "talk" through it as much as I can via email. In the meantime, I'm going to… I don't know anything but worry about this I guess. They don't need my answer for months yet anyway.
"Melissa do you have a minute?"
"For you Alannah, several," Lewis replied and gestured for the Ares IV commander to take a seat in the nearest chair. "What can I do for you?"
"My crew has been talking about ways to help Mark feel more at home, more a part of the crew, more useful even. Venkat and Mindy have arranged for the hydroponics equipment to be set up. The food manager is making sure that Mark's favorite space foods will be packed and on board," Alannah told the other woman.
"All good ideas, I'm guessing you want more."
The Ares IV commander shrugged. "We wouldn't mind, but we did come up with one that I thought you and your crew could help us with."
"Sure," Melissa nodded, "what?"
"We want to set Mark's room up for him, not his clothing or anything. We'll leave that in crates for him to unpack as he wants, but we were thinking about anything else he had in his bunk on Hermes. It won't matter which room he chooses, but we'd like to have it decorated for him with pictures of you all and his parents, anything else he may want. We thought about just putting up everything he had in the bunk for your mission. We weren't sure if we could get all of it again. Does anyone even know what happened to all of it? Did it go to Tim and Grace?"
"Yes, but now what they did with it I couldn't tell you," Lewis replied. "I can ask, however, or we can have Mindy do it when she gets home. I'm sure they'll find whatever they can and get it to you. It's a wonderful idea."