F.L.A.M.E.

The F.L.A.M.E. Crew, Crew 46, who took up residence at The Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station were shown in The Washington Times' Photo Gallery Section. You can find photos of the Crew's mission at the following URL:

http://washingtontimes.com/photogallery/Galleries/MarsToned/

Cheers!

v.A. Zabala-Aliberto, CDR
F.L.A.M.E.

Manned mission to 'Mars'
By Tom Ramstack
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
April 23, 2006


Another Mars probe from NASA was settling into orbit last month around the Red Planet, 132 million miles away. Back on Earth, at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, the crew had a problem.
"It's the best we can do," Veronica Zabala-Aliberto told her 11-year-old daughter, Madeline.
A concoction of corned beef hash and cabbage cooked under approximated Martian conditions on a solar-powered stove would have to pass for Irish stew. There would be no potatoes.
Their simulated space station in the Utah desert looks like a two-story tin can. It is an effort to drum up popular support for a manned mission to Earth's nearest planetary neighbor.


Read the full story here:

http://www.washtimes.com/specialreport/20060423-123038-3483r.htm

It was very exciting and a true pleasure to be a part of Crew 46 at the MRDS. Learning experiences were around every corner- from assisting Menkes with the general upkeep and engineering rounds at the Hab to geology lessons on field excursions and EVA's were we visited some spectacular locations. I felt as though I was participating in a glimpse of the future as we explored red clay gullies in full simulation space suits, taking measurements and samples and trying to decipher the area's geologic history.

During the week, Veronica and Stacy have deepened my understanding, interest, and appreciation for the field of geology and I owe them much for that. On my first EVA I was picking up random rocks without having the slightest clue what I was looking at. However on our latest EVA today I was scanning the ground and collecting specific samples of concretions as well as using clues in the landscape to read the area's past. To learn so much in a week takes some excellent and patient mentors.

The atmosphere in the Hab was always warm, inviting, and filled with laughter. I'd like to thank Angelina, Madeline, and Gino for letting me be one of the kids and always putting a smile on my face.

I feel very lucky to have been given this opportunity to contribute to man's next great leap. I hope to return again soon for another rotation at MDRS.

Some people may think that living and working on another planet will be as simple as driving your car to work. Not until you have lived and worked at a Mars Analog site do you really understand what it will take for humanity to reach the stars. For example, cleaning and maintaining the habitat in which you live can be an eventful chore. While on Mars you may have to think of new ways to get your chores done. Today when I was cleaning the science lab I wanted to clean the ceiling but the ladders that were in the hab would not let me reach the ceiling. After looking around our engineering room I decided to use an old tried and true method of using a broom with a dish towel tied at the end. Now you maybe thinking to yourself, what does that have to do with Mars......Everything! Human intuition and cognative reasoning will be the key in surviving and living on Mars and while this may seen insignificant it is just one of many examples of how humans will becoming a spacefaring civilazitons!

Ad Astra!

Commander Zabala-Aliberto and Science Officer Madeline Marie Zabala generate reports to be sent to Mission Support before 1900 hrs.

The "First Family on Mars" have settled nicely into their new home at The Mars Desert Research Station to simulate what life would be like for a family of four living and working on "Mars". With the Primary F.L.A.M.E. crew is Chief Engineer Menkes van den Briel. This is his first crew rotation to an analogue station. Stacy Sklar and Tom Romberger (not shown) will be arriving at the MDRS tomorrow to complete our crew composition.

In the picture (from left to right) are: Science Officer Madeline Marie Zabala, Chief Engineer Menkes van den Briel, Commander Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto, Security Officer Gino Vincenzo Zabala, and First Officer in Training/Assistant HSO Angelina Amanda Zabala.

More transmissions from Mars to come...

CDR Zabala-Aliberto
F.L.A.M.E.

Good Afternoon to all !

I am pleased to annouce that the F.L.A.M.E. Blog is ready for public viewing and will be made available on February 19, 2006 at midnight (MST).

The Crew and I are eager to receive e-mails from everyone so remember, to e-mail one of the crew members just click on their user IDs on the top right hand corner of the Blog to reach them. Remember that it takes about 45 minutes for a message from Earth to reach Mars. The Crew will be busy with their daily activities while living and working on the surface of Mars so please allow us some time to respond to all the e-mails we receive. We will try to answer as many as we can.

Remember that you can also view our daily activities at The Mars Society's website at: www.marssociety.org/MDRS/fs05 (The F.L.A.M.E. Crew is Crew 46)

Cheers!

Veronica Ann, CDR
F.L.A.M.E.

Hello, my name is Menkes van den Briel and I am an invited crew member of the F.L.A.M.E. mission. I’m appointed to be the chief engineer on what will be my first rotation at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). Here is a little bio of myself:

Menkes van den Briel earned an MS in econometrics with a major in operations research from the University of Maastricht. He conducted research for his MS at the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory, an independent technological institute that carries out applied research on behalf of the aviation and space sectors. Currently, Menkes is a PhD candidate within the Department of Industrial Engineering at Arizona State University. He is researching techniques to improve artificial intelligence planning and hopes that his work will ultimately help automate the planning process of planetary rovers. By automating the command sequence of planetary rovers, science teams on earth can do their work much more effectively and efficiently, thus increasing their success to achieve their goals. Menkes is treasurer of the Mars Society Phoenix Chapter and volunteers for several educational outreach events in which his chapter is involved in. In his spare time Menkes enjoys exploring the outdoors of the American Southwest, running, playing board games, and conjuring.

At the MDRS I'll be doing a small evaluation study of the need and requirements for human assistant rovers. Here is a short overview of this study:

Spirit and Opportunity are excellent examples of science rovers capable of operating on the surface of Mars. Not only have these rovers explored the surface of Mars, they have undoubtedly exceeded their most optimistic expectations by sending back far more images and scientific data then initially expected. Spirit and Opportunity are very successful robotic explorers of Mars, but their designs do not provide us with sufficient research for the development of rovers that could be useful for the human exploration of Mars. The only human assistant rover that has ever been used in space is the Moon Buggy. The Moon Buggy is a lightweight lunar rover that allowed astronauts to explore the surface of the Moon more effectively. A human mission to Mars, however, is likely going to be several weeks long (i.e. longer than all human missions on the Moon combined), so it is unclear whether an unpressurized Moon Buggy rover will be useful for a long-term human mission to Mars. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the need and requirements for human assistant rovers in a Mars analog environment.

Objectives
* Evaluate the need and requirements for human assistant rovers by interviewing the MDRS crew at the end of a 7 day long Mars simulation.
* Contribute to a better understanding of how rovers can help contribute to the human exploration of Mars (i.e. by transporting astronauts, by performing certain tasks to eliminate human errors, or by performing certain tasks that are too dangerous for humans).

The official Mars Desert Research Press Kit can be found at the following URL: http://www.marssociety.org/MDRS/media/mediakit.asp

If you have any questions about the Mars Desert Research Station, or would like to know how you can become a Crew Member, please contact the CDR at: Veronica.Zabala@asu.edu

The Mars Petition - Make History and Sign It
The Mars Petition
The time has come for humanity to journey to Mars.

Humanity yearns for a challenge, one that will let us exercise the limitless potential, now dormant, that lies waiting within ourselves. The prospects facing our generation have never been greater; with world peace, unprecedented economic growth, and extraordinary technological innovation, we find ourselves at the threshold of a new millennium of opportunity. The human exploration of Mars will be our generation's crowning achievement.

We must go for the knowledge of Mars. Finding evidence of life on Mars would demonstrate that the origin of life is not unique to the Earth, and, by implication, reveal a universe that is filled with life and most likely intelligence as well. This would be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus' discoveries.

We must also go for the knowledge of Earth. Mars, the planet most like Earth, is believed to have had a wet climate and can help us understand the impact of climatic change on our home world. The knowledge we gain could be key to our survival.

We call upon the leaders of the world to commit to the immediate human exploration of Mars. It is our wish that, in the spirit of history's greatest explorers, the first humans will set foot on Mars by 2015, with the ultimate goal of developing a sustained presence. We urge our leaders to have the vision to provide for the citizens they represent a future without limits, one that matches our potential and our country's greatness, and is worthy of the dreams of our children.

Believing therefore that the exploration and settlement of Mars represent the greatest human endeavor of our time, I add my signature to the Mars Petition.

Please go to the following URL to sign the petition: http://www.marssociety.org/content/marspetition.asp

Cheers!

Veronica Ann, CDR
F.L.A.M.E.

I need the following documentation from each Crew member of F.L.A.M.E. ASAP:

Exopaleontologist: (Stacy): I need a head hot of you and your summary of your research during the F.L.A.M.E. rotation.

Chief Engineer: (Menkes): I need a headshot of you and your summery of your researh during the F.L.A.M.E. rotation.

Human Factors: (Laura): You're good!

HSO: (Angelina): You're good !

Security Officer: (Gino): You're good !

Science Officer: (Madeline): You're good!

Back-Up Crew: (Jim): I need a headshot of you and a summary of your research during the F.L.A.M.E. rotation. (Please be advised that you will need to review all materials that current Crew Members review on the following URL: www.marssociety.org/MDRS/fs05)

Thank you in advance. As soon as I get your documentation, I can finish the Press Kit. Deadline was last Friday.

Cheers!

Veronica Ann*