Class IV Laser Report
Kristine Ferrone

The Class IV Laser research protocol has been completed at the FMARS hab. Laser treatment was administered to each EV crew member (both in sim and out of sim crew) pre- and post- EVAs 5 to 16. This laser treatment consisted of 2 min on the lower back and 1 min on each shoulder. In addition to the laser treatment protocol, Apley Scratch Test and Sit and Reach measurements were taken periodically to test the range of motion and flexibility of various joints throughout the mission. The protocol has been quite effective; following EVA, the EV crew members feel almost no soreness in the treated muscles with few exceptions.

To date, Kristine and Christy combined have administered 202 treatments across all 6 crewmembers. The laser will continue to be available out of sim as needed as it has been all mission. The crew have taken advantage of this treatment whenever possible.

In addition to the research protocol, the laser has been used to treat lingering pain in a finger, shoulder, wrist, elbow and knees of various crew members from previous injuries. The effects have been varied but positive in all but one case. Injuries sustained during the mission were also treated including a small finger laceration, a small cut on the ankle, and a blood blister. These injuries responded positively to the treatment and healing appeared to accelerate following treatment. A flu-like illness was also treated with an immunity boost protocol suggested by the consulting doctor on the experiment. The crew member did feel noticeably better the following day, but effect of the laser in treating the illness was most likely masked by concurrent usage of antibiotics. In almost all cases, the crewmembers have experienced immediate and/or delayed onset relief of symptoms.

The noticeable, positive effects from laser treatment continue help the crew’s recovery from physical exertion during the mission. An added benefit is that the treatment itself is very relaxing. Crewmembers continue to request additional treatment and are cooperative when working to customize the treatment for the greatest benefits.

Today concluded the seismic experiment. Unfortunately, I was never able to get the Ethernet radio link to the station working, so we couldn’t monitor the data in real time. When Christy and I went to retrieve the instrument on EVA #15, we found the station to be operating very well. Even on such a cloudy day the solar panel was charging the battery at 16 volts. I shut down the station, and we proceeded to package everything to bring it back to the Hab. When we uncovered the seismometer in the hole, we found over an inch of standing water. That’s never good news around electronic equipment, but the robust little Trillium Compact was no worse for the wear.

I cleaned the mud and dirt off the equipment when I got back to FMARS and then downloaded the data from the Taurus to my computer using the Nanometrics Apollo Project software. Over the twelve days it was at Marine Rock, the station recorded about about 340 MB of seismic data, and it had previously recorded about 158 MB from the 6 days it was deployed at the temporary site on Haynes Ridge near the Hab. All 18 days of data show the same large spike at hourly intervals, rendering cursory interpretation of the records nearly impossible.

I didn’t see these spikes when I was operating the station in my office before the expedition, so either there is some kind of local RF interference causing the signal, or the equipment was somehow damaged in transit. Since I hand-carried it the whole way here, I strongly doubt the latter explanation, so to test whether RF is the culprit, I’ll try to set up the station in Resolute Bay for about a day to see how the data looks.

Despite the data quality and Ethernet radio problems, I count the seismic experiment as a big success since Christy and I were able to deploy and retrieve the equipment wearing space suits. Astronauts will likely have similar types of seismic systems to deploy on other worlds, and this work shows it is feasible.