Task of EVA-9 was to go back to the canyon in which drilling samples had been taken and to do two more drillings on the upper rim. At 12 am Diel and Dirlich took of from the Hab on ATV. Due to the extreme temperature the night before (-15 degrees C) the ATV did not start. After some time and a lot of bad tries the Team got one and shortly later the other one to start.

Dirlich due to the still cold temperature at the beginning of the EVA had the problem that his helmet was iced over inside and sight was limited to a minimum. On taking data for waypoint two, about 300 m from the Hab the Team' s gps device broke down. There had be problems before with this tool but this was a final malfunction. Arriving on site the Team located a good spot and conducted their first drilling. A sample core of 50 cm was collected and packed in the brought along sample bags. With the experience of the last drilling EVA the system of the sample bags had been optimized. Because the bag could not be opened with EVA gloves sheets of paper had been inserted into them prior to the mission. The paper was pulled out after the sample had been put inside and the bag closed tight. After that the second drilling was tried. As the Team only managed to insert the drill 35 cm into the ground at the second selected site the sample from here was not used. At this point the high resolution digital camera of the team broke down leaving team without possibility of picture documentation.

The problem of fogging in both EVA helmets had increased due to the physical stress of the drilling process. A solution for this problem still has to be developed.

At this site Dirlich found the heart monitor Crewmember Belzer had lost on EVA a day before. At drilling site three about 20 m from the first one a good sample of again 50 cm was collected and packed. The Team decided to do no more drillings due to exhaustion and fogging that day.

It was decided to conclude the EVA with a short scouting mission in the area and finding another way back to the Hab. The Team found a trail around the canyon and up the mountain offering them a wonderful view of the surrounding grounds. A interesting mountain side with lots of scattered boulders was found and the Team decided to go back there to gather samples for the MASSE experiment the following days.

From the highest point on the drive be came quite hard and rough especially due to Dirlichs still fogged helmet. At 2.20 pm the Team reached the Hab concluding the up to now longest EVA of this mission.

The EVA Team was accompanied by a German TV team in a SCV truck. They documented the whole trip and shot wonderful imagery of the EVA in progress. At the highest point of the EVA when the Team was heading for the Hab the SCV got stuck in the sand and could not be retrieved without help. The simulation was stop and Crewmember Diel came back with equipment and helped them on the road again.

Summarizing one can say that the crew seems to handle the conditions of the mission much better then the equipment, which was lost a lot. Lucky the biggest piece of "equipment" the TV crew could be retrieved without loss.