Overview:

The Little Engine That Could: We refueled the replacement generator at 1:30 this morning and let it run to see how long it could go on one tank. We expected to lose power at 9:30, but the engine lasted until almost 11. Refuelling was uneventful and the engine did not consume excessive oil. We refueled again at 7pm, and took advantage of the power down to change the oil the 24 hour mark. At this time we discovered the layout of the oil required a long low pan for draining the oil as the existing pan would not fit because of a metal brace on the new engine. We used a lid, changed the oil, and restarted the generator. The generator ran smoothly and we topped it off at 12am for a total of 10 gallons expended during the day.

GEMs, Holes and the Antifloor: We spent much of the midmorning doing minor cleanup and inventory for the incoming crew, then turned our attention to the substantial "punch list" of engineering issues to resolve. To improve the station's grounding, we filled in the two remaining gaps in the grounding ring with GEM powder.

The grounding ring is a thick twisted copper cable buried in the analog Mars surface in a loop around the Hab about a meter beyond the Hab's outer perimeter. This ring's grounding capabilites were enhanced by a thin layer of GEM (ground enhancing material), a fine, conducting carbon powder; however, this GEM layer was not complete because of two service trenches dug to support other remaining punch list items. Near the GreenHab, we filled in dirt up to the level of the grounding cable, laid down about a half bag of GEM powder, and filled in the just enough dirt to protect the GEM. Near the front entrance, however, where the long trench to the new Engineering area begins, we had to dig down a foot through a temporary earthen walking bridge to lay the GEM. After this was laid, we re-graded the earthen bridge to allow analog Marsnauts to walk without tripping in the service trench (which, we have dubbed alternately "the Grand Canal" and "Valles Marinaris").

We also filled in two trenches underneath the hab using rakes, entrenching tools and our hands. Because of the properties of the analog Mars surface here, we could not fill in the Grand Canal, which had enough water to turn a filled-in surface boggy. However, we were able to fill in the dry trenches underneath the Hab to a depth of about 18 inches, protecting these pipes from freezing. Tomorrow we plan to return and insulate some of the pipes coming out of these trenches, having left pits where the pipes enter the trenches so that they can be insulated all the way into the ground and then buried up to level. Note that work under the Hab is difficult; tarps, knee pads, and especially hard hats are definitely recommended --- as Adam put it, the "anti-floor" (underside of the floor above, in the same way that a roof is an anti-ceiling) is sufficiently low that he needed a hard hat in the first thirty seconds. Of course, Adam is also 6 foot 5, but even I (5 foot 9) banged my head crawling around under there.

We also did work in the GreenHab, sealed the join of an airflow conduit protecting an overflow pipe and covering two holes in the GreenHab floor that allowed cold air to come in. We did not seal a third hole and plan to consult with Paul Graham, the refit supervisor, to make sure that the job was done correctly.

Finally, we engaged in cleanup, moving earthmoving tools and water-sensitive materials inside the GreenHab storage area and evacuating useful and useless items out to the Engineering Storage and Antarctica areas respectively. "Antarctica" is so named for the junkpiles of scavengable parts that build up next to Antarctic bases --- since you can't run to Home Depot for additional supplies in Antarctica (or Mars), it is important not to throw any major component away, but instead to store it so that it can be scavenged for parts later.

Conducting rounds was uneventful. Consumables still have barely changed because of the nature of our work today --- only two crewmen were active as the third was ill, and no showers were taken. The GreenHab still has not dropped significantly, though AQ5 was still low and sickly. Adam reiterated his desire that the hose clamp fittings and electrical wiring of the new two-stage pump on the exterior potable water tank be examined and refitted or replaced.

Lessons Learned & Recommendations:

Generator System:
New generators are nice, but have a backup generator on site
Make sure you have tools to drain oil
Gasoline is flammable - WAIT after turning off, fueling, restarting

Hab Crawlspace:
Hardhats, gloves, kneepads and tarps recommended

Inspection, Consumption & Activity Data:

Generator System:
Replacement Unit: Generator lasted from 1:30am to 10:30am on one tank of gas
Fuel: 1:30am, 10:30am, 7:30pm, 12:00am
Gas: 10.0 gallons (37.9 liters)
Refuelling time: 8+ hours
Refuelling scheduled for 9am
Oil Added: 0.79 quarts (0.75 liters)
Oil change scheduled for Tuesday
Yanmar Unit: Being repaired in Salt Lake City. Not anticipated to be delivered in this crew rotation

Fuel Status - Diesel Tank:
Capacity: 450 gal (1703 liters)
Reading: 62.5% (midway between 3/4 and 1/2)
Remaining: 281.3 gal (1064.6 Liters)
Consumed = 18.5 gal (69.8 liters)
Comments: Not being used now

Fuel Status - Propane Tank
Capacity: 1000 gal (3785 liters)
Reading: Approximately 70.5%
Remaining: 705.0 gal (2668.7 Liters)
Consumed: 0.0 gal (0.0 Liters)
Comments: Some propane was used but no tank reading change seen

Fuel Status - Gasoline:
Quantity: 10.0 gal (37.9 Liters)
Consumed: 10.0 gal (37.9 Liters)
Comments: Using gasoline backup generator. No ATV usage today

Fuel Status - Oil:
Quantity: 21.42 quarts (20.27 Liters)
Consumed: 0.79 quarts (0.75 Liters)

Water as of 10:30pm MST:
Outside Potable Water Tank:
Capacity: 300 gallons?
Reading: 50.0%
Quantity: 150 gallons (567.8 Liters) remaining
Consumed: 15 gallons (56.8 Liters)
Inside Tank:
Capacity: 60 gallons (227.1 Liters)
Reading: 55.0 gallons (208.2 liters)
Previous: 55.0 gallons (208.2 liters)
Water Pumped: 15 gal (56.8 Liters)
Comments: Usage was low because of sick crewmember and nature of work
Estimated Usage: 15.0 gal (56.8 Liters)
Showers: 0 in the past 24 hours.
GreenHab Direct Feed: 0 gallons (0 liters)

GreenHab System:
Settling tank: not inspected
Holding tank: not inspected
Trickle filters: running
AQ1: filled
AQ2: filled
AQ3: less foamy
AQ4: filled
AQ5: lower, some apparent new algal growth
Toilet supply tank: 50%
Comments: Toilet is now being supplied with water. Turned off lights to reduce power consumption

HVAC: Nothing new to report

Plumbing: Nothing new to report

Electrical: Nothing new to report

Transport - Big Blue Truck: Nothing new to report

Transport - ATVs: Nothing new to report

Mars Suits: Nothing new to report

Computers/Networking Infrastructure: Nothing new to report

Data Logger: Nothing new to report.

Miscellaneous/Other:

Improved grounding of grounding ring using GEM powder

Filled in walking trenches

Filled in under-the-Hab trenches where dry

Sealed air pipe around GreenHab overflow pipe

Sealed holes in GreenHab

Cleaned up site