[Note added by Mission Support: the Martian Squeeze referred to in this report is an area south of the Hab on the Lowell Highway where the road passes through a small gap in a large sandstone ridge know as Robert's Rock Garden. Concretions, desert varnish, lichen, and endoliths are plentiful here.]

EVA Duration:
The EVA last 1 hour and 45 minutes

Crew:
Amber Church
Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto
Debra Weiner
Stacy Sklar provided HABCOM services.

EVA Goals:
To ground truth fluvial features and regolith type observed in the Red Flyer ARV aerial photographs.

EVA Description:

We exited the airlock at 15:15 MST. Due to the lack of working ATV's we drove to the site in the PEV. We parked near to the Martian Squeeze and walked over to the site where the Red Flyer images were taken.

We began our traverse on the western edge of the area that is visible in the ARV aerial photograph. We worked our way across the site area, sampling each new regolith type encountered and sampling fine material from the beds of the fluvial channels. We took many photographs of the site and of any interesting geologic features we observed (please see the geology report for more detail).

After completing our traverse we explored some nearby rock gardens and the area around Martian Squeeze. There we found ice, which we also sampled.

We then returned to the Hab, via the PEV, and re-entered the airlock at 17:00 MST.

This being our first full EVA in sim, team members noted during our de-briefing with the rest of our crew how the experience had made us feel. Veronica found it was just like hiking and that the suit didn't faze her at all, although her pack straps shifting did provide some annoyance. Amber also found it a relatively easy transition, at least until the air pumping to her helmet shut off (a note to beware of backpack two until we have a chance to repair it). That combined with her cold did make breathing a little less comfortable than she would have liked. And Debra noted how quiet it was and how in her own little world she felt. She wondered if on a real Mars mission this sensation would translate to a crew growing more quiet and self-absorbed over time.

We would also like to note that HABCOM tried to contact us every 15 minutes and did not reach us once. We have therefore concluded that communication via radio with the Hab is only possible if EVA's take place in the area immediately surrounding the Hab.

Way Points:

We took a general site way point. Its NAD 27 coordinates are: 518536, 4249607

Samples:

Five regolith samples and three samples from fluvial channels were taken. An ice sample from the Martian Squeeze area was also collected.

Lessons Learned:

• The rock hammer makes an excellent tool to close the door of the PEV.
• What seems soft is not soft, what seems hard is not hard.
• Schedule more for next time, since we finished much earlier than expected.