EVA-2 Report
Lindsay Turner Reporting

EVA Duration:
The EVA lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Crew:
Stacy Sklar
Lindsay Turner
Kelly Cole
Debra Weiner provided HABCOM services.
Shannon Rupert acted as EVA prep.

EVA Goals:

To determine the efficiency and effectiveness of photo- documentation in revisiting significant field sites and repeating past data collection methods.

EVA Description:

Leaving the Hab at 1443, we set out for the site in the PEV, stuffing Lindsay in the back given the space available. We drove past Martian Squeeze and parked the vehicle in basically the same place as yesterday's EVA. However, we headed in the opposite direction to a site scouted earlier in the year.

After walking into the middle of the basin (the site has a ridge on one side and stream bed on the other) Kelly took a panorama of the area, snapping a photo every thirty degrees. The GPS coordinates of the pan location are 12E518360 4249139N.

Using the GPS coordinates from the previous scouting (named Endo Site 1), Lindsay and Kelly followed the GPS units until finding the objective site, which ended on the top of a hill to the NE of the original panorama view. The coordinates of the Endo Site 1 are 12E518122 4249365N. After collecting a large rock sample of the endoliths and recording photos, the screw moved NE along the top of the ridge connected to the hill to a rock formation. While walking along this ridge and communicating to each other with the radio, Habcom was picked up to the great surprise of the crew. Attempting to communicate, nothing was clearly transmitted in either direction, resulting in a bit of a panic back at the Hab. Fortunately nothing overly drastic happened, and the miscommunication was corrected. It ends up that the location at the top of the ridge was able to pick up the high frequency of the radio, even though no communication was available on the road.

The crew then moved onto the rock formation and Stacy took several photos for record and one rock sample. This ended the search for endoliths within the basal conglomerate and then began the search for desert varnish.

Walking across the basin to the stream bed, it was observed that the rocks lining one side of the bed resembled that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. A note was taken as to its location for further study. Also in the bed, desert varnish was found in ready supply.

Soon after, Stacy, Lindsay, and Kelly headed back for the Hab - returning at 1630.

Way Points:

The most central point is the pan site, whose coordinates are listed above.

Samples:

Two endolith samples were collected. The majority of the science done consisted of photographs, and many many of these were "collected."

Lessons Learned:

1. The law of distribution - Higher (radio frequency) + Higher (altitude) = Higher (hab stress)
2. The back of the PEV is actually rather comfortable.
3. GPS coordinates must be used along with regular observation skills.They cannot be practically used alone to reach a site (especially if the site is on the top of a mountain).
4. Rock formations are a lot like cloud formations – an imagination is key.
5. It is more efficient to use a standardized methodology to repeat past field experiments.

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EVA-3 Report
Veronica Ann Zabala-Aliberto & Kelly Cole Reporting

Kelly Cole and myself were the second EVA for today. I have noticed that I am not affected by the MDRS EVA suits possibly because I am use to hiking on a regular basis. I also feel that I may be a little decentized by the suits for I was on the Spacesuit Task Force a number of years ago and I have been keeping track of the evolution of the modifications done on the suits. We traverse fairly close to the Hab (known as a pedestrian walk) next to the Musk Observatory, which practically sits on top of some beautiful Dakota sandstone deposits, which are practically littered with a variety of concretions.

While on EVA I found it fairly easy to bend and sit down on the ground in order to observe the surface materials and collect samples. While scouting for concretions I also found endoliths within the first millimeter or two from the surface of the host rocks. After my council with Stacy Sklar, we believe that we may have enough evidence to prove her hypothesis that there is a communal relationship between the concretions, endoliths and lichen. More research will follow to constrain this hypothesis.

After the EVA, Kelly and I followed all the procedures necessary to enter the EVA room, depressurize, and quickly egress out of our EVA suits to continue our research from previous EVAs as well finish our daily tasks within the Hab.

I will have a full Geology report tomorrow (17.03.2006) on my finds from this EVA as well as tomorrow's Geology Report. Images of the finds will accompany the report as well for visual reference.

EVA Engineering Report - Kelly Cole:

I left for my second EVA of the day at 1640, to accompany Veronica in search for concretions, found directly outside the Hab, on the walkway up to the Observatory. My main duty for this EVA was to go up to the Musk Observatory and find the serial cable needed for the weather station, but before that we had to saw off the excess piping extending from the outside of the bathroom. This task easily resolved, the fun began!

Upon entering the Musk Observatory I found it to be in a general state of "attic-ness," if I may use the word. Random boxes are strewn across the floor, and a large tarpy-blob (containing a computer) is off to one side. I discovered the box with the necessary serial cables almost immediately, along-side a very cool solar panel and brand-new battery charger. Of course, after concluding my initial objectives I took the appropriate time to worship the beautiful 14-inch CGE1400 telescope, which, unfortunately, is not functioning.

I took the box of cables belonging to the weather station, the solar panel, and battery charger down to the front porch of the Hab and proceeded to help Veronica with her science objectives. I "picked blueberries," as I am told the saying goes, until she finished gathering her own samples. It was interesting to observe the pseudo-conflict between conserving the natural state of the hill with collecting the necessary samples. As Veronica said, there are so many concretions that the "1 in 20" rule is easily applied due to the immense quantity of "blueberries" at the sampling site.

I have never been so involved in the science aspect of any research before, and am continuously amazed at how much information can be collected from things that seem so minute and insignificant to the untrained eye.