Crew Physical Status: Everyone tired but fully ok.

Brief Narrative of Today's Results: This morning the AustroMars mission officially started at 0500 with EVA crew #1 (Frischauf, Groemer, Soucek) being deployed northerly of WPT 359. After a walk through the dawning of the day, the crew reached Repeater Hill just in time to see a magnificent sunrise behin the Hab. Following some minutes of calm and enjoying, the crew inspected the outside of the hab and then entered the main airlock for a 10min re-pressurization. After completed EVA, EVA Crew #2 was cleared to leave the descent vehicle at landing site and approach the hab, where the crew (Spiss, Kandler, Hutsteiner) arrived shortly after 10 a.m. The rest of the day was extremely busy with establishing power and communication, storing equipment, declaring Hab ground safe, etc. Various experiments started today already, including: Myograph, fluid balancing, installing of Object tracker experiment, medical routine measurements (weight, blood pressure, body fat and body water), saliva sample, skin probe sample. Even lunch and dinner were successfully prepared strictly sticking to the diat plan made by the Innsbruck General Hospital. An intensive first day on Mars comes to its end.

EVA: 2. Both EVAs were needed for officially starting the AustroMars mission in a realistic way. The entire crew landed on Mars some Kilometers off the Hab site and then approached the Hab in two groups of three. Both EVAs started close to WPT359 and led westwards towards the Hab via Repeater Hill. EVA Crew #1 (Frischauf, Grömer, Soucek) started at 0620 and ended at 0850 (including simulated airlock anomaly). EVA Crew #2 (Spiss, Kandler, Hutsteiner) started at 0915 and ended at 1015 (including real anomaly, see below). Anomaly happened with backpack #3 during EVA 2, 20min after start. Reason: The fan stopped working and therefore no air was supplied any more inside the helmet of Ch. Kandler. The EVA was continued by attaching one of the two air tubes of Backpack #2 to helmet of Kandler. Reason of anomaly is most probably insufficient charging of backpack #3, which will be validated tomorrow.

Plans for Tomorrow: See MCC-confirmed flightplan for AustroMars mission day 2 (SOL2).

Report Transmission Schedule:

• Today's engineering report will be submitted at 2050.
• The CDR report will be transmitted at 2100.

Anomalies: 2.

• EVA suit backpack #3 (see above).
• Power generator Wendy is still broken. The crew "survived" the day with Coleman occasionally working and occasionally not, making the day a rollercoaster ride of power / no power. Since dinner, crew is working with torches in the dark hab on laptop batteries. On site Support and MDRS are probably doing their best (crew has no direct contact due to high-fidelity Sim protocol) and crew would like to thank them for their efforts. At least the last days made the AustroMars crew perfectionists in improvising. Simulated power cuts are definitely not needed any more...

Miscellaneous: Apart of the power issue, the first day of the AustroMars mission (SOL1) was a big success, and a stunning sunrise behind the hab helped to change from prep week mode to a true simulation feeling. Since this morning, we are not in Utah any more, but the plains of Mars look very similar indeed.

Support Requested: Constant energy.

More to follow.

Alexander Soucek
Executive officer, MDRS Crew 48 "AustroMars", on behalf of CDR