Today was our first full day at MDRS. I'll briefly include a summary
of yesterday as well.

Crew 66 (ExDelta) arrived late last night after mother nature threw
some surprise changes to our travel itineraries. Storms on the eastern
side of the continent prevented some of our crew members from arriving
on time in Salt Lake City, but half the crew completed necessary
shopping while waiting and we were able to make a timely departure for
Hanksville when they arrived. Upon arrival in Hanksville we were
greeted warmly by The Don and subsequently by Crew 65 at MDRS. They
generously helped us move our gear into the Hab and warmed us up with
tea. Together we completed the indoor components of the handover and
finished the night off with some observations of Mars, Saturn, and the
Orion nebula through the telescope.

Today began with the rest of the handover details. We paired off with
our Crew 65 counterparts to maximize efficiency of information
transfer. Upon the departure of Crew 65 back to Salt Lake City we had
our first taste of freeze dried foods. During breakfast we discussed
our plans for the day and decided we needed to get organized before
starting on engineering, science or training objectives. We spent the
morning cleaning the loft to clear some space for our 7th and 8th
crewmembers who will be sleeping up there. We also completed a
thorough cleaning of the kitchen and toilet areas to proactively reduce
the chances of illness on our rotation. Our engineers organized the
engineering workbench area and our scientists assessed lab supplies and
unpacked those which they'd brought along. One exciting moment of the
morning was opening our ExDelta clothing and knick-knacks.

After a hard-working morning we settled down for lunch, the quality of
which we were pleasantly surprised. Freeze-dried spaghetti and meat
sauce isn't half bad! At the end of the meal we started on one of our
side-projects of doing daily satisfaction surveys about the Mountain
House foods we're using for the mission. Once we had completed them I
also collected the MDRS and medical waivers.

The afternoon began with time spent in the GreenHab and engineering
areas, allowing the engineers time to become acquainted with their
systems. A specific goal for the engineers of ExDelta is to restore
proper GreenHab water filtration operations, and to begin this, grey
water was pumped into the filter tank system to increase water levels.
The circuitry of the the GreenHab was also studied in an effort to
restore air aspirators in the Hyacinth tank. Today the makeshift
generator system via the batteries has worked sufficiently for our
needs, so no maintenance was performed. Upon return from EVA 01, the
generator ran out of fuel and stopped. Power was quickly restored by
refueling, however the batteries did not provide adequate power at that
time.

Our official training program began with instructions by John and Anna
regarding EVA protocols. Topics included suit component use and
maintenance, EVA checklist, air lock procedures, and general EVA
communication protocol between the Hab and EVA crew. After learning
the theory of EVA, the crew successfully applied that knowledge in
preparing and executing EVA 01. Training continued during the EVA with
a tour of the area surrounding the Hab, identification of major
landmarks, and the first opportunity for cross training as Kerry, our
resident geologist, gave an impromptu lesson on topical geological
concepts.

Before dinner, the engineers filled the potable water tank in the loft
through the skylight, as per methods used by Anna and John's last
rotation, crew 56. This protocol worked equally as well as running the
hose through the Hab. We request input as to whether this new/old
method is acceptable. We are ensuring that the skylight is firmly
secured following the procedure due to the presence of high winds.

Dinner was ... filling. Actually, that is an understatement. It was a
battle to finish. Some won. Some lost... but it was enjoyed by all.
Our meal consisted of "double" portions of sweet and sour pork with
rice, accompanied by peas and fresh salad.

This evening is currently being filled with the first round of report
writing as the crew learns the ropes of life at MDRS. Tonight's reports
include:
- Commander's Report
- Engineering Report
- EVA Report
- Geology Report
- Journalist's Report
Following report submission the crew will engage in ice breaker and
crew bonding activities and games.

Tomorrow we plan to attempt to address several of the outstanding
engineering issues. A visit by "The Don" will help this. We will also
conduct our first official cross training activities with field lessons
in biology and geology.