EVA-1 Report
Daniel Hegeman and Jason Schwier

Duration: 10:41-14:03 (3 hours, 22 minutes)

Participants: Dennis Creamer, Ryan Kobrick, Jason Schwier

Equipment: Cameras, GPS device, ruler (lost), compass

Route: Waypoints

1. 12S 0518165E 4250931N [Hab (Start)]
2. 12S 0518829E 4252649N [Object 1]
3. 12S 0518444E 4252964N [Lake (Target)]
4. 12S 0513529E 4252923N [Object 10]
5. 12S 0518517E 4252896N [Object 2]
6. 12S 0518583E 4252807N [Object 9]
7. 12S 0518604E 4252788N [Object 3]
8. 12S 0518618E 4252766N [Object 4]
9. 12S 0518987E 4252353N [Object 5]
10. 12S 0518916E 4251601N [Object 6]
11. 12S 0518876E 4251556N [Object 7]
12. 12S 0518165E 4250931N [Hab (End)]

Objectives/Work Done: The mission for EVA 1 for Crew 25 was to reach a lake north-northeast of the habitat. This lake was determined to be Kent's Reservoir and was about two-kilometers distant. Overall estimated time for completing the mission was three to four hours. All objectives were based on requirements specified by the Geology EVA description from the RST. The objective for this EVA was to give the crew members experience using the GPS for navigation, as well as to become accustomed to operating in the simulation environment. This was the first long distance PED EVA to gather geologic data and rock samples. In total, nine samples were gathered from different points along the route between the source and target waypoints (sample bag 8 had a hole and couldn't be used.) In recovering the samples, a rudimentary gathering procedure was tested for feasibility. Participants also noted signs of wildlife native to the region.

Weather: Clear and Sunny.

Maximum distance from Hab: 2 km, note that this is straight line distance, not the actual path followed to get to the target waypoint.

Lessons Learned:

1. Open Ziploc bags before leaving Hab! They are very difficult to open with gloves on.
2. Assigning each person a job worked well. One crewmate would place the sample in the bag, another would write down geographic data, and another would store them for the mission. All of this led to a higher degree of efficiency.
3. It is possible to remove one's touque, bite it with the teeth, and clean ones visor all sans the use of hands.
4. Tools that should be brought next time include a hammer/pick, tweezers, non clear ruler (now somewhere in the desert).
5. There is a fine balance between not disturbing the environment and being able to quickly gather samples and data.
6. It was extremely difficult to pick up samples with space suit gloves using the forensic science method.

---

EVA-2 Report
Daniel Hegeman

Duration: 16:25-17:36 (1 hour, 11 minutes)

Participants: Daniel Hegeman, Ryan Kobrick, Kevin Sloan

Equipment: Cameras, GPS device, ruler (found!)

Route:

1. 4250.93N 0518.17E to 4253.85N 0518.15E (Lowell Highway X Tank Wash)
2. 4253.85N 0518.15E to 4250.32N 0519.09E

Objectives/Work Done: EVA 2 was out-of-sim and served two purposes. The first was to allow three crew members to gain more experience with the ATVs without the constraints placed by use of space suits. This would allow them to feel more comfortable with ATV use before conditions became more difficult. They practiced driving at various speeds, going up inclines (anything less than about 40 degrees is climbable) and maneuvering tight spaces. Secondly, we wanted to compare ATV-assisted mission time with that of a PED EVA's.

The EVA 1 crew spent roughly one hour traveling a distance of 2 km, while the ATV crew was able to travel about 3 km in 11 minutes, which is a factor of about 8 times faster. Also while out, the EVA 2 crew visited the "lake" (Kent's Reservoir as named by the USGS) that the EVA 1 crew visited earlier and pushed on north along Lowell Highway to Tank Wash.

Weather: Slightly overcast.

Maximum distance from Hab: 2.93 km

Lessons Learned:

1. Be careful when going over larger juts in the ground on an ATV. It helps to "stand up" on the bike and let it bounce how it wants to.
2. It helps to get a running start when going up an incline. Also, lean as far forward as possible or the ATV could tip over.
3. ATVs are much more fun than walking!
4. Traveling in a circle or loop during an EVA would allow the crew to see and investigate more sites, eliminate monotony, and create a larger dataset.

We might perform a similar but short EVA tomorrow for the three crew members who are not yet proficient in ATV use. It's important to become acquainted with the use of a complicated machine before use in a harsh environment. After all, Mars explorers certainly won't wait until they get to Mars to learn how to use the ATV.

---

EVA-3 Report
Jason Schwier

Duration: 09:01-10:25 (1 hour, 24 minutes)

Participants: Amy Blank, Dennis Creamer, Jason Schwier

Equipment: Cameras, GPS device, ATVs

Route:

1. 12S 0518165E 4250931N to 12S 0518987E 4251703N [Cactus Road Junction]
2. 12S 0518987E 4251703N to 12S 0519898E 4251751N [Cactus North Path]
3. 12S 0519898E 4251751N to 12S 0519904E 4251155N [Cactus South Path]
4. 12S 0519904E 4251155N to 12S 0518165E 4250931N [Hab]

Notes: Cactus Road leads to a T, splitting into a North Path and a South Path. The coordinates for each path were the furthest the EVA 3 crew went down each road.

Objectives/Work Done: EVA 3 was out-of-sim and served two purposes. The first was to allow the three crewmembers that did not participate in EVA 2 to become comfortable with the ATVs. The crewmembers practiced traveling at higher speeds, moving through soggy ground, convoy travel, and minor hill climbing. The second objective was to follow Cactus Road to explore the local region. Cactus Road from Lowell Highway and the T had not been used for some time. All tire tracks were still visible, but filled in with sand. The North Path led to a large open area that ran parallel to a ridge. The South Path ran beside several small chasms and, according to the USGS maps, eventually led to Lowell Highway.

Weather: Cloudy, but bright.

Maximum distance from Hab: 2.11 km, straight-line distance

Lessons Learned:

1. When traveling long distances, ATVs are more efficient with respect to time.
2. Hand mirrors should not be used at high speeds due to the necessary amount of concentration required for both driving lining up the mirror. Note that this was not tested, but is believed to be true from determining the focus required to drive at higher speeds.
3. Don't drive too close to the ATV in front, in case it hits cow flops.
4. Don't drive too fast over steep bumps in the road.

Comments: This EVA is the follow-up of EVA 2 from yesterday. The three crewmembers performing the EVA now feel comfortable in using the ATV to reach destinations too far for PED EVAs.