EVA-4: Introductory foot EVA
Adam Rehnberg Reporting with Felipe Broering, EVA Cmdr, & Kevin Saka

After three long days of non-sim, wrapping up refit engineering duties, I finally got the opportunity for a first EVA. The task at hand was a two hour on-foot familiarization tour headed by Felipe, basically a reprise of the introduction that Felipe was given by Cmdr Gregory on Wednesday (refer to EVA report Three). Following Felipe was me and Kevin. Hugh helped suit up the team and also gave us a thorough introduction of the Mars analog suits, along with some essential do's and don'ts. The three of us cycled out the airlock at about 1200 hrs.

Firstly, Felipe led us in the north direction and we climbed some small heights to get a feel for going uphill on varying types of ground, learning to deal with the risks of slippery soil and steep hillsides. After trying out the slopes, we hiked in a large circle around the east side of the Hab, staying within about 600 meters from the Hab at all times and negotiating a variety of terrain types. At one point we were also buzzed by an aerial exploration vehicle, which oddly enough closely resembled a Cessna 172 from the Hanksville flying club. We returned to the Hab after 2 hours, the GPS receiver indicating a 3.7 km distance traversed and 1 hr and 10 mins of actual moving time. Apart from some radio problems, everything went as planned on this introductory tour. Before going back inside the Hab, we also repeated the commanders' previous adventure of taking out the garbage in-sim, by moving seven garbage bags from the rear airlock.

The trip served well as an EVA introduction and gave a good overview of the possibilities and limitations of surface exploration by foot. With the space suit on and dry weather, the Mars-like Utah terrain creates a surprisingly good illusion of a truly alien landscape. As we recently had a rain, several freshly dried gullies and streambeds could be observed on the ground, further enhancing the parallel between this earthly landscape and Mars: just as the Martian surface was carved out by rivers and streams eons ago, waterflows on the desert soil presents us with a new mini-Mars every time it rains. Thus, on our EVA:s we are really exploring a Mars-analog terrain.

On this first EVA walk, I was also able to make my first assessment of how much the Mars suit would impair my physical performance. I found out that I was able to move about relatively unhampered as long as the pace was kept down, the main burden being the weight of the backpack and increased body heat caused by the lack of ventilation. I would compare the strain of the walk to that of a regular crosscountry hike with medium burden. Another effect I discovered was that the shape of the helmet bubble sometimes distorts the bearer's view, making it more difficult to correctly assess the difficulty of going up a steep slope. Apart from these basic limitations, I believe that it should be quite possible to perform most tasks fairly unhindered in a Mars suit without exhausting oneself or gravely increasing the risk of an accident as long as the increased time consumption is taken into account and allowed for. The various assignments carried out successfully in-sim by previous crews shows that this is indeed very true.

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EVA-5: In-Sim ATV Training
Anthony Francis Reporting

At approximately 1730 hours Hugh marshalled Anthony and Kevin for EVA ATV training and a terrain survey. Adam and Felipe performed the pre-EVA check and suit assistance, and then all three analogue Marsnauts pow-wowed in the recently cleaned laboratory deck to review Hugh's plans to take the ATV's out for a late afternoon spin.

A few minor issues delayed our initial departure. Hugh assigned Anthony to carry the ATV first aid kit, which he promptly put down as Adam and Felipe strapped him into his gloves and his ATV rear view mirror wristband. Fortunately, Hugh noticed this immediately when we stepped into the airlock, and after some chatter on the comms we managed to abort the depressurization countdown and get this vital piece of equipment.

Then, as we got set up on the ATVs, we found that one of the keys did not work. Adam and Felipe hunted the entire hab and eventually found the missing ATV key which had previously been lost during the refit and only recently been recovered from a ducting pile in the airlock during the post-refit cleanup. Because light was failing and Hugh considered the EVA ATV training critical for getting the station back to a state where it could do real science, he gave Felipe the go-ahead to break sim and step out of the airlock with the key so we could get the show on the road.

Hugh briefed Kevin and Anthony on ATV operations while suited and reviewed following procedures. Hugh took the lead on a short EVA halfway to Lith Canyon and back. Because he was the most experienced rider, Hugh was comfortable taking the ATV which occasionally threw itself out of gear. EVA novice Anthony took the second position, keeping adequate spacing to allow braking in case Hugh's ATV decided to be balky. Kevin, the second most experienced EVA man and rider, took the rear.

Even though it was not yet dark all three of us turned on our lights as a safety measure, which greatly improved our ability to verify that the rider behind was still in view. We experimented with different configurations for checking behind us, including right-mounted mirrors (bad idea, since you had to take your hand off the throttle to check for your partner), left-mounted mirrors (better, especially if angled right so you can just lift your arm to a right angle to see behind), and standing and turning (only useful at slower speeds or stationary positions, but sometimes required).

We maintained a good interval on the road out to Lith Canyon, pausing only to transfer some gear between the ATVs, moving spare supplies from the rear to the front of the ATVs, which improved how the gear handled bumps and how the machines steered.

The scenery demanded gasps from Anthony, on his first EVA and only his second ATV ride. We proceeded to a ridge halfway to Lith Canyon, disembarked, and took photographs for personal and website use. Then we climbed a nearby hill, as much for practice for Anthony as it was to give all three analogue Marsnauts the treat of an absolutely spectacular view over a small valley with a setting sun. After a few more photographs, Hugh ordered the team to return to the ATVs and turn them around, take their final personal shots, and then to hit the road so we could chase the light back to the Hab.

We returned just prior to dark, and Hugh stopped Kevin and Anthony to point out the Hab in the distance, its portals barely visible against the setting sun. Hugh discussed the importance of landmarking with Anthony and Kevin, pointing out that it would be all too easy to miss the Hab if it were any darker, and reminding them to occasionally turn around to check terrain in both directions, especially as the sun was setting. Hugh had previously led Felipe on a walkabout EVA of the same terrain to ensure that he had a good mental model of the region, and Felipe in turn led Adam and Kevin on the same trek. This foot familiarization training ensured that all of us could recognize terrain around the Hab for a distance of about a kilometer for naviation and safety. While Anthony missed out on these recons, Hugh made it up to him by taking him on the first EVA ATV ride.

We drove the final leg back to the Hab, flashed our lights in welcome and got a welcoming call in return, and parked to return to the station. We had driven about 1.9 kilometers according to Hugh's GPS. As the analogue Marsnauts returned to the airlock to de-suit and enjoy a nice "Swedish bachelor's magic dinner", Anthony's summed up the EVA:

"Kid 1 from Candy Store Ridge: the view was delicious."