Lessons Learned:
1. Tape the ear microphone in place before suiting up
2. Next time bring more pasta
3. EVAs make you hungrier than usual

Today most of the crew woke up "late" around 9AM. Our objectives for the day were to make sure that the robot is ready for deployment tomorrow and to determine elevation of a few interesting waypoints. Breakfast was leisurely, and we discussed our plans for the rest of the week. Jan boiled eggs for each of us. We decorated them together and will have an egg hunt later tonight.

After we cleared the table, Rebecca and I jumped at the chance to take a pedestrian EVA. Before we left we had to do a quick photo shoot with Doug and the book "The Case for Mars" for a former MDRS crewmember, Artemis. We took pictures of Doug from every possible angle and even shot a video of him reading a passage in the book. Hopefully Artemis will be pleased with our results :-)

Once the photos were taken, Doug returned to the Hab, and Jan, Rebecca and I started on our trek to Phobos Peak. The walk was lovely, and the weather was perfect. With blue skies you really notice the redness of the rock, and it's no wonder they picked this location to create a Mars analog station.

During our hike we created a few new waypoints: Stonehenge, Phobos Phoot, Gargoyles, Kyle's Reflection Rock, and Mellow Mushrooms. The rocks on the way up the mountain were HUGE, some at least twenty feet tall. At the peak itself we could see another smaller mountain in the shape of a submarine that has been smoothed and worn away by the wind. We may take another EVA in that direction sometime to set a waypoint there as well.

Our secondary objective was to test out Kyle's home-built Yagi antenna (it's really cool!). He worked hard to finish it just before we left. The homemade ones are built from PVC pipe and pieces of tape measure (I know it sounds odd, but it really works. If you're curious for the details check just google "tape measure yagi" or something similar). We tested his directional antenna as a possible contingency navigation technique. The antenna performed well, but we will need to do further testing to determine its complete capabilities.

The hours drifted by and we took tons of pictures. Pedestrian EVAs really put the geology in perspective, especially the hikes with changing elevation. You can see the transformation in texture, color, and composition. The panoramic views were gorgeous, and Jan worked hard to capture them. However, our hike was somewhat strenuous, so in time our stomachs reminded us it was time for lunch.

While we were gone Kyle, Doug, and John stayed in the Hab to work with the bot. They were able to make the bot work properly even with our payload requirements. The three of them were also nice enough to set up lunch because Rebecca and I were still out on the pedestrian EVA (it was our turn to have lunch duty).

On a side note, after being here for a week I've almost forgotten what it's like to be at school. Similar to when we are at Tech, we wake up early, work hard, and get to bed late… but it's a different experience. Everything is very hands-on and challenging in a real world sense. I think what makes it particularly fun for this crew is that this is a true application of engineering. We are essentially isolated from the rest of the world with our Hab and its tools. If something goes wrong we have to fix it with what is available to us. The facilities are nice, but there is a lot of room for improvement. We've seized the opportunity to get something out of this, and to give something back.

The past week has been short, and I couldn't be happier that I applied to come here. I know that the other five crewmembers feel the same way. There is still a lot of work and research to be done before we leave, and I have a feeling this next week will fly by. Before we know it we will be on a plane heading back to Atlanta, which is both happy and sad. It's mostly scary though because it means that we have to get our senior design projects done soon (yikes!).

Oh well, for now we will enjoy our time in the Hab with the space suits, ATVs, bread maker, and overall exciting analog experience.