Day 3 on the Moon:

The Moon/Mars Desert Research Station is getting bigger: soon it will be possible to walk between the Hab and the Greenhab without any kind of space suit. Yesterday Commander Kokh started his tunnel project: once finished it will directly connect those two buildings with a simulated pressurized tunnel. Astronauts who go back and forth won't have to wear a helmet or any kind of life support system.

Peter has been connecting pvc tubes; he's also started digging holes in the ground which will serve to anchor the tunnel frame. In its final stage the tunnel will be covered with a layer of UV-resistant green plastic snow fencing. The tunnel will isolates the inside from the Martian atmosphere or the vacuum on the Moon, respectively.

Holes in the fence will allow the wind to blow right through it – a necessary thing: we were surrounded by the sound of wind all day long yesterday!

Besides his daily "Thorns-and-Roses" sessions our Health and Safety Officer William Fung-Schwarz has started a new type of discussion today, the "Entertainment/Recreation Focus Group". Today's discussion topic: how much individual time for recreation would you need during a planetary mission (daily as well as weekly)? What would you do in your spare time? What would you take with you on your trip if you had to stuff it all in a shoebox?

Our engineer Steven Winikoff was fighting with our webcams today. For some reason, two of them broke down yesterday. They might be still working but we're only getting a blue screen. Steven installed a new cam and new software that came with it. Problem has not been solved yet though. Also Steven refilled the water tank for the habitat which allowed us to take showers a little more frequently.

Laurel had been busy keeping us physically happy: warm breakfast in the morning, soup for lunch, something yummy for in between and then a hot dinner again. I spotted her preparing fudge for day 4 earlier today