We lost our sunshine today, but otherwise the weather is still quite good. By lunchtime, the tunnel project was well over half complete.

We decided to rest this afternoon (the commander taking a well-needed nap), and file our reports before dinner. Tonight for once, most of us will be able to do one of our planned nighttime EVAs. These will be pedestrian EVAs within sight of the Hab at all times to comply with MDRS safety rules. We will be trying out our LED miners' helmet lights affixed to the helmets with straps. While the Moon will be out, one would have to be airborne above the clouds to see it. But this is a report for tomorrow.

Leslie had attempted to install filters in the “in” water line in the GreenHab but found that she needed connectors that a scavenging sortie to our ”Antarctica” graveyard of spare and no longer needed items failed to turn up. For those of you curious about the name, “Antarctica” along with the engineering area for the generator, diesel fuel, propane, water supply, etc. is south of the hab through a gap in a low lying ridge, and from there you can see the snowcapped Henry Mountains, rising to 11,500 feet some thirty miles further south.

Leslie's need to hit the road again in search of parts, fortunately coincided with our need to find some way to pick up incoming crew member Ben Huset this afternoon from Walker Field in Grand Junction, CO just across the state line. Isolation has its costs. On the Moon and Mars we will want a complete machine shop and fabrication facilities. Installing such an annex here would raise our level of simulation by an order of magnitude at least. Finding a competent machinist for each crew would be another challenge. Proper purchasing policies so that we do not run out of things, is another related area that needs more attention.

We'll be expecting Leslie and Ben for supper. Ben will be working on getting the Observatory functional, as well as giving our engineer, Steven ad day off.

William spent some time in Antarctica this morning trying to organize the storage of hazardous chemicals, including paint and other items. The Commander has it on his list of projects to do a site management study, and proposing a way to store surplus items so that they can be easily found will be part of that. Right now, the helter skelter disposition of surplus materials reminds one of the situation that a lack of warehousing guidelines led to at McMurdo Sound in Antarctica, as exposed some time ago by Greenpeace. Proper warehousing is a case of “a stitch in time, saves nine.”

The power at the Observatory is down, and there have been troubles with it all week. That is why the lower left view on the webcam page has been coming up blank, right when we need it to show tunnel construction progress.

Our crew is very safety conscious, and in addition to trail maintenance, we have installed a railing on one of the two sets of stairs outside the engineering airlock, and will take care of the remaining set if we have time. We hope as well to install solar garden lights along the path to the observatory, and at key points along the tunnel route. With plenty of sunlight here in the desert, that should improve safety at night.

We are all still very much enjoying and appreciating the opportunity to work at this great facility, and happy that while pursuing our own Lunar Analog mission goals we are able to contribute improvements that will benefit many Mars crews to come.

In two days, on Wednesday the 8th, we will have a short dedication ceremony for the Hab to GreenHab tunnel, completed or not. If you want to enter the tunnel naming contest, there is still time. The rules are simple: (1) no names of living persons; (2) the name must be meaningful to Moon and Mars enthusiasts alike. Send your idea to our crew journalist, Guido Meyer at Guido.Meyer@t-online.de. No prizes. Just satisfaction.

Peter Kokh
Commander, MDRS Crew 45
Artemis Moonbase Sim 1