This morning, much to our surprise, the predicted snow and rain did not materialize at the Hab, so conditions were perfect for launching the balloon system. Alas, the balloon and the associated Helium tanks did not materialize either, so we went ahead with Plan B and continued training, setting up research equipment, and upgrading the hab.

While Emily was installing the generator's new automatic control module, Anne was busy cleaning up the engineering and tools section while simultaneously building another tool shelf from scratch and fixing the auxiliary airlock door latch. Meryl continued her mission of saving the GreenHab plants, Jenny got the Musk Observatory back online, and Jason prepared a field-proof procedure for our first radiation research. Competence and self-motivation galore - this is an amazing crew.

Another contributor to the happy mood felt throughout the hab today was that we took our first showers. Always eager to lead by example, I was the first one in line this morning. Meryl and Anne followed suit, and the others are scheduled for tomorrow. Then it will be another two or three days of wipe-downs before the next round...

On the down side, it was my solemn duty this morning to remove two more Martian rodents from the traps in the lab section. We hope that storing most of our food upstairs (and covering up the gaps in the floor cable pass-throughs near the engineering section) will stop the invasion.

Now I'm off to fun and games around the wardroom table - see webcam pictures for details.

Signing off for today,

Jan Osburg
Commander, MDRS Crew 47