MDRS on 12/26/2002 - Image © 2002 R.D. Frederick

MDRS is nearing completion. That said, the MDRS will be in a constant state of upgrade. The major components have been completed and the finishes are almost done. During this crew stay, the second floor crew area was painted a light blue. The color was picked by Anna Paulson and it went well with the carpet. Adding the carpet gave the upper floor a very warm feel and lowered the dust level considerably.

The stairs have been completed and a half wall surrounds the opening. The stairs are steep. This was done to conserve space. There are storage racks under the stairs and a pulley to raise heavy loads to the second floor. The comm desk is at the top of the stairs and faces the southern window. The southern window is also the escape hatch. One will stand on the com desk and remove the window to access the ladder. There is going to be a drop ladder from this window. The frame has been attached and the ladder will be installed next week for use by the next crew.

There are ample outlets on the second floor and in the EVA room. The lab power will be added in the next day or two. The hab is outfitted with a 200 amp main panel that is located on the first floor in the tool/cockpit area. The EVA room has two suit racks, a work bench, hangers for the suits, the airlock and cabinets for suit accessories. There is also a false ceiling that provides storage between the ceiling and the second floor.

The shower was built-in and drains into the gray water tank. The shower and vanity are in a separate compartment. The incinolet is in a compartment next to the shower. This compartment also contains a urinal and a wall cabinet. The lab areas are spacious and have several outlets for interments. The lab has its own refrigerator and there are two windows in this area. The lab will have a sample hatch that will be accessed from the exterior by the airlock platform. The emergency air lock still needs some work. A window was installed in the interior door. The greenhouse stairs and landing will be built in the coming weeks. The greenhouse had blown nearly over and this crew spent several hours replacing the end caps and staking the greenhouse to the ground. The greenhouse is now secure. Too bad we recently decided to move it.

The power remains a problem with the hab. The generator works well when maintained but is too small to run the hab efficiently. It required contant attention and will be replaced with a larger model. Power for the hab is a important issue and will be solved in the near future. A system using solar panels for electricity and hot water, a backup generator, batteries and fuel cells is being studied.

The local comms are handled by UHF radios with a simplex repeater located on the skyline rim. Starband supplies the satellite internet service for the hab and it is up and running.

The heating system utilizes a 125,000 BTU forced air furnace. The furnace worked very well and this week we added heat runs where needed and also a 250 gallon propane tank The lost of fidelity in having a forced air unit, ( you would never burn oxygen in space), is made up for in the fan sounds that the furnace makes and the filtered air it provides. In any case, the heater is a stopgap until more insulation is installed. We expect this to drop the heating requirement sharply. This will allow us to heat the hab electrically once the higher power generator is installed. We have installed micron filters in the return air ducts and the air in the hab is fresh and warm.