The February 10, 2002 EVA crew members and their duties were as follows: Heather Chluda as the commander and navigator, Jennifer Heldmann as geologist and photographer, and Troy Wegman as the biologist and ATV guru. Our main objective for this EVA mission was to penetrate through the nearby ridge from our Hab to reach the Lower Blue Hills. These hills lie between the nearby Hab ridge and the Skyline Rim, Southwest of the Hab. After consulting the map with the entire Hab team members, we plotted out several key areas that might be passable with ATVs. We suited up with some special equipment to make our sample taking and overall observations more detailed and useful with many real time notes and we documented each waypoint with four (4) photographs at four cardinal points. We equipped ourselves each with cameras, writing pens, a cardboard template and the usual sample taking and GPS.

Our entire trip lasted from 12:23pm to 6:22pm. Just one minute before our air supply would expire. The EVA pack fans were working at full power for the entire trip. Our mileage was about 22 km and our elevation ranged from 4,451 to 4,649 feet. It was a long and strenuous mission that consisted of exploring off trail terrain and became proficient in our ATV driving abilities (along with moving stuck ATVs). Our mission was quite an adventure that would have not been possible if it hadn't been for the excellent teamwork displayed by all the EVA crew members. We accomplished much ground, finding many interesting sites for exploration and also documented heavy vegetated sites that would not be of interest to waste time exploring.

Our first passage option was a lower elevation dip in the ridge just Northwest of the Hab. After trying to reach the ridge, to no avail, we gave up with the observation that the first hill to accomplish was far too steep for ATVs. A successful summit of the lower hill passage could be achieved on foot. We then moved North on the 4WD road and turned off to the West at Waypoint 17 to try another passage through around the north edge of the Hab ridge. While Troy and Jen looked at an interesting sample site, Heather set out on an ATV to find a smooth slope over the northwestern mounds to achieve our mission goal. Heather quickly dead ended into steep cliffs and returned to help the other members who were collecting and documenting samples. After finishing with our science objectives for that site we returned to the 4WD road and headed farther north. After a short while we came to a large wash that could be seen for miles, snaking through a lower set of hills in the direction of our destination (Waypoint 26). This wash fed us through steep canyon walls of red and white strata cliffs to be observed at length later. After about 4 km we came to what is now known as ‘Chluda Pass’, a narrowing in the wash due to a two-way fork. Two crew members were needed to push the each ATVs up the small hill. From there we traveled above the wash to the left until it widened. We stopped at several other points and marked them with UTM coordinates and cardinal coordinated pictures for documentation. We did this until we realized we had passed the road to the Lower Blue Hills. We also stopped because the wash had narrowed too much for safe passage. We then had to lift and turn each ATV 180 degrees by hand since no turnaround spots were available. When we doubled back we had found the non-distinctive road to the Blue Hills and we also found a extraordinary sampling site where we spent more than a half an hour. For the first 10 minutes Heather set out on the Blue Hills road to scout out the non-defined trail and confirm that it was easy to navigate; and it was a smooth path (Waypoint 21). After taking enough samples of fossils and other biological and geological interesting findings we decided to return home. It was a beautiful drive home through a wonderful desert sunset, making it back to the Hab right before darkness took over.

The following is a summary of the documented waypoints and descriptive summaries. The majority of the waypoint's surrounding area is documented with cardinal direction coordinated pictures and Repeater communication tests was performed. This summary is followed by detailed reports of field biology, field geology, and laboratory analysis.

The following three sites were observed at length and 12 containers of samples were obtained:

• Waypoint 18: 4253.157 km N, 518.201 km E: Sedimentary Outcrop - less distinctive layering than waypoint 11. No sub or epilithic found, possible endolithic was found. Possible desert varnish found. Elevation: 4558 feet.
• Waypoint 20: 4252.993 km N, 516.121 km E: Observation at Wash area – soil samples taken of abundant grey dirt, the only vegetation nearby. Wash path resulted in a dead end because too narrow and ATVs needed to be picked up and turned 180 deg. Fossil of tube-like figures found. Elevation: 4625 feet.
• Waypoint 23: 4253.277 km N, 517.084 km E: Fossil Field – 300 foot field of fossils were photo documented and sampled. The fossils were mollusks and are characteristic of Exogyra (Oysters) from the L. Cretaceous period. The fossils were located not at the bottom of the wash area but at the top outcrop and diminished as one traveled to the wash itself. Elevation: 4592 feet.

The following observation waypoints and their description of interest are described below. Some of these sites will be of great interest for future EVA exploration while others are noted as sites of non-interest for scientific research. Four photographs were taken at each Cardinal direction and the photos will be filed.

• Waypoint 16: 4251.105 km N, 518.772 km E: First impassable NW route area – Area lying just North of the Hab. May be passable on foot. Red Sandstone with layering, scattered boulder field. Elevation: 4543 feet.
• Waypoint 17: 4253.390 km N, 517.938 km E: Observation point of Impassible Wash area to NW – dead ended into a large cliffs that were North of the Hab ridge. Elevation: 4542 feet.
• Waypoint 19: 4253.837 km N, 517.361 km E: ‘Chluda Pass’ – ATVs needed lifting up a short steep mound to continue to the Blue Hills road. Elevation: 4551 feet.
• Waypoint 21: 4252.050 km N, 517.037 km E: Observation point on the Blue Hills Road – road was surveyed for easy passage to Lower Blue Hills area. Elevation: 4635 feet.
• Waypoint 22: 4253.216 km N, 516.933 km E: Crossroads of wash with Blue Hills Road – non-definitive 4WD road, completely unnoticeable like the 4WD road near Hab. Elevation: 4566 feet.
• Waypoint 24: 4253.721 km N, 517.477 km E: Red Walled Canyon – noted as a good site for future geological studies. Elevation: 4494 feet.
• Waypoint 25: 4253.770 km N, 518.163 km E: Crossroads of 4WD Hab road and Wash valley – this was the UTM coordinates for the passable route to the Blue Hills road via ‘Chluda Pass’. Elevation: 4462 feet.
• Waypoint 26: 4252.823 km N, 518.729 km E: Vegetated Area – noted as a site of well grown plants from the North to the East and to the South. A small boulder field was observed on the Western side. Elevation: 4504 feet.

Pictures at all of the waypoints are in the process of being downloaded, named, and filed.

Laboratory Analysis
Secondary Mission - Laboratory Analysis of Specimens:

Secondary biology mission goals were met today through laboratory analysis of the sample return from the EVA of 09FEB02, and in particular two different samples from different sites at Way Point 13 (an apparent dry creek canyon containing at least pools of stagnant water). Sample I was obtained from a deep (9-15 inches below the surface) sublithic environment as previously described. Sample II was obtained from a lime green strata at about 10-15 feet above the apparent creek bed and that was obviously green in color from some distance. The hypothesis that was being tested was that the sublithic green soil sample would contain microorganisms and that the canyon wall surface sample would not.

In order to prepare the samples for analysis, three subsamples of about 10 grams from each was placed into a pair of microfuge tubes. One such subsample was used to create a 2% glutaraldehyde preserved sample and placed under refrigeration. One such subsample was saved for analysis in the tertiary mission (organophosphorus hydrolase activity). One such subsample of each was solubilized in about 1.0 ml of sterile H2O, vortexed for 30 seconds, and microfuged for about 1.0 minute. The microfuged samples were then decanted, saving the relatively cleared liquid above the pellet into a separate microfuge tube. The remaining pellet in each case was then used to subsample the surface of each pellet by taking a small portion of the pellet surface and solubilize same in a separate microfuge tube using a very small amount of sterile water (just enough to create a very thick susupension of the pellet surface material).

The samples were then subjected to various microscopic analyses. In each case, where possible under the conditions of the laboratory (handheld digital camera focusing through the monocular eyepiece), a digital photographic record was made. Each dry sub sample was used to visualize dry sample using the dissection (gross specimen) microscope. Each liquid aliquot (decanted liquid and resuspended pellet) was viewed at each magnification of the Olympus scope as a dried slide smear (no slip cover), and as a wet mount. Wet mount slides were further subjected to oil immersion microscopy. All microscopic mounts were viewed under bright and dark (fluorescent – none, red, and yellow filtered) field analysis.

The microscopy of the deep sublithic sample showed clear evidence of a substantial green-colored cellular organism that did not seem to associated with any hyphal growth (indicative of a lichen or other such fungal-type organism). The cells were very small and at least certain of them appeared to be motile (directional movement in excess of movement due to Brownian motion). Such cells were observed in both the decanted liquid and in the resuspended pellet. No overtly crystalline structures were seen in either the wet or dry mounts, as most structure was cellular in nature. Neither was there any apparent colonial (end to end, or branched) structure. All cells appeared to be individual. None of the cells appeared to fluoresce under any filter scenario (at least in a fashion or intensity consistent with the control fluorescent beads).

The microscopy of the canyon-wall strata sample also showed evidence of a green-colored cellular organism that did not seem to associated with any hyphal growth. In this sample, there was also a highly motile red cell, somewhat smaller (5-7X smaller) than the green, less motile cells. All of the cells were very small, and again at least certain of them appeared to be motile. Again, these cells were observed in both the decanted liquid and in the resuspended pellet. As opposed to the sublithic sample, there were many overtly crystalline structures in both the wet and dry mounts, with less of the apparent structures being cellular in nature. There were no apparent colonial structures. All cells appeared to be individual. None of the cells appeared to fluoresce under any filter scenario.

In conclusion, with further analysis still to do by way of confirmation, it would appear that microorganism associated with both sublithic and surface green-coloration may be found in the area around Way Point 13. One might hypothesize that the sublithic and canyon wall strata are areas with residual water content (perhaps through seepage of ground water in the case of the canyon wall patches). Whether this will be seen to be generally applicable to other less water-rich areas remains to be seen. The microscopy of the deep sublithic sample showed clear evidence of a substantial green-colored cellular organism that did not seem to associated with any hyphal growth (indicative of a lichen or other such fungal-type organism). The cells were very small and at least certain of them appeared to be motile (directional movement in excess of movement due to Brownian motion). Such cells were observed in both the decanted liquid and in the resuspended pellet. No overtly crystalline structures were seen in either the wet or dry mounts, as most structure was cellular in nature. Neither was there any apparent colonial (end to end, or branched) structure. All cells appeared to be individual. None of the cells appeared to fluoresce under any filter scenario (at least in a fashion or intensity consistent with the control fluorescent beads). However, it is clear that any comprehensive survey of photosynthetic bacteria in the region must include soil not necessarily associated with rocks.

Future work will include both the tertiary analysis and attempts to image endolithic microorganisms.