Greg DeLory

Today we woke up to the sound of howling winds - literally shaking the hab structure. A quick check of the weather monitor revealed wind speeds hovering around 20 and gusting up to 40 mph. Such winds would probably not be a concern on Mars, where the low atmospheric pressure would make winds of those speeds feel like a gentle breeze. Despite the fact that we are in a "Mars sim," today was one of those days we had to remind ourselves that we were in fact on Earth. And winds of those speeds are a problem, especially when further tests of the CRV had been planned. We decided that if the winds remained strong, today's EVA would not move forward.

Not wanting to miss any chance to sit down and eat a good meal, we waited out the winds while eating pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Almost as soon as we were finished the winds stabilized below 10 mph, and we proceeded with the EVA as planned. Gilles, Jon, and Andy suited up for the most extensive tests of the CRV yet. Along the way they found a few dinosaur fossils and some petrified wood, and with a rectangular metal plate with six large numbers and a "1953" near the bottom - evidently left here by some alien species. After a 5 hour EVA the crew returned exhausted after fetching the CRV from a particularly steep descent from which it proved difficult to recover.

While the EVA was in progress, the rest of us settled into what has now become all non-EVA personnel's primary duty: keeping the hab running. This means refueling the generator, water tanks, dumping refuse, and any other minor maintenance tasks that need tending. This in effect keeps the sim going, and enables the EVA folks to stay out there and do their job. Thus a rotation in EVA personnel tends to spread out the chores at the hab nicely.

On to another subject. I arrived at the hab with a minor sore throat which I had ignored. It quickly blossomed into one real head cold, and as of February 23rd I relieved myself of command temporarily to fellow crew member Don Barker. With lots of ISS operational experience under his belt at NASA, I knew Don was the man to keep things running while I recovered. Some communications with the flight surgeon at Mission Support established that I was pretty sick but probably didn't need antibiotics. On the Doc's advice, theraflu and bed rest were enough to get me back in shape. I'm happy to report feeling much better today, and have resumed command of MDRS. So here's thanks to the fast response and expert advice from the folks at Mission Support - the system worked!

If all goes well, I'll finally get my first EVA tomorrow, where we'll begin to test an electromagnetic survey instrument for locating subsurface structures - including those due to the presence of water. Keep checking in to get the latest from the 2nd crew of MDRS.