The conditions in the hab have stabilized as we have developed coping strategies for our numerous problems. However, as the season progresses, heat in the hab is becoming a problem. Clearly, we are near the end of the functionally useful field season. Afternoon heat load on the hab has made the thermal conditions very uncomfortable from approximately 2pm until about 3am when the desert night chill finally sucks enough heat away.

Heat is becoming a problem during EVA. We have attempted to conduct them in the mornings and late afternoons, but this is operationally difficult and even those times are now uncomfortably hot.

Recent Highlights:

• Bucket brigade is our permanent solution to the water pump failure
• Massive human waste pile from the Biolet has been disposed of and is no longer an issue.
• New radios are not usable. See explanatory note below.
• Dish drainer needs replacement. The configuration is inadequate to the volume of dishes produced from a single meal for 6 people and items are always falling to the floor or back in the sink. We recommend a drainer with closed ends rather than a simple rack.

Note on radios: We are grateful to Mission Control for sending the new radios. Alas, extensive testing of the new radios has proved disappointing. All transmission are muffled even between people at the hab. Even on Channel 2:00, all transmissions are indistinct even with fresh batteries. We do not have a solution to this problem and are speculating that there is an inherent flaw in the radio design?