Today's geology activities included several tests with our geological sample drill. We did an EVA (see EVA report) in the surrounding area of the Hab to learn the handling of the tool with its accessories. We made some interesting observations concerning usefulness of other tools like the rubber mallet, shovel and folding rule (see Table 1). The experiences taken from this test will help us to plan for further EVAs for what is necessary to bring along and which tools are not effective.

It was very hard for the suited persons to ram the drill via hammering into the ground, because of the solidity of the soil. After three attempts we changed the location in order to find a better site and decided to test it on a knoll beneath a small riverbed. The drill was submerged 1/3 of its length into the soil and we then proceeded to get a sample. A core of approx. 18cm was drawn, but due to the soil consistence most of the sample could not be retrieved. The core was pushed out with a knife, loosing approx. 40% due to strong winds.

Being so the soil around the Hab is very dry and hard, we conducted further tests on other sites to advance the process of sample gathering with the equipment.

Tomorrow we will conduct another EVA with the same goal. During EVA 3 the team located an interesting site for biological sample gathering. This same location will also be used to test our equipment and gather several samples. We additionally looked through the samples and geological data gathered by Crew 12. Reading their reports and seeing the data further impressed me of their work.

Table 1 - MDRS EVA Tool Assessment
Tool	Destination	Useful
Small Shovel	Prepare Drillhole	+
Rubber Mallet	First Hits on Drill	++
Folding Rule	Different Measurements	++
Drill with Accessories	Take Soil Samples	+
Spatula	Push Samples out of Drill	--
Clasp Knife	Push Samples out of Drill	+
Sample Bags (Plastic, Zip)	Sealing & Transportation of Samples	?
Magnifying Glass	Investigation of Samples	Not Used
Marker Pins & Marker Tape	Mark Point of Drilling	Not Used