The first long duration mission of an analog rover was successfully accomplished in the five days of this mission. The rover crew consisted of Rocky Persaud, Geologist, Shannon Rupert Robles, Biologist, Jennifer Knowles, Engineer (Sols 1-3) and Matt Bamsey, Engineer (Sols 4-5). We used the Everest to scout and survey the areas of Factory Bench, Salt Wash, North Caineville Reef, Little Wild Horse Mesa, Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley for sites of biological and geological interest. The following report gives waypoints and biological field notes that I collected during the mission. They will be of value mainly to those people interested in doing further study of the areas we explored. I found the rover to be a valuable asset in analog research because it allowed us to quickly assess these areas for potential study use much quicker than we could have done any other way.

Sol One

EVA 60: Found base camp at Everest Gap (WP 57-5002', 0506456 E 4261602 N), set up fuel depot

EVA 61: Scouting Factory Butte Road from beginning to Everest Gap for sites of consideration for biological richness studies. Scouting was done from the Everest; no pedestrian scouting was done. Sites selected were assessable from the road. See Factory Butte and Hunt Draw topo maps for route.

The following waypoints were marked:

WP 32-- 4610', 12 S 0509408 E 4248926 N
The southern finger of Neilson Wash

WP 33-- 4622', 0509692 E 4249688 N
The major (northern) fingers of Neilson Wash

WP 34-- 4612', 0510563 E 4251734 S
Pond on plain below Factory Butte, west of the read when heading north

WP 35-- 4680', 0507941 E, 4257853 N
South Finger of Coal Mine Wash

WP 36-- 4663', 0507390 E 4258350 N
North Finger of Coal Mine Wash. This was the area where Crew 4 took richness samples last season. The road to the uranium mine is just north and to the east of here

WP 37-- 4745', 0507081 E 4255971 N
Road to mine (heading east)

Emery County Line

WP not marked-- 4834', 05060509 E 4261169 N
"Valley of the Stars" a small sloped valley containing gypsum stars and salt pan nebulas

WP 38-- not marked
Small temporal creeks in boulder field

This EVA was successful in locating several sites that could be used for biological richness studies. My one concern is that there are cattle being run on this area and that could have an effect on the composition of microbial soil samples. However, all areas are good sites for looking at water mapping. One of the main lessons learned in phases 1-3 of ExOne was that assumptions made about soil water content/water potential may need to be reassessed due to the effects of soil composition on a sample's ability to hold water.

I found scouting from the Everest to be very effective. I sat in the passenger seat and made use of the fold down desk for writing in my notebook and consulting maps. Scouting this way reminded me of an objective I follow on Earth but had not been following here on analog Mars: you should look for the most easily assessable sites that will serve the purpose for which you need them.

Sol Two

EVA 62: Scouting Everest Gap south through Salt Wash for sites of consideration for biological richness studies. Scouting was done from the Everest; no pedestrian scouting was done. Most sites were accessible from the road-- one (Red Canyon) will require a pedestrian EVA from the road across the wash and into the canyon. Salt Wash has water and this route should not be used in times of rain and mud. Topo maps used were Hunt Draw and Factory Butte.

The following waypoints were marked:

WP 39-- 4797', 0505801 E 4362078 N
Caineville Flats-- There are channels here in the flat plain that would make it an excellent richness site. There is also very little bovine activity, although the animals graze to the south and runoff may be an issue. This would also be a good site because the soil type is basically homogeneous and so water content measurements would be unaffected by soil type.

WP 40-- 4713', 0505505 E 4261275 N
Small creekbed through steep slope, still evidence of water

WP 41-- 4637', 0504910 E 4260741 N
Entrance to Salt Wash from the north. There is abundant water in the wash. Excellent site for myriad reasons. The wash contains abundant salt deposits that will affect microbial composition and possibly richness as well. There are places like Red Canyon where studies can be done to determine how different the microbial community in the wash is from the surrounding area. There is water in the wash and the plant community composition is unique from the surrounding area.

WP not marked -- 4633', 0504777 E 4260339 N
Red Canyon to the west of the road when headed south. Contrasting site for Salt Wash, where the Bureau of Reclamation has pipes in the ground at this point.

WP 42-- 4630', 0504777 E 4260309 N
Another contrasting site for Salt Wash-- same stuff as Red Canyon but more contamination due to road cutting through. However, Rocky says there is a lot in this area for a geologist to do so it may be better to use this site on a combined bio/geo EVA. Evidence of cows here again may be a problem for richness but not for water mapping

WP 43-- 4512', 0504189 E 4260214 N
End of the road for us. We needed to cross the wash again but the angle of assent was too steep -- We Need A Pev!

EVA 63: Geological Survey from WP 43 in Salt Wash. (Rocky and Jennifer) This was a pedestrian EVA.

This area has the same concerns as the areas scouted on yesterday's EVAs-- how will the grazing of cattle on this land affect microbial richness and diversity? While a study asking this question would be helpful-- perhaps contrasting the diversity/richness of microbes in these grazed areas with those around the Hab and below Skyline Rim--for the richness studies alone it is not necessary unless evidence is found that the cattle are altering the water content/potential in a given area. Still, it is a consideration that should be noted if the data from these areas are to be considered along with data collected in areas where cattle do not graze.

I was struck today but how different my last experience at MDRS as part of Crew 4 differs from what we did today. We did pedestrian and ATV EVAs only, with the exception of the PEV OE mission, which took us farther afield than the crews before us. The PEV expanded our scouting capability considerable. The advantages of the Everest are that not that we can go farther afield (because I still believe you can get farther, at least here at MDRS with a PEV) but that you can do it in comfort and with all the equipment you need.

On our return to Everest Gap from EVA 63, we stopped briefly at Salt Wash at the entrance to Red Canyon to scout the area for possible inclusion later in the week as a biological survey site. The area would make a fantastic study area, from the slopes of Red Canyon to the water flowing through Salt Wash but it is a highly contaminated area, both by cows and human intrusion. There is also a set of pipes sunk in the ground with Bureau of Reclamation tags, so there may be a history of the area that would need to be investigated prior to sampling. However, any study of halophilic organisms in the area around MDRS should include Salt Wash. I also think it would make a good study site for richness and diversity if handled properly.

Sol Three

EVA 64: Biological Survey of Coal Mine Wash (Jennifer and I). This was a pedestrian EVA.

The following waypoints were marked:

WP 44-4682', 0509386 E 4258386 N
Good area for water mapping, with cliff bottoms that contain soil build-up, channels and rills in the wash and sloped areas at differing angles. This is the end of the jagged cliffs in the canyon. It opens up here to the type of terrain seen up Lowell Highway around Tank Wash.

WP 45-4602', 0508537 E 4258334 N
Water Drop Pool (Jennifer's Pool). Here we became the first ice skaters on analog Mars. The pool that Jennifer and Andrew Hoppin discovered last season (Crew 4) had about six inches of ice on it and so Jennifer and I went skating in our MarsSkins.

Maybe the problem with the samples taken from here last season wasn't the time lapse before they were processed as I had originally thought. I had taken the samples back to San Diego at the end of the rotation and their results were statistically significantly different from the other samples and so couldn't be included in my analysis. Now I realize that the area is so contaminated that that may have been why the results of my experiments were so different. There are cow, people and ATV tracks everywhere here. We saw cougar tracks too.

EVA 65: Biological and Geological Survey of the North Finger of Neilson Wash (Rocky and I). This was a pedestrian EVA.

I'm really not sure how to get around the contamination problem. It seems like we just straightened out the issue of water content/potential for the area around MDRS and when we try to move out into another area, we have another problem.

But it is interesting how this whole Coal Mine Wash thing worked in terms of analog/sim studies. Last year Jennifer and Andrew collected the samples from Coal Mine Wash-two non-biologists collecting samples the farthest away from the Hab because they could get there because we had the PEV. This year a biologist (me) goes on a rover mission and discovers an important point-the contamination of the area-that the non-biologists didn't think about. So things are building on each other. Which again asks the question-can you cross train a geologist or engineer to be a biologist on Mars?

Still need to figure out what to do about the contamination. Do we make all these areas off limits to richness studies?

The following waypoint was marked:

WP 46-4612', 0509605 E 4250250 N This is a terrific spot with desert varnish, fungi and all kinds of biological wonders. It is a rock outcrop where cows bed down but across a small gap is a flat-topped spire-if we could get on it we could look at migration patterns of the microbes here.

Sol Four

EVA 66: Scouting EVA to Little Wild Horse Mesa, Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley. Scouting was done from the Everest; no pedestrian scouting was done. See Factory Butte and Little Wild Horse Mesa topo maps for route.

The following waypoints were marked:

WP 47-- 4832', 0506922 E 4262099 N
Salt deposition flat, to the east gullies, slopes and rills, soil composition all the same so good test for water mapping. You can continue up the road to the north for more sites like this.

WP 48- 4711', 0507997 E 4262945 N
Wash, another great area for water mapping

WP 49-4544', 0508510 E 4264538 N
Muddy Creek Ford. More salt deposits and cow pies. Creek is bigger than anything we have seen so far, and contaminated by cattle. There is an old homestead out here -- marked on the map by a spring symbol. I did not mark the waypoint as I thought we would be returning this same way and I planned to do it on our return.

WP 50-4603', 0510901 E 4264859 N
Creekbeds on both sides of the road here-good for richness as no sign of cattle

WP not marked-4778', 0511416 E 4266008 N
Creekbed down in the canyon to the right of road (east) with vegetation. The colors of this landscape are amazing

WP 51-4746', 0511421 E 4266225 N
Entrance to the creek in WP 50. There are some trees here. Another richness prospect.

WP 52-4729', 0512045 E 4266315 N
Another good site for richness. There is some vegetation here though so be aware of it.

WP 53-4708', 0512098 E 4266144 N
Possible red swollen clay site, some contamination, water mapping only

WP 54-4665', 0512578 E 4265704 N
Excellent water mapping site to the right (south) of the road-various soils/terrain should make for an excellent study. Contamination does not appear to be a problem so perhaps all aspects of a richness study could be done here. There are possible sites all along this part of the road. Could do several days in a rover here.

WP 55-4940', 0517226 E 4270300 N
Parking lot to Little Wild Horse Mesa hiking trail, Goblin Valley State Park

WP 56-4817', 0520391 E 4269878 N
Side road to Fortress, Goblin Valley State Park

Little Wild Horse Canyon was not marked for waypoints, again because I thought we were going to return by the same route to Everest Gap and the canyon was so beautiful that I was just enjoying its beauty as we went through. Rocky and I believe there is plenty of both biology and geology that could be done in the Canyon, and a rover mission of several days duration should be planned for the future.

Sol Five

EVA 67: Scouting from Everest Gap along Uranium Mine Road. Scouting was done from the Everest, limited pedestrian scouting was done in our attempt to locate the uranium mine.

The following waypoints were marked:

WP 58-4700', 0507390 E 4258373 N
Beginning of the road to the Uranium Mine. This road is not marked on the map, but is very easy to spot from its beginning on the Factory Butte Road near Coal Mine Wash.

WP 59-5086', 0501120 E 4249902 N
End of the road for us, we turned around here. Road would have continued to Highway 24 but we had missed the uranium mine and so decided to try once more to find it. This route took us along the west side of North Caineville Reef, in a valley where many cows were present.

On the return trip, two waypoints were marked:

WP 60-5028', 0502956 E 4252713 N
Wooden cross marker-possibly road off to west leading to "ADIT" marked on map. Only later when we returned to the Hab did Jon confirm that this was the road to the mine. We had missed it.

WP 61-4855', 0504747 E 4256924 N
Road leading to the west where we thought the mine might be. It wasn't.

This marked the end of the Everest's first five-day mission.