Today we were all hoping that the main 20 KW generator would be repaired and we could have the luxury of continuous and full power in the Hab. However, repairs were not completed until after 14:00, so the trip was postponed until tomorrow.

I had already turned over command to Tim, so instead of resuming command, I decided to spend the time troubleshooting the lack of tail lights in the big blue truck that the Society keeps here at the Hab for transport to the real world. Jody had planned a couple of EVAs to sites that looked interesting, so Kim and April suited up and took the first EVA.

They went up to White Rock Canyon, which about 3 km south of the Hab. Jody picked this area because is was below the level of the Hab, and would show us layers we had not seen before. We also wanted to take a close look at the canyon as a possible backdrop for filming by the Discovery Channel Canada team that will be arriving Thursday. As it turns out, even though the canyon would have been easily accessible for the film crew, it was also easily accessible to everyone else in the region, and there were many signs of humans in the area. Lith Canyon is still our first choice for this exercise.

Meanwhile, I began scrounging for a length of wire that I could use to repair the blue truck. Testing by myself and a couple of real mechanics had shown us the the fault was somewhere between the wiring harness connector plug in the engine compartment, and the harness at the rear of the truck. Rather than spend hours trying to find where the fault actually was, I decided to just run a length of wire from our known point of good connectivity to the tail lights, and connect it there.

Fortunately I had a couple of things in my favor. The truck is a 1983 Ford F350, and unlike today's cars, there was lots of room inside the engine compartment to poke around. It is also a 4 wheel drive and sits very high off the ground. I could easily slide under the frame to run the wire.

I had just gotten to the point of actually running the wire when Kim and Jody returned, and it was lunch time. After de-suiting, I was glad to see that Jody immediately debriefed the EVA team. Even though neither of them were trained geologists, Jody's earlier training had given them a basic understand of what to look for and what to notice, and he was able to pull details and impressions from them.

After lunch, Jody and Tim went to the Muddy Creek canyon system, about 8 km north of the Hab. Jody picked this area because it was also below the level of the Hab. His report on both EVAs can be found in detail in the Geology section of today's activities.

During the second EVA I continued working on the truck. After clearing away the debris of earlier trailer wiring connections, I was able to isolate the correct wire, hook up my newly run wire, and voila, working tail lights. Sometimes the old technology ain't so bad, especially if you have to repair it out in the middle of the desert with nothing but old parts to work with.

Tonight is absolutely cloudless, and the techno geeks of the crew are again out in the MUSK observatory as I write this. The Kim/Tim/Derek show should give us some fine views of the Jupiter tonight.

The crew seems to be just now settling into the routine, and we are just now realizing that the end of our two weeks here is coming to an end very soon. But isn't that the way it always is. But the last days will be hectic, installing the main generator, preparing for the Discovery Channel Canada crew, and preparing for the incoming team. At least none of us will be bored.