Commander's Report
February 18, 2008
Randall Shelaga

The crew is complete and started Boot Camp today!

Today was the first day of the rotation with a complete crew. Sleeping
assignments were finalised and the crew settled in to the daily
routine. The day started quite normally, with a breakfast of
freeze-dried granola and blueberries and our EVA Briefing. Don, the
local Mars Society representative came to verify the crews handover
training and answer any open questions that they had, and from all
signs we are ready for our rotation!

This morning also found an old friend from my Expediton Alpha (Crew 30)
rotation still haunting the HAB...Private Ham, the stuffed space chimp
that reported on the progress of Crew 30 was still keeping a watchful
eye on the crews.

After some housekeeping tasks, the crew prepped the EVA electronics,
synchronising the GPS, Digital Camera and Video Camera times. With the
Station secured, the entire crew departed on EVA00 to the south-east of
the station to spend some time together as a group and to explore the
geology of the area. The crew was introduced to the basics of radio
voice procedures and the use of GPSs.

Upon our arrival back from EVA00, we discovered that Wendy had shut
down due to fuel starvation, the Primary Diesel Tank and the
On-Generator Tank were both empty. All non-essential systems were shed
and we continued to operate on battery power, as we evaluated the
situation. The station was switched to the first Back-Up Generator and
we are conserving energy in an attempt to extend the fuel reserves. We
will implement a charge/battery power cycle and reduce temperature in
the Station to minimise the amount of power used by the furnace.

In last nights Engineering Report, the Diesel Tank Level reported was
accurate based on the tank gauge reading, however, the morning check
revealed that the gauge had dropped to "Empty" during the interim
period. A point should be taken to ensure replenishment at a higher
level to compensate for gauge inaccuracies and ensure adequate levels
are maintained.

Ultimately, this minor inconvenience is probably a good thing, in that
it reminds us of our dependance on our power and environmental systems
and refocuses us on being efficient with the resources available to the
Station. Our problem pales in comparison to the challenges faced by
previous crews this season and the problems that have and will be faced
by space explorers.

Tonight we plan to continue our exploration into Geology with an
introductory briefing by Cassandra Marion (Executive Officer/Crew
Geologist). Soon we will all want our own pet rocks.

Tomorrow, day two of Boot Camp, we plan on familiarising the crew with
the Sim-Suits and train them in the safe operation of the ATVs, while
building on their knowledge of GPS and navigation.

Ut Mars per erudio!