Log Book for March 7, 2008

Engineering Report

Eric Harkleroad Reporting


Generator/Electricity:

Wendy

[**] Hobbs Meter: 3490.9 hrs [ +24.1 hrs since yesterday ]

Voltage: 119 VAC

Frequency: 59 Hz

Oil Level: 1/2

Oil Pressure: 30 PSI

Water Drained: no


Notes/Comments:
Wendy probably needs an oil change soon. We think she is due since she
has run for 133 hours since the beginning of our rotation (Hobbs meter
reading was 3358 on 3/1). Let us know if we can help with this.

Hobbs meter increase of slightly more than 24 hours may be due to
differences in time of day when the reading was taken.


Xantrex Inverter/Dynasty Batteries:

Time Voltage (Temp Comp) Load Temp Generator Running?
10:29 26.7 8.4A 5C yes
10:47 21.2 7A 5C no
14:00 26.8 8A 9C yes
19:23 26.6 7A 11C yes



Fuel Status (as of 18:30):

Diesel:

Approximate Reading: 5/8




Propane Tank:

Approximate Reading: 72% (720 gallons = 2725.5 L)




Gasoline:

Quantity Remaining: 49 gallons = 185.5 L [ no change since yesterday ]


Notes/Comments:
After discussing with Don, we think there may be a problem with the
hand spout attached to the barrel holding our gasoline reserve since it
should probably allow more than a trickle when opened (this is what we
currently get). We will try to investigate and find a workaround so we
can transfer gasoline to the jerry cans more quickly (current transfer
rate is about 1 gallon every 5-10 minutes).



Oil:

[*] GenSet Quantity: 20 quarts [ +12 quarts since yesterday ]

GenSet Quantity Resupplied: 12 quarts

[*] ATV Quantity: 13 quarts [ no change since yesterday ]

[*] V'ger Quantity: 0 quarts [ no change since yesterday ]


Notes/Comments:
V'ger offsite


Water Status:

Outside Potable Water Tank Level: 403 gallons = 1525.5 L

Trailer Potable Water Tank Level: 20 inches from the base

Potable Water Meter Reading: 26613.4 gallons = 100742.4 L
[ +39 gallons since yesterday ]

Out to Toilet Meter Reading: 8230 gallons = 31153.8 L
[ +9.7 gallons since yesterday ]

In to GreenHab Meter Reading: 7823 gallons = 29613.2 L
[ no change since yesterday ]

Dishwasher Runs: 0


Notes/Comments:
We found that last night one end of a garden hose fell out of the
outside tank and siphoned nearly all of the water onto the ground (we
had left both ends of the hose in the outside tank to avoid getting
dirt on the hose and in the tank). To prevent this issue in the future
we plan to either secure the hoses better or bring them inside when not
in use (thus avoiding both dirt and biblical floods). We received
resupply from Don today (much appreciated!) so we are OK.

Also, we found one issue causing difficulty pumping water into the hab
was the pump resting flat on the bottom of the outside tank (blocking
the pump's inlet). After discussion with Don, we plan to mount the pump
onto some kind of support so that it will not fall flat on the bottom
of the tank in the future.


GreenHab:

Crops Watered: yes


Crop Condition:
We used about 5 gallons of potable water to water the crops today since
they looked dry. This amount is included in the meter reading for
today.


Observatory:

not used


Transportation:




Kawasaki ATVs

ATV 1
Used: no
Oil Checked: no
[*] Tire Status: NO VALUE SUPPLIED

ATV 2
Used: no
Oil Checked: no
[*] Tire Status: NO VALUE SUPPLIED

ATV 3
Used: no
Oil Checked: no
[*] Tire Status: NO VALUE SUPPLIED


Notes/Comments:
EVA today did not use ATVs



Mars Surface Suits:
Packs 1,5,6 used today; no critical issues.


Computers/Networking Infrastructure:
Located a palm pilot (m130) in the lab and have begun using it to
collect and temporarily store data for this report while outside the
Hab (rather than using paper, which would probably not be brought from
Earth due to weight constraints). It does not currently have wifi (only
short-range infrared), so we cannot use it to monitor the power system
while outside the hab. Potential upgrade for the future would be to
install a wifi card and somehow interface it with the Xantrex system.



GreenHab:
We ran the manual grey water pump for 2 minutes today to transfer
greywater from the underground tank (behind the GreenHab) into the
GreenHab. The grey water tank was nearly full to the brim before
pumping, so we plan to continue pumping for 2 minutes each day to avoid
overflow.

inside
time temp hum
10:13 88F 13%
13:28 77F 15%
19:00 73F 16%
outside
time temp hum
10:13 48.2F 16%
13:28 53.4F 13%
19:00 46.2F 12%