EVA #24 Report

April 25, 2008

Henrik Hargitai


Time:
1230-1500


Crew Members:
Hargitai H., Boros-Oláh M., Teploczky I.


Site Location:
Planned: to Maxwell Montes
Realized: unnamed roads from Cactus to Candor Chasma to Scylla and
Charybdis to the Hab


Transit Mode:
ATV


Objectives:
To test MAST


Lessons Learned:
Post EVA analysis - MAST
We wanted to go to Maxwell Montes. We selected Cactus Road. From the
main road there was no arrow on the program, but we could find it in the
map quadrant view. On the software we also could not find out how to
turn at the cactus rd junction - but again, clicking to the appropriate
map quadrant we could find the way. At the end of the road we could not
find which one was Maxwell Montes in the panorama view, since there was
no indication of North/South directions (it is W of the road).
While looking at the software images, we tried to verbalize the way:
"two rocks, riverbed, xx Mountain, two rocks again, bumpy road" etc.,
It would be good to have such verbal hints for better memorizing the
pictures.
In the field: first we took the wrong road (Chapman), which looked very
familiar at its dead end (U turn tracks) from MAST. We returned to the
main road and found the right one using GPS and map. Then what I saw
was that it goes into a rock field at the foot of a rocky hill and
turned back to find the right way, but Móni told me that those rocks
are very familiar, the road is in between. She was right - that was a
positive indication that the software helped in finding our way. We had
lost the road 3 times, since it was crossed by or joined by unnamed
roads, which clearly had car tracks and which are indicated as dashed
lines or nothing on the map. I think we should add these roads to the
map, especially when they join other roads with clear red signs and
indicating where they join other roads - and name all of them. After
that we turned back and went home, in a - after a while - totally
unknown road, which turned out to join the main road near Scylla and
Charybdis. We could not reach our target because we had to tow the
ATV (could not be started in neutral).
And today is Sol 13!