EVA Report – February 17th

EVA #10

Author: D. Robson, Commander

Purpose of EVA: Region Exploration and Sample Collection from Moon Regions

Start time: 1000

End time: 1245

Narrative: Warned about the potential for snow the previous night, the crew decided to cautiously undertake the EVA and continue monitor the weather system forming on the Southern Mountain to determine whether cancelling the EVA mid-way through would be necessary. The team began pre-EVA preparations at 0925 hrs, and entered the airlock for depressurization at 1006 hrs. The team of 4 headed North from the Hab along Cow Dung Road on the rovers Curiosity and Opportunity. They remained on this road for a while heading towards to Moon, losing contact with the Hab at 1011 near Galileo Road as expected. As they crossed Tank Wash it was noted Opportunity’s SOC was around 72% and Curiosity’s only a few % higher. The team turned West onto Brahe Highway and drove across the Moon Region, until they decided to stop a few hundred meters short of the Copernicus Highway turn off, due to Opportunity having 62% SOC remaining.

From here, the crew walked West along the road a bit more, but after finding a suitable location to explore from the road, turned NNE and headed into the Grey Moon area. Here they obtained a couple of samples from the grey material and dried riverbeds. Following river channels, they headed East, and encountered a reddish area near the joining of a few stream beds. It was here they obtained several samples including what were very clearly fossilised shells of ancient snails and limpets. A very exciting find.

They summited the hill by the red stream bed and spotted an interesting crevice where a larger stream used to flow. Following this for a few hundred metres they encountered other interesting sample sites that included what in the wet season would be a small waterfall as part of the wash at the crevice’s end which made for some good samples and photos. Spotting that Skyline Ridge and the peaks to the North West of them were becoming clouded, the team decided to return to the rovers by following the crevice back and then immediately turning back towards the road. They briefly stopped for some photos in-front of a grey lunar hill, in preparation for outreach events to celebrate 50 years since the Apollo 11 landings later this year. The crew returned to the rovers by 1200 and headed back towards Cow Dung Road along Brahe Highway. They briefly stopped again to GPS mark an interesting stratified ridge line to explore at a later date, and near Tank Wash to observe a proposed route to walk from that area to Murphy’s Canyon. The crew had returned to the Hab by 1240, and in the nick of time too, as within half an hour snow flurries had begun outside the Hab window, which has led to the second EVA of the day being cancelled.

Destination: Grey Moon

Coordinates: 0516450/4254400 (parked rovers)

Participants: Daniel Robson (CO), Nathan Hadland (GHO), Dave Masaitis (HSO), Veronica Trivino (ENG)

Roads and routes per MDRS Map: Driving North on Cow Dung Road (1572), turning West onto Brahe Highway (1575), and then walking around Grey Moon area.

Mode of Travel: Driving (Curiosity and Opportunity) and Walking

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