EVA Report
Date: 8 Dec 2012
Written by: Dan Wilcox
(NOTE: Names of features in report are crew specific)
EVA Sol 8 A
Transit Mode: Walking
Duration: 1h 46m 14:14 - 16:00
Distance: 2.84 km
Crew & Equipment
Leader: Lisa Stewart, Suit 6
XO: Habib Palenfo, Suit 4
Nav & Steno: Dan Wilcox, Suit 3
Waypoints
1 518078 4251880 Far side of northern hills
2 519663 4252050 Feature dubbed the “Monk’s Pate” for it’s layering and rim of rock resembling a certain medieval hairstyle
Est distance: 3.1 km
Est duration (not counting stops): ~1.25 h, at 2 kph
Est duration (counting stops): 2.25 h
Objectives
1. Investigate the hills ~1 km North of the Hab
2. Collect different colored clay (bentonite) samples to test usage as pigments
3. Practice use of the handheld GPS units for finding waypoints
Results
Dan successfully collected 6 powered bentonite samples of varying colors. The sample locations were photographed and heading & coordinates logged. We did not complete circumnavigation of the Northern hills due to time as the clay sampling took much longer then expected. Usage of the GPS units was straightforward, no problems reported.
In the sampling area, Habib and Lisa were practicing orienting with both handheld gps and compass and noticed that around 300 m north of the Hab at roughly 518321 4251140, there is some sort of magnetic interference within the hillside that pulls the compass needle towards the west. Habib also checked using the compass on his mobile phone with the same result and notes that the Sand Dunes in Southern CO exhibit similar magnetic activity. Both walked about a 20 meter long arc and noticed movement of the needle towards a definite point, suggesting this magnetic anomaly is relatively small. It is perhaps some sort of magnetized, ferrous rock within the hill. We recommend returning to the area to try and map out it’s location.
Lessons Learned
1. Sample collecting and location logging are time consuming
2. It’s best to have a single, definite objective for each EVA instead of having multiple, possibly conflicting goals
3. We need to work on definite roles and split up work to help each other. I (Dan) collected and logged each sample myself, which took much more time then if we have split up the collection, logging, and documentation.