Day 9 of Boot Camp started with another beautiful day with clear skies.
We were go for EVA!

Breakfast consisted of the standard Granola with Blueberries, with some
of the crew opting for the optional porridge, with all of its "stick to
your ribs" goodness. The dishes were quickly cleaned and the crew was
ready for a full crew out-of-sim field trip.

As part of the Expedition Mars Analogue Research Training Series
(ExMATS) program we combine in-sim and out-of-sim activities to
maximize the training provided to our crewmembers. Today we were
taking the Crew Exploration Vehicle, a rented Dodge Caravan down the
road to an area near the base of Factory Butte...our objective was Coal
Mine Wash. Oooohing and aaaaahing at the magnificent scenery of the
Utah desert, buttes, mountains and canyons, we quickly arrived at our
destination.

We exited the CEV and the wash stood before us in all of its
magnificance. The crew was quickly down to the wash floor with the
walls of sandstone towering to either side. This was the perfect place
to train the crew on the Field Documentation Methodology (FDM) and to
conduct some more Geology Field Training. I ran the crew through FDM,
a standard approach to maximize the data collected and to present it to
our remote science team in the most logical way. FDM progressively
collects photographs and data from the larger panoramic outlook right
down to sample collection. "Fam" then took the crew to the side of the
wash for a wall-side lecture on stratigraphy and how it helps you
interpret the history of area. I noticed out of the corner of my eye
that "Fam" was chewing on some dirt...to which she claimed she was
classifying it...was it clay, silt, sand.... Personally, I think she
was hungry. As quickly as we arrived, it was time to leave.

Since we were out-of-sim, a quick decision was made by the crew to
visit one of the local restaurants in Hanksville, foregoing our regular
fare. The whole crew fell into plates of hamburgers, french fries,
onion rings and jalapeno poppers, as if we were foraging for winter.
Soon enough we would be back in the Station and under sim conditions
once again.

Back home, we quickly started working on downloading our photographs,
GPS tracklogs and starting a loaf of bread in the bread machine.
Tonight we will dine lightly and enjoy each others company, as our days
as a crew are quickly ticking down. A few more presentations, a few
more episodes of "Firefly" and we will be handing our Station over to
the next crew.

Tomorrow, we have planned three EVAs -- one to continue the sampling of
the Microbial Viability Study, a second to collect data for the GPS
Precision Study and a third, which we are calling the Engineers Day
Out, a chance for the Engineers to explore this beautiful area as a
team. The question I ask myself is; will the Station be safe in the
hands of the Science team? Only time will tell.

Later this week Phillip ("Blondie") will hold a couple of online
outreach conferences, discussing our mission with schools across the US
and Canada.

Time to rejoin the crew and see how the picture selection is
progressing.

Until tomorrow!

Ut Mars per erudio!