Friday 27th September

The fully loaded Magplane is very heavy and proves difficult to taxi and cannot generate enough lift for takeoff. After, many test runs Allen eventually settles for a full throttle taxi of about 70 meters and flight testing halts.

The magnetometer group takes advantage of the work done by the trail cutter team and followed their trail all the way to the nearly impassable pampa at the southern rim while taking magnetic readings. They further opened this trail all the way to the crater’s southern rim by avoiding a difficult pampa and using an abandoned river channel. Along the river channel Gunther notices pebble-like sediment (mud pebbles) and then discovers a brecciated sediment layer cut by the river and indicating severe flooding in the past. The team is very tired from the difficult trip and goes to bed early to prepare for tomorrows attempt to reach the center of the crater.

The biology team finishes their work for this expedition and embark on the, now recognized, arduous overnight trip back down river from Palmasola.

Eyewitness Report: A team member's anecdotes about the day's events. Coming soon!
Slideshow: A visual tour of the day's events. Coming soon!
Video: Multimedia materials Coming soon!
Science Data: Scientific input and discoveries from each day Coming soon!
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