September 24-26, 2004
Salar Grande, Atacama Desert, Chile
Antofagasta, Chile

Agenda
• Pack and load equipment for transport
• Travel 700km south
• Rest and resupply

Status and Progress
Prepared to relocate. Work is now complete at our first investigation site near Salar Grande in the north coastal range of the Atacama. Camp has been taken down and closed up. All equipment has repacked into crates except Zoë. In order to save time we have decided to ship Zoë assembled to the next investigation site (Site C) and so we arranged a larger transport vehicle to carry both the crates and rover. After some effort getting the truck into position and getting our equipment to a location that the truck could reach, everything was finally packed and secured for transport south.

Traveled south. We departed Salar Grande for another year and traveled south along the coast to Antofagasta. Everyone appreciated a shower and sleeping in a bed. We made final logistical arrangements for the Guanaco field site for food, fuel and to arrange cargo deliver and satellite set-up. We spend time studying satellite images and topographic maps to determine our rover operations and science investigation areas. This will have to be finalized once we arrive a the site and become more familiar with the environment.

Upcoming
• Arrive at central desert location
• Establish camp
• Establish satellite connection

Weather
Day: Clear, sunny, warm 20C, light ocean breeze, 60% humidity (nice Antofagasta weather)

Quote of the Day
"The rest days are harder than the work days."

For more information on Life in the Atacama including images, movies, and field reports see: http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/atacama