Summer Stench
One factor which slowed down the team’s progress was the unavoidable intense Arizona heat. No one knew exactly whether the heat would affect what was inside the mysterious hatch. However, to protect whatever was inside as well as themselves, they set up a tent over the whole project.
They also placed a Sonotube cardboard structure around the entrance to prevent any damage to things while they worked. When they finished the cement, it seemed as if they were ready to go down the hatch, but they were still missing something.