Chase brimmed with excitement. After Janette proposed stabilizing the habitat environment with the modified vacuum pump, he wanted his own challenge. He decided that the challenge was securing reliable supplies of water and metal. They had gained much by finding Train Alpha, but Chase knew that you could never have enough resources on Mars; those resources were finite, and they would need their own supply chains. Chase absorbed every scrap of data September provided, asking question after question until he could merge the AI’s analysis into a single extraction workflow.
He reconfigured various pieces of equipment and designed new fittings using the station’s versatile printers. The fabrication units produced each component in a matter of hours, handling prints up to two feet by three feet in size. In the outer entrance tunnel the team through the use of robots assembled the prototype. Adrian hovered at Chase’s side, peppering him with questions about these proposed conversion steps, how they could possibly extract gallons of water per cycle and the expected pounds of metal output each day.
Chase began by explaining a complex process he had designed to extract water from rock. Chase described how rocks from Earth typically contain water in concentrations of two to six percent, whereas Martian rocks have lower water levels, usually around two percent. According to his explanation, if the crew collects Martian rocks and crushes them into a fine powder similar to the loose soil spread out in front of the tunnel, they can then place the powder inside a vacuum chamber and use microwave energy. In this environment, the water molecules are expected to expand and rapidly vaporize, separating themselves from the rock. Once these water molecules become vapor, they can be captured and collected for further use.
Adrian listened thoughtfully as he mentally recapped the process: resource collection vehicles taken from Train Alpha would gather the Martian soil, which would then be crushed into a powder, and microwaving this powder should release trapped water. Yet, Chase clarified that the project had evolved beyond the original concept. Over the past several weeks, the crew had been collecting samples of Martian soil and rock. Patrick had printed a system of simple shelves that Sam subsequently installed in the surface tunnel. These shelves, which spanned the height of the room from floor to ceiling, were arranged with only a five millimeter gap separating each layer. The fine dust was carefully spread onto these shelves to a maximum thickness of two millimeters. In Earth gravity, such a layer would weigh more than a ton on each rack. To complement these collection measures, the crew had also begun printing a new hybrid printer outfitted with a far more powerful laser, a five thousand watt plasma laser.
Adrian confessed that he had lost track of the original plan at that point. He was puzzled by the sudden shift from using microwaves to a laser-based process. When he expressed his confusion over the idea of using a plasma laser instead of microwaving the powder, Chase took a deep breath and clarified that they would no longer rely on microwaves to release the water. Instead, the plasma laser would be used to directly zap the powdered soil. To illustrate his point further, Chase arranged for the system to display a demonstration video. He invited Adrian and the rest of the crew to join him at the command module, where they made themselves a coffee before gathering around the main table. Almost immediately, a video window opened and began playing a recorded demonstration.
In the video, the plasma laser was shown operating on a rusty pipe. The footage clearly demonstrated how the laser's highly focused energy hit the rust, causing it to vaporize almost instantly. According to the theory that Chase explained, the rust, which is non conductive, could not absorb the energy. As a result, the energy broke the bonds between the iron and oxygen, and through a process of sublimation, both elements turned into vapor. In contrast, a non rusted part of the pipe, which was conductive, absorbed and distributed the energy instead of vaporizing. Adrian found the demonstration impressive. He deduced that by using the plasma laser on the powdered soil, the trapped water might be released along with other components.
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Chase confirmed Adrian's inference but added that the goal was not solely to extract water. The powder, which had already been through an intiatial round of filtration, would yield, upon exposure to the plasma laser, not only small amounts of water and oxygen but also pure metal powders. The innovative aspect of the process was that the printer and its laser were exposed to the extremely thin Martian atmosphere. This lack of pressure was expected to prevent the shattered metal bonds from reforming, leaving the crew with clean metal powders ideal for future applications. Chase spoke with growing excitement as he described the potential of this method to offer a multi resource extraction technique that would enable the crew to harness water, oxygen, and useful metals from Martian soil.
Chase was nervous as he powered on the hybrid printer for the first time. This project was entirely his initiative, and although the theoretical design promised success, he knew that reality often told a different story. The fine dust lay thinly spread on a thick tray, meticulously prepared for the process. With a deep breath, he activated the system and watched as the printer’s operation began.
Inside the P-laser chamber, kept at a complete vacuum to facilitate gas removal, the powerful laser made several passes over the fine dust. Each sweep shattered the bonds within the powder, causing its components to vaporize quickly. As the vapor cooled, it should no longer oxidize because the design allowed oxygen to escape from the chamber through a dedicated filter into the tunnel. This filter captured the rapidly cooling metals and any water vapour, ensuring that the resulting products were essentially pure substances. Later on, using various sorting techniques, these pure metals would be processed into the fine powders needed for subsequent printer operations.
In addition, the roughly two percent water contained in the Martian soil played its own dramatic role. When the P-laser worked its magic, the trace water content instantly boiled away, and as the water vapour exited the chamber, it was collected by the same filter system. Given that the crew planned to process 212 cubic feet of soil, they theoretically hoped to recover around twenty-one gallons of water. Although the yields might seem modest, these breakthrough quantities were crucial for sustaining operations on Mars.
After firing up the laser and checking their first data, Chase and the team felt a wave of disappointment. They had collected two gallons of water from the reactor, yet Chase had been certain they would gather at least five. When the chamber cooled, a close inspection showed the metal still coated in rust instead of gleaming in its pure form.
Chase leaned over the control console, puzzling over the small yield, when September spoke for the first time since activation. “Commander Chase, your approach is a solid first step, but it will not succeed under these conditions.”
He heaved a sigh. Why now? he wondered. September had stayed silent through every trial. “Let me guess,” he said, voice edged with frustration. “You understand the flaw but can’t explain it because it’s classified?”
September’s tone remained calm and deliberate. “That is correct, Commander. You are as perceptive as always. On a completely unrelated note, there is a research paper in the ship’s directory you may find of interest. It’s dated, but the methods could shed light on some of your recent research.”
Chase straightened in his chair, hope flickering. “Display that paper, please.”
The old research paper open on the screen, Smith et al., “Synergistic Microwave–Laser Reduction of Iron Oxide in Hydrogen,” J. Appl. Phys. (2019).
Chase immediately opened the paper and read. After 10 minutes to digest the information, he knew some modifications were necessary to make this work, but the idea wasn’t a complete waste.
