If Tomorrow Never Comes

03

SOL 36

"The problem is water..." Mark trailed.

INT./EXT - ROVER - DAY

Mark trudged out to the Mars Descent Vehicle (MDV) -- the lander that brought the six of them to Mars. He delicately began to remove the Hydrazine tank from the undercarriage.

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Mark said into the camera, "I've created one-hundred and twenty-six square meters of soil. But each cubic meter needs forty liters of water to be farmable. So, I gotta make a lot of water. Fortunately, I know the recipe. Take hydrogen. Add oxygen. Burn. Unfortunately... burn. I have hundreds of liters of unused Hydrazine from the MDV. If I run the Hydrazine over an iridium catalyst, it'll separate into N2 and H2..."

INT. HAB - DAY

Mark duct taped torn trash-bags to create a tent, which he used to cover his work table.

Mark tore an air hose from one of the space suits, taped it to the tent and hung it from the roof. Now he had a chimney.

He vented pure oxygen from a tank, lights it with a spark from battery wires. There was a whoosh. He pointed the flame at the wood shavings and had a small torch.

Mark held the torch and started the Hydrazine flow. The Hydrazine sizzled on the iridium and disappeared.

Mark looked up to the chimney. Flame bursts started sputtering out from the hose. Mark grinned, glad it was working.

Mark checked his instruments. He checked the temperature carefully. Mark repeated the process.

Mark was wearing the protective inner lining of his EVA suit along with goggles. An oxygen mask hung around his neck.

INT. HAB - DAY

Mark spoke directly to the camera. He was standing in the middle of what looked like a mad-scientist's chemistry experiment.

Mark said, "Then I just need to direct the hydrogen into a small area and burn it. Luckily, in the history of humanity, nothing bad has ever happened from lighting hydrogen on fire."

He stared into the camera and continued. "Believe it or not, the challenge has been finding something that will hold a flame. NASA hates fire. Because of the whole "fire makes everyone die in space" thing. So everything we brought with us is flame retardant. With the notable exception of... Martinez' personal items."

He held up Martinez' pack and removed a small wooden cross. "Sorry, Martinez. If you didn't want me to go through your stuff, you shouldn't have left me for dead on a desolate planet." He started shaving the cross down with a knife. "I figure God won't mind, considering the situation."

INT. HAB - DAY

Mark was still working on getting water. He looked exhausted. He went through the procedure once again. He glanced at the atmospheric analyzer.

"Hm," Mark hummed. "Is that right? Doesn't give it a second thought."

Mark struck the torch again and a loud boom sounded.

The explosion was loud, fast, and contained. It blasted Mark clear across the room. He hit the ground like a wet rag.

INT. HAB - DAY

Mark spoke to camera. His clothes were somewhat scorched. His hair was singed in patches.

"So," Mark began. "Yes. I blew myself up. Best guess? I forgot to account for the excess oxygen I've been exhaling when I did my calculations. Because I'm stupid."

He was still dazed and a little out of it.

He continued after a moment. "Interesting side note: this is how Jet Propulsion Laboratory was founded. Five guys at Cal Tech were trying to make rocket fuel and nearly burned down their dorm. Rather than expel them, Professor... Von Karman? I want to say... banished them to a nearby farm in Pasadena and told them to keep working. And now we have a space program. See? I pay attention. I'm gonna get back to work. As soon as my ears stop ringing."