Summary

Mark follows his tracks back to the Hab. On the third day of his return, Mark gets a signal from the Hab and knows he’s just a day away. He is jubilant that his trek to the Pathfinder and back was a success. It will be twice as far to Ares 4. He checks the air levels and fires up the oxygenator and atmospheric regulator. Everything is back to “normal.” He’d been gone three weeks. He drives back to the green flag and reburies the RTG.

The Pathfinder mission had been a failure because the lander experienced a critical failure. Mark brings the Sojourner inside thinking it just may need power to function again. He suits up and removes the battery from the lander and brings it inside. He rigs a way to recharge it and waits, hoping it works. The next...