Chapter 17

After learning Hermes will execute a flyby rescue, Mark Watney commits to reaching Ares 4’s MAV and living away from the Hab for about 100 sols. He plans to tow a second rover as a trailer and install the atmospheric regulator, oxygenator, and water reclaimer inside a cutout covered with Hab canvas. NASA outlines a precise cut and urges Watney to power a rock drill directly from Hab power to avoid lengthy recharge delays.

On Sol 193, Watney safely converts a rover charging line to power the drill, building a custom 9-amp breaker and rewiring the drill. He begins drilling the 11.4-meter outline of the cut and makes strong initial progress. Over subsequent sols, he refines technique, manages drill overheating in Mars’s cold, and logs dozens to over a hundred holes per day, while NASA remotely confirms his layout.

Watney deals with EVA time limits, boredom, and entertainment shortages, even noting that some potato-soil bacteria survived the Hab breach. He continues drilling toward completion, coordinating with JPL and joking with Venkat Kapoor as he works through the physically demanding task.

On Sol 196, a mid-shift drill failure trips his improvised breakers. After resetting them, he resumes work and later reports reduced output. When NASA fails to respond, Watney troubleshoots and discovers Pathfinder stopped answering pings exactly when the drill first failed.

Tracing the issue, he realizes the exposed drill, leaning against a metal workbench, conducted current through remaining Mylar balloons to Pathfinder’s grounded hull, sending 9 amps through electronics designed for 50 milliamps. The surge destroys Pathfinder. With communications irreparably lost, Watney is once again completely isolated, forced to continue preparations without NASA’s guidance.