Chapter 10

On Sols 90–93, Mark Watney navigates across Acidalia Planitia using Phobos and terrain features, aiming to come within range of the Hab beacon. He briefly detects the signal, then fully reacquires it and confirms he is roughly 25 kilometers away. He reflects on isolation and the discomfort of extended rover travel.

On Sol 94, Watney reaches the Hab and revels in open space. He restarts the oxygenator and atmospheric regulator, verifies the crops survived, and services humidity-related risks with systems checks. He repositions the solar panels from the rover back to the Hab grid, leaves the Pathfinder lander outside to avoid RF blocking by the Hab canvas, and drives the RTG back to its original dump site for safety.

On Sol 95, he begins repairs. Inside, he cleans Sojourner’s solar panels and sets it under light, hoping it can run off panel power. Outside, he diagnoses Pathfinder’s dead battery, rigs a 1.5V supply from Hab power via a voltage controller, and installs a rover environment heater in the battery bay to warm the lander’s electronics.

On Sol 96, Watney waits, explaining that a moved high-gain antenna will reveal contact after Earth-based stations notice and respond. He notes possible delays from cold and daylight windows. Sojourner remains inert awaiting commands.

In a final system log, Pathfinder boots, reports numerous degraded sensors, and broadcasts status. It acquires a telemetry signal, confirming Watney’s repair succeeded and foreshadowing restored communication with Earth.