No romance de fontes , ele inicialmente deixa de fazer água em torno do Sol 60, tendo determinado que ele conheceu necessidades de água para o futuro previsível.
I finished making water some time ago. I’m no longer in danger of blowing myself up. The potatoes are growing nicely. Nothing has conspired to kill me in weeks. And seventies TV keeps me disturbingly more entertained than it should. Things are stable here on Mars. It’s time to start thinking long-term.
Em torno do Sol 112, e basicamente por insistência da NASA, vemos que ele está usando consertando o reaproveitador de água, preparando-se para sua longa jornada e como reserva, caso seu suprimento de água se esgote.
Okay, technically I’m lying. The plants aren’t entirely water-neutral. They strip the hydrogen from some of it (releasing the oxygen) and use it to make the complex hydrocarbons that are the plant itself. But it’s a very small loss and I made like 600 liters of water from MDV fuel. I could take baths and still have plenty left over.
NASA, however, is absolutely shitting itself. They see the water reclaimer as a critical survival element. There’s no backup, and they think I’ll die instantly without it. To them, equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it’s “Tuesday.”
Mas sim, o pensamento de Mark é muito parecido com o seu; " Ei, NASA, o que diabos eu vou fazer com toda essa água? "