Availability of Resources Most products derived from biological processes on Earth do not exist on Mars. For example, there are no products from trees, such as wood and paper pulp, because trees require more water, space, and nutrient resources than are currently available. We must use alternatives made from metals, ceramics, glass, or plastic: On Earth, plastics are made from oil. Mars has no oil. We must use carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and hydrogen to get carbon monoxide. This is combined with more hydrogen to make water and ethylene. Ethylene (C2H4) is the building block of all plastics and makes a great engine fuel. The water can be consumed or split to make oxygen and more hydrogen. We need lots of water. Water can be mined from underground ice or from the polar ice caps. We can also vacuum up frost from the rocks in winter. Some water can also be baked out of the Martian dirt. We can make glass, fiberglass, and ceramics from the sands and clays in the Martian regolith. Metal products are essential to our survival. Hematite, a mineral, can be mined and processed for its valuable iron content.