Artist's Comments: Typical mining group for extracting haematite ore from Mars surface regolith....essentially thinly shaving the ground in an open-cast pit.

Steel can be smelted on Mars by using carbon extracted from CO2, or manufactured methane, as a substitute for the more traditional Earth-based process of using carbon in the form of coke derived from coal.

Other minerals, such as sulphates, could be extracted using the same equipment.