Mars Material - John Arthur Neal

Mars Material is realistic, fact-based science fiction, grounded in character-driven drama and romance. Cooperation must replace competition if the teams from six nations and coalitions are to survive on the deadly surface of Mars.

The novel opens with NASA crew recruitment. Those who get eliminated just aren’t "Mars material." Due to a terrorist attack on the eve of liftoff, Karen and her fellow junior astronauts end up crewing NASA’s mission to the Red Planet. They are led by their trainers, a beer-bellied ex-space station worker and an aging female Air Force Colonel.

Karen, a med school student and nurse’s aide, becomes the ship’s doctor. She has to deal with a variety of medical emergencies, including battle wounds as the six crews fight over supplies.

Karen falls in love with a member of the Japanese team. With her two best friends, she steals the NASA rover and braves a sandstorm to rescue him from an attack on his base. She has to convince the combatants to cease fire and join forces so that all may survive.