Our high school team hopes to present our Mars colonization project at an international science competition in Boston (iGEM). A Martian colony must make efficient use of the planet’s limited resources. Martian soil contains high levels of perchlorate (ClO4) making it toxic. Our team is developing an automated prototype for ClO4 extraction, its conversion to rocket fuel, and its genetically engineered biodegradation to oxygen. Remediated soil can then be recycled for construction and agriculture.