This next bit will make interesting reading...
January 4th, 2025 : Geo-Survey ship reports that the Moon is barren. No useful minerals. Rat-boogers!
January 6th, 2025 : Geo-Survey ship reports that Mercury is barren. No useful minerals. Double-rat-boogers!
January 7th, 2025 : Commander Billy Bob's Geo-Survey ship reports massive deposits of Trans-Neutonian minerals on Mars, including
both of the scarce elements that he was sent out to find. Preliminary reports indicate 334,084 tons of Neutronium at 70% purity (compared to 34,684 tons at 20% purity here on Earth), 6,853,924 tons (!) of Sorium at 60% purity (compared to 39,875 tons at 70% purity here on Earth), 417,316 tons of Uridium at 50% purity (compared to 15,964 tons at 20% purity here on Earth), and 5,035,536 tons of low-grade Gallicite at 10% purity (compared to 37,608 tons at 40% purity here on Earth.
... and Mars is simply the ideal spot to find these minerals, because it is the only body in the Solar System (aside from the Earth itself) that can support large numbers of Colonists at our current tech level.
Commander Billy Bob has solved both the Neutronium resource crisis and the Sorium resource crisis at a single stroke, only one week after receiving his orders! Commander Billy Bob may have just handed us the keys to the Galaxy!
A quick consultation between the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Planetary Governor results in the following announcement:
Commander Billy Bob, commanding officer of the ESN Agassiz Geo-Survey vessel, has been awarded The Order of Paradox, for conspicuous service to the cause of Humanity. The award includes a 100 point bonus towards his next promotion.
The possibility of awarding a Knighthood has been raised in the Planetary Council meetings. (I do have that ability in-game, by the way)