Signor has been active in Texas real estate and energy businesses (depending on the cycle) since the early 1990s, and was working on an industrial park in South Texas when he saw the spartan state of temporary housing that was springing up to house drilling workers in the fast-developing oilfields there.

FORBES: Building A Better Man Camp Means Growth For Signor Development Group

Now fast-forward to 2013, where in the past few weeks the Curiosity rover has been drilling into some different rocks half a planet away, inside a deep basin formed by the Gale impact crater.

CNN: Have a drink on Mars