Space Cannon

The brainchild of astronomer Percival Lowell, and backed financially by William Randolph Hearst, the space cannon is both the cause of the incidents in Martian Dreams, as well as what made the 1895 rescue effort -- and a return trip -- possible.

History
Lowell had discovered a new substance called phlogistonite, the explosive properties of which were so powerful, that it could launch a train-sized "bullet" into space. Hearst financed the construction of the first space cannon for Lowell, in exchange for exclusive rights to the story. Unfortunately, the cannon was sabotaged and launched a day early (by Rasputin, though this was still unknown at the time) in 1893, with many prominent world figures on board (as seen in the Martian Dreams introduction cinematic), stranding them on Mars.

When signals were spotted originating from the red planet in Morse code, a rescue expedition was mounted. Completed in 1895, the second space bullet launched successfully, with the time-traveling Avatar and Dr. Spector on board, as well as a number of other well-known names of the Victorian era.

Soon after landing on Mars, the rescue expedition discovered that construction of another space cannon made for a return trip to Earth was already underway, under the supervision of Andrew Carnegie. Following a complex series of events involving gathering various resources to get the second cannon fully-operational, it was eventually finished and sent the stranded humans -- as well as some hitchiking Martians -- back to Earth.