Producing Oxygen on Mars

Science fiction doesn’t exist anymore. NASA dreams of colonies on Mars and millions dream of them. One step on this path is to facilitate the production of oxygen there. Well, NASA’s Perseverance Rover did it. It produces oxygen on Mars and converts carbon dioxide from its atmosphere.

This is MOXIE, the artifact that produces oxygen on Mars.
This is MOXIE, the artifact that produces oxygen on Mars.
Interplanetary oxygen

It is the first time that this has happened on another planet. Scientists hope to improve future versions of the experimental instrument. It would pave the way for human exploration of the red planet.

“This is a fundamental first step. We’re making great strides by producing oxygen on Mars, ”said Jim Reuter. He is an Associate Administrator at NASA.

The artifact called MOXIE was designed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It’s a gold box the size of a car battery. It’s in the front right of the rover.

The device was referred to as that mechanical tree. It uses electricity and chemistry to break down the carbon dioxide molecules. Carbon monoxide is also produced as a by-product.

The operation of the MOXIE requires temperatures of around 800 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the device was made of refractory materials. A thin layer of gold ensures that no heat is radiated and the rover is not damaged.

The elaborate artifact was designed at MIT.
The elaborate artifact was designed at MIT.
Breathing and fuel

The technology demonstration took place on April 20, 2021. MOXIE produced 5 grams of oxygen, which is about 10 minutes of breathable oxygen for an astronaut. Now they will be doing more testing and trying to improve their performance. It should be able to generate up to 10 grams of oxygen per hour.

You will also be able to use it as the fuel that the missiles would use to return to Earth. A 1 ton version of MOXIE could produce roughly 25 tons of oxygen for a rocket to take off from Mars. Says MIT engineer Michael Hecht, aforementioned by ScienceAlert. It would be more practical than extracting ice from beneath its surface and then electrolyzing it.

endurance landed on mars on February 18, 2021. Your mission is to look for signs of microbial life on the red planet. His Ingenuity mini helicopter made history this week by accomplishing that first powered flight on another planet. The rover itself, in turn recorded the sounds of Mars directly for the first time.

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