NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has registered its name in the history books yet again. This time the rover has turned carbon dioxide into oxygen on the Martian surface. A small scientific instrument aboard the rover sucked up CO2 from the Red Planet’s atmosphere and converted it into breathable air.
This breakthrough experiment could prove to be handy in future Mars missions, where space travelers will not only generate oxygen but also produce rocket fuel for their journey back to Earth.
MOXIE paves the way for future missions
The rover leveraged the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument which is a demonstration that might see mass production to enable astronauts crew to take off from Mars.
“This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator, NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). “MOXIE has more work to do, but the results from this technology demonstration are full of promise as we move toward our goal of one-day seeing humans on Mars.”
“Oxygen isn’t just the stuff we breathe,” Reuter added. “Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home.”
To ferry a team of four astronauts to the Red Planet, would require around 15,000 pounds of rocket fuel and 55,0000 pounds of oxygen, as per NASA. However, for breathing only a metric ton would suffice for a four-member crew for an entire year, suggests MOXIE’s principal investigator Michael Hecht.
Breathable oxygen for astronauts
Carrying this amount of oxygen from Earth to Mars would be a complex process. That’s the reason scientists are working on producing oxygen on Mars. To convert CO2, MOXIE needs to heat the gas to about 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit. The instrument generated five grams of O2, which is around 10 minutes of breathable air. The instrument is capable of generating 10 grams of oxygen per hour.
Hetch also plans to try new operating modes with MOXIE and also try to generate oxygen in different temperatures. The instrument isn’t the first to make oxygen on another planet but will pave the way for future missions that could make good use of situ resources.
