In a first-of-its-kind experiment, NASA’s Perseverance spacecraft has produced enough oxygen on Mars to keep an astronaut alive for three hours.
The rover that The rover first landed on Mars in February 2021She produced the element using the Mars Oxygen Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument – which generated oxygen by converting carbon dioxide in periodic shifts over a two-year period.
Since arriving on the red planet, the microwave-sized device has produced 4.3 ounces (122 grams) of oxygen. According to NASA. That’s the equivalent of what a small dog breathes in 10 hours, and gives scientists hope that human life could one day survive on this inhospitable planet.
Related: The study claims that only 22 people are needed to colonize Mars, as long as they have the right personality type
“We are proud to support advanced technology like MOXIE that can turn local resources into useful products for future exploration missions.” Trudy CurtisDirector of Technology Offerings, Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. he said in a statement. “By demonstrating this technology in real-world conditions, we are one step closer to a future in which astronauts live outside Earth on the Red Planet.”
Carbon dioxide is abundant MarsIt makes up 95% of its thin atmosphere. According to NASA. By injecting small amounts of carbon dioxide through 16 experiments, the MOXIE instrument stripped the oxygen atoms from the carbon dioxide and analyzed it for purity before isolating it safely inside a capsule. Then the leftover food is emitted in the form of carbon monoxide.
Scientists say oxygen extractors will not only be useful for future colonists for breathing, but also for making rocket fuel.
“MOXIE’s impressive performance shows that it is possible to extract oxygen from the Martian atmosphere – oxygen that could help provide breathable air or rocket fuel for future astronauts.” Pamela MilroyNASA Deputy Administrator said in the statement. “Developing technologies that allow us to use resources on the Moon and Mars is critical to building a long-term lunar presence, establishing a strong lunar economy, and allowing us to support the initial human exploration expedition to Mars.”
Despite this small but important step, many profound health challenges still stand in the way of establishing a viable Mars colony. For starters, Mars is so cold that its average temperature of about minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62 degrees Celsius) would cause a human to freeze to death without a spacesuit, and its low atmospheric pressure would boil one’s blood at the same time. And this is without taking into account the bombardment of cancer-causing radiations as a result of the lack of a protective ozone layer and Extensive loss of bone density caused by the trip there.
Until these problems are overcome, humanity’s closest sight of the Red Planet remains from rovers like Perseverance. As a key part of NASA’s $2.7 billion Mars 2020 mission, the robot, along with the Curiosity rover, is searching for signs of ancient life on Mars by collecting dozens of rock samples for eventual return to Earth. Accompanying the vehicle is the Ingenuity helicopter it has built so far 57 flights above the surface of Mars.
