{"id":17746,"date":"2022-09-08T16:27:08","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T14:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=127724"},"modified":"2022-09-08T16:40:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T14:40:10","slug":"mars-rovers-moxie-oxygen-generator-one-step-closer-to-supporting-human-life-on-the-red-planet","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/mars-rovers-moxie-oxygen-generator-one-step-closer-to-supporting-human-life-on-the-red-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"Mars rover\u2019s MOXIE oxygen generator one step closer to supporting human life on the Red Planet"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Neil McKim\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 08 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Situated aboard the Mars Perseverance rover, MOXIE has been successfully making oxygen from the Red Planet\u2019s carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere<\/a> since it arrived in February 2021.<\/p>\n

The new report, published in the journal Science Advances<\/em>, reveals how MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment), which is about the size of a car battery, makes oxygen like a tree, by inhaling carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and exhaling oxygen.<\/p>\n

According to the study, MOXIE proved it could produce oxygen over seven experimental runs by the end of 2021 \u2013 under a range of atmospheric conditions \u2013 during the day and night, and during different Martian seasons. Indeed, MOXIE reached its target of oxygen production, with a rate of 6g of oxygen per hour \u2013 about the same rate as a tree on Earth.<\/p>\n

It is hoped that a scaled-up version of MOXIE could operate on Mars in the future, ahead of a human mission, to produce oxygen at a rate that is equivalent to several hundred trees. This would, in turn, generate enough oxygen to sustain visiting astronauts and fuel a returning rocket back to Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have learned a tremendous amount that will inform future systems at a larger scale,\u201d said Michael Hecht<\/a>, principal investigator of the MOXIE mission at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology\u2019s Haystack Observatory.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
MOXIE in the cleanroom at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California.<\/span><\/figcaption> \u00a9 NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

MOXIE\u2019s oxygen production on Mars also represents the first demonstration of \u2018in situ resource utilisation\u2019, which involves the harvesting and use of a planet\u2019s raw materials. In this case it\u2019s carbon dioxide on Mars \u2013 to make resources (such as oxygen) that would otherwise have to be transported from Earth (where our oxygen level is 21 per cent).<\/p>\n

To put this in context, carbon dioxide makes up around 96 per cent of the gas in the Martian atmosphere, compared to 0.13 per cent oxygen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first demonstration of actually using resources on the surface of another planetary body and transforming them chemically into something that would be useful for a human mission,\u201d said MOXIE deputy principal investigator Jeffrey Hoffman. \u201cIt\u2019s historic in that sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Due to having to fit onboard the Perseverance rover, the current version of MOXIE is understandably small. It is built to run for short periods, starting up and shutting down with each run.<\/p>\n

A full-scale oxygen factory on the Red Planet would require much larger units that would ideally need to run continuously.<\/p>\n

To convert the Martian atmosphere into pure oxygen, MOXIE draws the air in through a filter that cleans it of contaminants. Next, the air is compressed and heated to 800\u00b0C and sent through a Solid Oxide Electrolyzer (SOXE), an instrument that electrochemically splits the carbon dioxide-rich air into oxygen ions and carbon monoxide.<\/p>\n

These oxygen ions are then isolated and recombined to form breathable oxygen, which MOXIE measures for quantity and purity. The oxygen is then released back into the air, along with carbon monoxide and other atmospheric gases, primarily argon and nitrogen.<\/p>\n

So far, MOXIE has proved that it can make oxygen at almost any time of the Martian day and year, but there is still one test condition that researchers are keen to investigate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing we have not demonstrated is running at dawn or dusk, when the temperature is changing substantially,\u201d said Hecht. \u201cWe do have an ace up our sleeve that will let us do that, and once we test that in the lab, we can reach that last milestone to show we can really run any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the researchers plan to push MOXIE\u2019s capacity, and increase its production, in the Martian spring when atmospheric density and CO2 levels are high. They will also monitor the instrument for signs of wear and tear.<\/p>\n

If MOXIE can operate successfully, despite repeatedly turning on and off, it would lay the groundwork for a full-scale system. This would need to be designed to run continuously, and would need to run for thousands of hours to support a future human mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo support a human mission to Mars, we have to bring a lot of stuff from Earth, like computers, spacesuits and habitats,\u201d said Hoffman. \u201cBut dumb old oxygen? If you can make it there, go for it \u2013 you\u2019re way ahead of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about Mars:<\/strong><\/p>\n