MOXIE on the Perseverance rover aims to generate oxygen from Mars’ abundant carbon dioxide, paving the way for astronauts to land on the red planet.
Inside the Perseverance rover currently exploring Jezero crater Mars, there is a small box that takes on a big job. Yes, this is the Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization Experiment or MOXIE.
MOXIE aims to generate oxygen from Mars’ abundant carbon dioxide, paving the way for testing resources for future manned missions to the Red Planet. So,
In early August, MOXIE successfully tested the fastest oxygen production, producing more than 10.44 grams of oxygen per hour. These devices work by taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, using electricity, and converting it into oxygen and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide can be released and oxygen stored, making systems such as fuel cells work in reverse.
Reported by Digital Trends (2/12), MOXIE recently rebooted and managed to surpass previous achievements. Recorded on November 28, MOXIE produced 10.56 grams per hour, its best finish.
While that’s not necessarily a lot of oxygen for most uses, it shows that MOXIE, which works on a small scale, can be scaled up to be much larger and more efficient.
According to NASA, large-scale systems can operate 200 times faster than MOXIE and can produce oxygen for over a year. And MOXIE could pave the way for future manned missions.
“It has been eight years since I started working on MOXIE as a graduate student at MIT,” wrote Forrest Meyen, a member of the MOXIE science team. “During that time, I grew up with this project and have dedicated my career to the discovery and exploitation of space resources. I take this moment to rejoice and reflect on the perseverance it will take to create the underlying technology for our next leap into the cosmos.”
