Editors Note: Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about exciting discoveries, scientific advances and much more.
The first experiments to produce oxygen on other planets have ended on Mars after exceeding NASA’s initial targets and demonstrating capabilities that could help future astronauts explore the red planet.
A microwave-sized device called MOXIE, or Mars In-Situ Oxygen Resource Utilization Experiment, is on board the Perseverance rover.
This experiment started more than two years ago, a few months after the rover landed on Mars. Since then, MOXIE has produced 122 grams of oxygen, the equivalent of what a small dog inhales in 10 hours, according to NASA. This instrument works by converting some of the abundant carbon dioxide on Mars into oxygen.
During its peak efficiency, MOXIE produced 12 grams of oxygen per hour at a purity of 98% or better, double the target NASA had set for the instrument. On August 7, MOXIE went into operation for the 16th and final time, having completed all of its requirements.
“We are proud to have supported breakthrough technologies like MOXIE that can turn local resources into useful products for future exploration missions,” said Trudy Kortes, director of technology demonstrations, Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters, in a statement. “By proving this technology in real-world conditions, we are one step closer to a future where astronauts ‘live off land’ on the Red Planet.”
MOXIE Implications
The thin Martian atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide, which does little for oxygen-breathing humans. MOXIE works by dividing the carbon dioxide molecule, which includes one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. This separates the oxygen molecules and emits carbon monoxide as a waste product. As the gas moves through the instrument, the system analyzes the purity and quantity of oxygen.
Heat-resistant materials, such as gold coating and airgel, are used to make these instruments because the conversion process requires temperatures that reach up to 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit (798 degrees Celsius). These materials prevent heat from radiating away and damaging any aspect of the rover.
Engineers install MOXIE inside the Perseverance rover chassis in 2019. – NASA/JPL-Caltech
Something that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide to oxygen can help in more ways than one. A bigger and better version of something like MOXIE in the future could supply life support systems with breathable air and convert and store the oxygen needed for rocket fuel used to launch on the return journey to Earth.
“MOXIE’s impressive performance demonstrates that it is possible to extract oxygen from the Martian atmosphere – oxygen that could help supply future astronauts with breathable air or rocket fuel,” NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said in a statement. “Developing technologies that allow us to use resources on the Moon and Mars is critical to establishing a long-term lunar presence, creating a strong lunar economy, and enabling us to support early human exploration campaigns to Mars.”
Hauling thousands of pounds of rocket fuel and oxygen on the initial journey from Earth to Mars would be extremely difficult and expensive and would mean less space on the spacecraft for other necessities. Technologies like MOXIE could essentially help astronauts live off the land and harness resources from their environment.
The learnings from the small MOXIE experiment can now be used to create a full-scale system that includes an oxygen generator that can also liquefy and store oxygen.
But the next big step in this process is testing other technologies on Mars that could be further explored, such as equipment and habitat materials.
“We have to make decisions about what things need to be validated on Mars,” Michael Hecht, MOXIE principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in a statement. “I think there’s a lot of technology on that list; I am very happy that MOXIE will be the first.”
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com
2023-09-08 03:05:57
#experiment #produce #oxygen #planet #ended #SurabayaPostKota.net
