The first phase will check out and characterise the instrument's function, while the second phase will run the instrument in varying atmospheric conditions, such as different times of day and seasons. These oxygen-production runs will come in three phases. MOXIE is expected to extract oxygen at least nine more times over the course of a Martian year (nearly two years on Earth). Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home," Reuters said. Thin gold coating on the outside of MOXIE reflects infrared heat, keeping it from radiating outward and potentially damaging other parts of Perseverance. To accommodate this, the MOXIE unit is made with heat-tolerant materials - 3D-printed nickel alloy parts, which heat and cool the gases flowing through it, and a lightweight aerogel that helps hold in the heat. The conversion process requires high levels of heat to reach a temperature of approximately 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit (800 Celsius). A waste product, carbon monoxide, is emitted into the Martian atmosphere. MOXIE works by separating oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, which are made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. 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," said Jim Reuter, Associate Administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). "This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars. MOXIE is designed to generate up to 10 grams of oxygen per hour. In this first operation, MOXIE produced about 5 grams of oxygen, equivalent to about 10 minutes worth of breathable oxygen for an astronaut. Such devices also might one day provide breathable air for astronauts themselves. The technology could pave the way for isolating and storing oxygen on Mars, which is 96 per cent carbon dioxide, to help power rockets that could lift astronauts off the planet's surface. The task was accomplished by a toaster-size, six-wheeled robot aboard Perseverance called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilisation Experiment (MOXIE) on April 20. Though this is just a technology demonstration, it paves the way for more sophisticated experiments that could eventually support the first human missions to another planet.Washington: In a first, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has converted some of the Red Planet's thin, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) rich atmosphere into oxygen, the US space agency has said. MOXIE will continue to test its oxygen-making abilities over the next Martian year, a period of 687 days, potentially meeting its peak production rate of 10 grams of oxygen in an hour. It would be far more economical to manufacture this key gas at the Martian surface with a future scaled-up iteration of MOXIE, which scientists estimate would weigh about one ton, than it would to haul 25 metric tons of Earth oxygen across the 33-million-mile gulf between the planets. Blasting a crew off of the Martian surface would take about 55,000 pounds (25 metric tons) of oxygen, about 25 times as much as a Mars-based crew of astronauts would need to breathe over an entire year.Ī crewed round-trip to Mars would be an extremely complex, dangerous, and expensive undertaking, forcing mission planners to optimize the limited space and weight available. To that point, the volume of oxygen required to fuel a return trip from Mars far outweighs the volume needed for human life support. “Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home.” “Oxygen isn’t just the stuff we breathe,” Reuter added. “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.” “This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, in a statement. On April 20, this long-time dream became a reality as MOXIE successfully produced about five grams of oxygen, enough to keep an astronaut alive for 10 minutes. Scientists have been eager to demonstrate onsite oxygen production on Mars for decades, but MOXIE is the first experiment that actually has made it to the red planet.
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