These days, the planet Mars often appear in Elon Musk’s plans for space. The tech mogul wants to build human colonies on the red planet. The implementation of the idea may be many years away but Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyExperiment using on-site oxygen resources on Mars or MOXIEa device about the size of a lunchbox, has successfully generated oxygen from March’s carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere since April 2021, the institute proudly announced via a website post.
Based on MITMOXIE began producing oxygen about two months after arriving on Mars as part of the NASAof the Perseverance rover and the Mars 2020 mission.
“In a study published today [Aug 31] in the journal Science Advances, the researchers report that, by the end of 2021, MOXIE was able to generate oxygen in seven test runs, in a variety of atmospheric conditions, including day and night, and through the different seasons of Mars. During each run, the device hit its target of producing 6 grams of oxygen per hour – equivalent to the speed of a modest tree on Earth. ,” the post said.
How MOXIE produces oxygen from the Martian air
First, the MOXIE system sucks the air on Mars through a filter that cleans the air of pollutants. The air is then pressurized, and sent through a device called a Solid Oxide Electrolyzer (SOXE). SOXE splits CO2-rich air into oxygen and carbon monoxide ions. The oxygen ions are then separated and recombined to form O2, the breathable form of oxygen.
Vision
The vision is to develop a large-scale version of MOXIE that can continuously produce oxygen at a rate of hundreds of trees and send it to Mars just before sending humans there. According to the researchers, by the time humans reach Mars, the system will be able to generate enough oxygen to sustain humans and at the same time fuel a rocket for a return trip to Earth.
Based on MITMOXIE began producing oxygen about two months after arriving on Mars as part of the NASAof the Perseverance rover and the Mars 2020 mission.
“In a study published today [Aug 31] in the journal Science Advances, the researchers report that, by the end of 2021, MOXIE was able to generate oxygen in seven test runs, in a variety of atmospheric conditions, including day and night, and through the different seasons of Mars. During each run, the device hit its target of producing 6 grams of oxygen per hour – equivalent to the speed of a modest tree on Earth. ,” the post said.
How MOXIE produces oxygen from the Martian air
First, the MOXIE system sucks the air on Mars through a filter that cleans the air of pollutants. The air is then pressurized, and sent through a device called a Solid Oxide Electrolyzer (SOXE). SOXE splits CO2-rich air into oxygen and carbon monoxide ions. The oxygen ions are then separated and recombined to form O2, the breathable form of oxygen.
Vision
The vision is to develop a large-scale version of MOXIE that can continuously produce oxygen at a rate of hundreds of trees and send it to Mars just before sending humans there. According to the researchers, by the time humans reach Mars, the system will be able to generate enough oxygen to sustain humans and at the same time fuel a rocket for a return trip to Earth.
