Mars planet: NASA has recently developed a machine which is producing oxygen on Mars. NASA has told that this machine is producing 200% more oxygen than its target. The success of the Mars Oxygen In-Stew Resource Utilization Experiment is proving practical for future astronaut missions. This machine, which is approximately the size of a microwave oven, was sent to the Red Planet in 2021 with NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover.
NASA said, ‘MOXIE has lived up to expectations by producing a total of 122 grams of oxygen.’ It is producing twice as much oxygen as NASA’s original goals. The purity of oxygen produced is 98% or better. It is quite suitable for both fuel and breathing. NASA further said, this machine produces oxygen by breaking the carbon dioxide molecules on the surface of the red planet. For this this machine uses electrochemical process. At the same time, gases are analyzed to check the purity and quantity of oxygen.
The success of MOXIE could prove to be an important step for future human missions to Mars. With the help of this technology, it can prove to be helpful for astronauts to survive by ‘living away from the land of the Red Planet’ and using the materials found on its surface. With this step of In-Stew Resource Utilization (ISRU), scientists have increased the research area on Mars. NASA’s next step is to expand it, create an oxygen generator like MOXIE on a large scale and convert the oxygen into liquid and store it. Scientists are also planning to send many other technologies to Mars.
Michael Hecht of MIT, the principal investigator of this machine, said, ‘MOXIE has clearly served as an inspiration to the scientists working for ISRU.’ He further said, ‘It is learned that NASA is willing to invest in this type of technology in future.’