The oxygen-creating device hitched a ride to the desert world on NASA’s Perseverance rover, which touched down on Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18.
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California lower the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE, into the Perseverance rover. (Credit: NASA / JPL-CalTech)
(CN) On Mars this week, a toaster-size instrument aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully converted carbon dioxide into oxygen. It’s a significant step for the U.S. space agency as it seeks sustainable air and fuel sources for future human exploration of the red planet and beyond.
The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment called “MOXIE” by NASA produced about 10 minutes worth of breathable oxygen and is designed to produce twice as much per hour.
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The growing list of “firsts” for Perseverance, NASA’s newest six-wheeled robot on the Martian surface, includes converting some of the Red Planet’s thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen. A toaster-size, experimental instrument aboard Perseverance called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) accomplished the task. The test took place April 20, the 60th Martian day, or sol, since the mission landed Feb. 18.
While the technology demonstration is just getting started, it could pave the way for science fiction to become science fact – isolating and storing oxygen on Mars to help power rockets that could lift astronauts off the planet’s surface. Such devices also might one day provide breathable air for astronauts themselves. MOXIE is an exploration technology investigation – as is the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) weather station – and is sponsored by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and Hum
Mars Perseverance rover turns carbon dioxide into oxygen usatoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from usatoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Mars Rover Perseverance Successfully Produces Oxygen
SHARE ON: Illustration of Perseverance Rover on surface of Mars provided by NASA
NASA says its Mars rover, Perseverance, has been able to convert the planet’s thin carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen.
The conversion was done using a small unit called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, also known as MOXIE, on April 20, the 60th Martian day since the mission landed.
MOXIE began producing oxygen at a rate of 6 grams per hour. NASA says the process was reduced two times during the test in order to assess the status of the instrument. After an hour the total oxygen produced was about 5.4 grams.