First breathable air produced on another planet Bob McDonald's blog: An experiment on the Mars Perseverance rover produced oxygen from carbon dioxide sucked out of the thin Martian air. Social Sharing Bob McDonald's blog: An experiment on the Mars Perseverance rover produced oxygen from the thin Martian air Posted: Apr 23, 2021 2:04 PM ET | Last Updated: April 23 The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument being installed in the Perseverance rover. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) While the first flight of the Mars helicopter got a lot of attention this week, an experiment on the Perseverance rover quietly accomplished another first, by making oxygen out of the Martian atmosphere.