NASA's Perseverance Rover Is Now Reliably Making Oxygen on Mars
A toaster-sized instrument tucked inside NASA's Perseverance rover is consistently producing oxygen on Mars. It's a big deal, researchers say.
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A toaster-sized instrument tucked inside NASA's Perseverance rover is consistently producing oxygen on Mars. It's a big deal, researchers say.
On the red and dusty surface of Mars, an instrument the size of a lunchbox is proving it can reliably do the work of a small tree in producing oxygen.
The device is eventually expected to help humans establish farms for self-sustenance on Mars.
NASA and MIT have made a box which converts the carbon dioxide on Mars into breathable oxygen — a crucial advance if humans want to explore the planet one day.
MIT researchers have devised the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), which has been generating an oxygen supply and could help answer some of the questions about how to make the most of an atmosphere abundant in carbon dioxide.