A thin gold coating on the outside of MOXIE reflects infrared heat, keeping it from radiating outward and potentially damaging other parts of Perseverance. These include 3D-printed nickel alloy parts, which heat and cool the gases flowing through it, and a lightweight aerogel that helps hold in the heat. To accommodate this, the MOXIE unit is made with heat-tolerant materials. The conversion process requires high levels of heat to reach a temperature of approximately 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit (800 Celsius). A waste product, carbon monoxide, is emitted into the Martian atmosphere.
MOXIE works by separating oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, which are made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. Transporting a one-ton oxygen converter – a larger, more powerful descendant of MOXIE that could produce those 25 tons – would be far more economical and practical. Hauling 25 metric tons of oxygen from Earth to Mars would be an arduous task. “The astronauts who spend a year on the surface will maybe use one metric ton between them,” Hecht said. In contrast, astronauts living and working on Mars would require far less oxygen to breathe. Getting four astronauts off the Martian surface on a future mission would require approximately 15,000 pounds (7 metric tons) of rocket fuel and 55,000 pounds (25 metric tons) of oxygen. To burn its fuel, a rocket must have more oxygen by weight. After an hour of operation, the total oxygen produced was about 5.4 grams, enough to keep an astronaut healthy for about 10 minutes of normal activity.
The rate was reduced two times during the run (labeled as “current sweeps”) in order to assess the status of the instrument. Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home.”įor rockets or astronauts, oxygen is key, said MOXIE’s principal investigator, Michael Hecht of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory.Īfter a 2-hour warmup period MOXIE began producing oxygen at a rate of 6 grams per hour.
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“MOXIE has more work to do, but the results from this technology demonstration are full of promise as we move toward our goal of one day seeing humans on Mars. “This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for STMD. 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 Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. Such devices also might one day provide breathable air for astronauts themselves. 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.
The test took place April 20, the 60th Martian day, or sol, since the mission landed Feb. A toaster-size, experimental instrument aboard Perseverance called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment ( MOXIE) accomplished the task. (WOWK/NASA) – 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.
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