In this first operation, MOXIE’s oxygen production was quite modest – about 5 grams, equivalent to about 10 minutes worth of breathable oxygen for an astronaut. 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. 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.įor rockets or astronauts, oxygen is key, said MOXIE’s principal investigator, Michael Hecht of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory. 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. Thus MOXIE's achievement definitely is a significant move in that direction.WASHINGTON - 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. In that case, transporting a one-ton oxygen-conversion machine to Mars like MOXIE is more practical than sending 25 tons of oxygen in tanks from Earth, Hecht said. MOXIE is capable of producing up to 10 grams per hour as a proof of concept, and scientists plan to run the machine at least another nine times over the next two years under different conditions and speeds, NASA said in a statement. Astronauts living and working on Mars would require perhaps one metric ton of oxygen between them to last an entire year, according to MOXIE principal investigator Michael Hecht of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The second task is even more difficult given that the amount of oxygen required to launch and fly back to Earth is huge. However, the successful extraction of oxygen once again raises hope that if in future oxygen can be extracted in abundance on Mars it can lead to eventual human exploration of the planet, both as a sustainable source of breathable air for astronauts and as a necessary ingredient for rocket fuel to fly them home. It has been long debated if life can exist on Mars but the simple answer is without oxygen it isn't possible. Three silicon chips (upper left corner) were stenciled with 10,932,295 names and the essays from 155 finalists in NASA's "Name the Rover" contest. A placard commemorating NASA's "Send Your Name to Mars" campaign was installed on the Perseverance Mars rover on March 16, 2020, at Kennedy Space Center.
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