NASA Announces Perseverance Rover's Success in Making Oxygen on The Red Planet

NASA declares that the Perseverance Rover has successfully made Oxygen for Mars, the Red Planet…get the details…

Friday, 23rd April 2021

NASA disclosed a momentous development is made that is likely to help future missions to Mars with the announcement that it has been successful in making oxygen on the Red Planet.

The space agency said on Wednesday that its Perseverance rover was carrying a particular instrument that successfully converted some of Mars' thin, carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen.

The tool that was sent with the rover by NASA is an experimental instrument called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE for short, was developed by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Jim Reuter, the associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, said in a statement, "This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars."

The development whereby scientists are finding a way to store oxygen on Mars can go a long way in lending power to rockets from the surface of the planet in order to send astronauts back to earth and also opens possibilities of providing breathable air for future humans there. This could "pave the way for science fiction to become science fact", NASA said in a statement.

Also Read: NASA Set to Carry Out Water Drop Tests for Its Orion Spacecraft.

Reuter also said in his statement, " 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", and added, "Oxygen isn’t just the stuff we breathe. Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home."

NASA explains, the atmosphere of Mars comprises 96 percent carbon dioxide and what MOXIE does is distinguish oxygen atoms from Carbon dioxide molecules (consisting of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms). As a waste, the experiment emits carbon monoxide into the atmosphere of Mars.

MOXIE is made up of 3D-printed, heat-tolerant materials as the experiment along with the whole process of conversion also requires a great deal of heat (temperatures of 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit).

MOXIE can prepare about 10 grams of oxygen an hour. It created about 5 grams of oxygen (10 minutes worth of breathable oxygen) in the first test.

Perseverance had landed on Mars in February. It is NASA's most advanced rover yet and was sent with the goal of looking for signs of ancient life.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source:

NDTV