TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – NASA successfully conducted its first experiment in converting the very thin and poisonous atmosphere of Mars into oxygen. Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) was made possible through the landing of the Perseverance rover on 18 February.
The atmosphere on Mars is dominated by carbon dioxide. The atmosphere on Mars is also 100 times thinner than on Earth, so that – even if it was the same composition as it is on Earth – humans would still not be able to breathe. Astronaut who want to come to Mars must bring their own oxygen.
Oxygen is also a major component of most rocket fuels. So, if the astronaut wants to return to Earth again, that means he has to bring along on his mission a large amount of oxygen reserves so that he can use it for the return journey.
NASA estimates that it takes about 25 tonnes of oxygen for the four astronauts to get PP Earth-Mars. It’s not just the size of the payload, but the cost of the mission is also very expensive because the rocket capacity is limited.
MOXIE was then seen as a step towards a solution, namely producing oxygen on Mars. The trick is to absorb carbon dioxide from the planet’s atmosphere and then heat it to a temperature of about 800 degrees Celsius until the molecules are scattered and the oxygen atoms can be harvested, while the remaining carbon monoxide is removed.
This experiment finally got the opportunity to be carried out first on 20 April. MOXIE produces 5 grams of oxygen that can breathe an astronaut for about 10 minutes.
“MOXIE still has a lot to do, but the results of this demonstration of technology offer a lot of hope as we aim to one day see humans on Mars,” said Jim Reuter of NASA.
MOXIE only has a production capacity of about 100 grams of oxygen per hour. But, Reuter said, future oxygen plants could be made much larger and run faster stripping reactions of oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide.
Over the next year, MOXIE is scheduled to run at least nine more experiments. NASA will test the MOXIE capabilities at different times of day and season, under atmospheric conditions Mars different.
NEW SCIENTIST
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