NASA has announced the success of its MOXIE mission to Mars, which aims to produce oxygen on the Red Planet. The Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, known as MOXIE, has managed to produce a total of 122 grams of oxygen 16 times since arriving on Mars in 2021.
MOXIE acts as an instrument that extracts oxygen atoms from the carbon dioxide molecules present in the Martian atmosphere through an electrochemical process. The device also allows you to check the purity and amount of oxygen produced.
However, oxygen production on Mars comes with some complications. The process requires a temperature of 800 degrees Celsius, which must be carried out under certain conditions on Mars. MOXIE is made of nickel alloy parts, lightweight airgel and gold plating to withstand heat.
Oxygen production on Mars is of great importance for future manned missions to the planet. NASA wants to develop technologies that make it possible to find and use resources such as oxygen on both Mars and the Moon, with the goal of making the human presence in space sustainable in the long term. This would open the possibility of creating a robust lunar economy and supporting an initial campaign for human exploration of Mars.
In short, MOXIE has shown that it is possible to extract oxygen from Mars’ atmosphere, which could provide future astronauts with breathing air or rocket fuel. The successful production of oxygen on the Red Planet marks an important milestone in space exploration and colonization.
