MOXIE is an innovation on NASAs Perseverance rover, and it has shown for the extremely first time that we can draw out oxygen from the co2 in the Martian environment. Its a technology presentation so it just produces a little quantity of oxygen. For future human exploration, we would require to send out a scaled-up version, possibly 200 times larger than the present MOXIE.
If such a system landed on Mars, a few of this would supply oxygen for the astronauts to breathe but most of it would be utilized as rocket propellant to get astronauts off the surface area of Mars and back to Earth.
Is there oxygen on Mars? Not much, however thats okay since we can make it ourselves.
By NASA
October 29, 2021
This artists concept portrays astronauts and human habitats on Mars. NASAs Mars 2020 rover will carry a variety of technologies that might make Mars much safer and easier to explore for humans. Credit: NASA
Exists oxygen on Mars? Yes, Mars has oxygen however not extremely much and definitely insufficient to simply head out and breathe on the surface area of Mars. NASA engineer Asad Aboobaker tells us more.
The density of the oxygen on Mars is about 1/10,000 th of what we have here on Earth. Mars atmosphere does have a lot of carbon dioxide– about 500 times more CO2 than oxygen. If we desire to collect oxygen on Mars for usage by future explorers or launch systems, a better way might be to pull a few of it out of the CO2 and use that instead. Thats where MOXIE comes in.
NASAs Mars 2020 rover will bring a number of technologies that might make Mars more secure and much easier to explore for people. Yes, Mars has oxygen however not really much and definitely not adequate to simply go out and breathe on the surface of Mars. If we desire to harvest oxygen on Mars for usage by future explorers or launch systems, a much better way might be to pull some of it out of the CO2 and use that rather.