Perseverance sets new record for extracting oxygen from Mars' atmosphere

The Perseverance rover on Mars has once again delighted scientists. The rover was able to set a new record for oxygen extraction.

Here's What We Know

A tool called the Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), which looks like a toaster, is being used to extract oxygen from Mars' atmosphere. Scientists want to get 6g of oxygen per hour. The last experiment managed to extract twice that much oxygen in 58 minutes.

The MOXIE weighs about 18 kg. It was designed specifically to produce oxygen from Martian air. For this purpose, the instrument is equipped with a pump and an electrochemical module that can separate oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules.

The apparatus became operational last year. It was launched seven times during 2021. Each procedure lasted an hour to demonstrate the device's ability to operate under different conditions throughout the Martian year, which lasts twice as long as on Earth.

In 2022, experts were busy assessing the maximum capabilities of MOXIE. In early June, the instrument was launched for the 15th time. During the previous 14 experiments, the module had run for about 1,000 minutes.

MOXIE was developed by specialists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The project could close this year due to the end of funding. MIT is now looking for new partners to raise investment and continue the programme.

The successful work of MOXIE will form the basis of a larger system that will be able to run for 10,000 hours without shutting down. This will produce up to 30 tonnes of oxygen, which will be enough to power missions involving astronauts.

Source: space