The demonstration device called MOXIE, about the size of your old counter-top microwave, proved we could in the future -- in scaled up fashion -- extract enough oxygen to power booster rockets for return to Earth, from Mars itself. From its very very thin atmosphere. Excellent -- but that is, of course, decades away. Here's the Sunday night bit (and a corresponding Reuters video, at bottom):
. . .When the first astronauts land on Mars, they may have the descendants of a microwave-oven-size device to thank for the air they breathe and the rocket propellant that gets them home. That device, called MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment), has generated oxygen for the 16th and final time aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover. After the instrument proved far more successful than its creators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) expected, its operations are concluding.
“MOXIE’s impressive performance shows that it is feasible to extract oxygen from Mars’ atmosphere – oxygen that could help supply breathable air or rocket propellant to future astronauts,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Developing technologies that let us use resources on the Moon and Mars is critical to build a long-term lunar presence, create a robust lunar economy, and allow us to support an initial human exploration campaign to Mars.”
Since Perseverance landed on Mars in 2021, MOXIE has generated a total of 122 grams of oxygen -- about what a small dog breathes in 10 hours. At its most efficient, MOXIE was able to produce 12 grams of oxygen an hour -- twice as much as NASA’s original goals for the instrument -- at 98% purity or better. On its 16th run, on Aug. 7, the instrument made 9.8 grams of oxygen. MOXIE successfully completed all of its technical requirements and was operated at a variety of conditions throughout a full Mars year, allowing the instrument’s developers to learn a great deal about the technology. . . .
Now you know. Onward, to a short week ahead -- then five days of fun, at 10,000+ feet. Be excellent to one another! Grin.
नमस्ते
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