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In a first - of - its - kind experimentation , NASA ’s Perseverance rover has get enough atomic number 8 on Mars to keep an cosmonaut alive for three hours .
The rover , whichfirst touched down on Mars in February 2021 , bring out the element using its Mars Oxygen In - Situ Resource Utilization Experiment ( MOXIE ) machine — which generated the oxygen by converting carbon dioxide in periodic bouts over two years .
A selfie taken by NASA’s Perseverance Rover while on Mars.
Since arriving on the Red Planet , the microwave - size of it equipment has generated 4.3 ounces ( 122 grams ) of oxygen , according to NASA . This is equivalent to what a small dog breathes in 10 time of day and gives scientists hope that human life could , one 24-hour interval , be sustain on the inhospitable planet .
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" We ’re proud to have abide a find technology like MOXIE that could turn local resource into utilitarian intersection for future geographic expedition missions,“Trudy Kortes , manager of technology demonstrations , Space Technology Mission Directorate ( STMD ) at NASA Headquarters in Washington , said in a statement . " By show this engineering in real - earth experimental condition , we ’ve come one step nigher to a future in which astronauts ' experience off the farming ' on the Red Planet . "
carbon copy dioxide is abundant onMars , making up 95 % of its thin atmosphere , accord to NASA . By zap small amount of carbon dioxide over 16 experiments , the MOXIE machine stripped oxygen molecule from CO2 and analyse them for purity before sequestering them safely within a capsule . The leftover were then emitted in the form of carbon monoxide .
The scientist say that atomic number 8 extraction twist wo n’t just be useful for next colonists to breathe but for make rocket fuel too .
" MOXIE ’s telling performance show that it is workable to pull up oxygen from Mars ' atmosphere — atomic number 8 that could help oneself render breathable breeze or rocket propellant to future astronauts,“Pamela Melroy , NASA ’s deputy administrator , pronounce in the statement . " Developing technologies that let us use resources on the Moon and Mars is critical to work up a long - term lunar presence , create a rich lunar economy , and allow us to support an initial human exploration campaign to Mars . "
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Despite this small but significant measure , many unsounded wellness challenge still stand in the path of a viable Mars colony . For starter , Mars is so inhuman that its average temperature of around minus 80 degree Fahrenheit ( minus 62 degrees Celsius ) would freeze a human to expiry without a distance suit , and its low atmospheric pressure would simultaneously boil their stemma . This is without taking into bill the onslaught of genus Cancer - induce radiation from the lack of a protective ozone layer and theextreme loss to bone - densitybrought on by the journeying there .
Until these problem are overcome , humans ’s closest prospect of the Red Planet is still from rovers such as Perseverance . As a fundamental part of NASA ’s $ 2.7 billion Mars 2020 missionary post , the automaton , alongside the Curiosity rover , is searching for signs of ancientlife on Mars ' surface by collecting dozens of rock sample for eventual return to Earth . The rover is accompanied by the ingeniousness helicopter , which has so far made57 flightsover the Martian airfoil .
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