NASA Marks Milestone: Produces Vital Oxygen On Mars, Exceeding Expectations

A two-year experiment to see if oxygen can be produced on Mars ended in fruition after NASA’s MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment), successfully generated oxygen for the 16th and the final time.

NASA in its official statement said, “Riding with the Perseverance rover, the instrument has proved to be a viable technology for astronauts on Mars to produce oxygen for fuel and breathing.”

The experiment began over two years ago, just months after the rover landed on Mars. According to NASA, MOXIE has produced 122 grams of oxygen till now, which is equivalent to what a small dog breathes in 10 hours.

MOXIE produced 12 grams of oxygen per hour at 98% purity or better at its peak efficiency, which is twice as much as NASA's goals for the instrument.

The atmosphere of Mars contains 96% carbon dioxide, which isn't much help to humans who need oxygen to survive. MOXIE works by breaking down carbon dioxide molecules.

As a byproduct, it separates the oxygen molecules and emits carbon monoxide. The instrument's system analyses the purity and quantity of oxygen as the gas passes through it.