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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will convert carbon dioxide into oxygen using a tool connected to one of its rovers, according to Webby Feed.
NASA said it will attach the Mars Onsite Oxygen Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), a gold box that will convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, by roving Perseverance.
A golden idea
According to MOXIE Principal Investigator Michael Hecht“When we send humans to Mars, we want them to return safely, and for that they need a rocket to take off from the planet. The liquid oxygen jet is something we could do there and not have to bring with us. One idea would be to bring a empty oxygen tank and fill it on Mars. “
MOXIE works by injecting energy into the cathode and the anode. According to MOXIE engineer Jim Lewis, “what happens is that oxygen separates from carbon dioxide and goes down this line to here.”
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The box is made of gold because “it will ensure a lack of impact with the rover’s nearby electronic boxes. Gold does not radiate heat effectively because it has very low emissivity,” added Engr. Luis.
Although MOXIE remains a test model, it will help future Mars explorers produce oxygen using carbon dioxide found on Mars to help them propel and breathe on the Red Planet.
The initial model “will need about 33 to 50 tons (30 to 45 metric tons) of fuel, about the weight of a space shuttle,” according to NASA. It also functions as a tree, inhaling carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen on the planet.
NASA says that if the golden box is successful, oxygen will have a liquid base, capable of supplying ¾ of the propellant that humans need to explore the Red Planet. It will be done on Mars.
Perseverance: another golden idea
Named by Virginia high school student Alexander Mather, Perseverance’s goal is to “look for signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and soil for a possible return to Earth,” according to NASA. Rovers in the past were also named by students: Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, etc.
MOXIE is part of Mars 2020, which is landing on the moon in Jezero Crater, Mars, on February 18, 2021. Perseverance will help NASA search for signs of ancient life on Mars by collecting samples.
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According to Dr. Moogega Stricker, NASA planetary protection engineer, “what we are trying to do is scan the surface of this unknown planet, collect samples, process the tubes as they return, to search for things we call bio-signatures.” ”
Perseverance will help NASA achieve that for at least a year on Mars or 687 Earth days. The samples will be sent back to Earth “and will determine for the first time, was there life on Mars? But also, where could it be kept for another four billion years for us to find it?” according to Dr. Stricker.
Helping Perseverance is the Mars Helicopter, the first aircraft in history to have a power controlled flight on another planet. It will join the belly of the rover on its journey to Mars.
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