Everyone knows that NASA has utopian projects related to space. In the long term, the agency wants to take human beings to the Moon and Mars and establish a colony there. Of course, these ideas have some big problems. Food and air to breathe are just a few of them. However, scientists are looking for solutions to these problems.
Photoelectrochemical system (PEC) aims to produce oxygen from solar radiation
NASA and other space agencies are undertaking important long-term projects for crewed Mars missions. However, carrying the oxygen necessary for a person to stay on Mars or the Moon for months is a very costly and difficult task. Scientists rolled up their sleeves to deal with this problem.
New research from the University of Warwick details a project that could be accomplished by turning to photoelectrochemical devices to produce oxygen. PEC-based oxygen generation is a system that uses semiconductor materials to separate water from direct solar energy into hydrogen and oxygen gas without generating electricity. The following statements were included in the published article:
Unlike PV-powered electrolyzer systems, photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices integrate light absorption, charge separation and transfer as well as catalysis processes. Recently, it has been demonstrated that PEC devices currently developed for sustainable solar-to-chemical energy conversion processes on Earth can be used to generate hydrogen in microgravity environments at terrestrial device efficiencies.
NASA has completed the critical test for the Moon mission!
NASA continues its work at full speed within the scope of the Moon mission. The space agency is testing the engines that will carry the SLS rocket to the Moon.
The Oxygen Generator Assembly (OSA) is located on the International Space Station. In fact, the system is good enough at generating oxygen for the station. However, it is insufficient for long-term projects such as Mars and the Moon. The article mentions the inadequacy of OSA while giving details on the development of the Photoelectrochemical system (PEC).
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