In 2020, new statements were made about the Moxie device, which was sent to Mars to produce oxygen with the Perseverance Rover. MIT researchers who developed the device stated that Moxie can produce oxygen as much as a small tree in different weather conditions on Mars.
We have already sent many vehicles in the coming years. to Mars The first manned mission is planned. In the future, it is planned that humans will colonize and live long-term on the Red Planet. As you can imagine, there are some things we need to survive here.
The most important of these oxygen We can say it is. Researchers have been working on this for a while. Now, it has been announced that a technology developed for oxygen production has produced promising results.
MIT’s Moxie instrument produced as much oxygen as a small tree on Mars
Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to produce oxygen by breaking down carbon dioxide. moxie A device called Perseverance, NASA’s Mars exploration vehicle, set off towards the planet in 2020. In the statements made shortly after its landing on Mars, it was stated that the device produced its first oxygen. Scientists have now shared exciting new information about the device.
The researchers stated that Moxie can produce oxygen at night, during the day and throughout the seasons. According to the statements, the team will be using the device throughout 2021. seven times with periods of one hour it worked. With these experiments, it was aimed to observe how the device works in different scenarios such as night, day and the seasons of the planet.
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In each of Moxie’s experiments, scientists 6 grams He stated that he was able to produce oxygen. It is also in the world as much oxygen as a small tree produces recorded to be equal. Emphasizing that the device can achieve this on a regular basis, the researchers pointed out that it is an important step in developing larger systems suitable for a human population in the future: “This is the first step to truly use resources from another planet and turn them into something useful for humans.”
The device will soon be operated for longer periods of time for more oxygen
Although the experiments gave good results, we can add that Moxie still needs to be successful in some important issues. Strong fluctuations in the Martian atmosphere can cause air density to change drastically with temperature. It’s also a challenge for researchers that the device will soon be tested at dawn and dusk, when temperatures fluctuate drastically.
Finally, during the spring season of Moxie’s operations, the planet’s atmospheric density and carbon dioxide levels are highest. will be accelerated Let’s add. The researchers said they wanted to produce as much oxygen as they could; therefore, they say that they will run the device as long as possible during the specified period. We’ll see how this results in the future.