NASA Perseverance rover pulls breathable oxygen from air on Mars
Source: CNET
A golden, toaster-size device pulls oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, which is about 96% carbon dioxide.
A day after flying a tiny helicopter on another planet, the team behind NASA's Perseverance rover achieved another big first on Mars. The vagabonding science lab managed to pull a bit of oxygen out of the Martian atmosphere, which is about 96% carbon dioxide.
The rolling robot carries an experimental instrument about the size of a toaster called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, known as Moxie, and on Tuesday it succeeded in peeling the oxygen atoms off molecules of carbon dioxide to create oxygen.
"This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars," Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, said in a statement. "MOXIE has more work to do, but the results from this technology demonstration are full of promise as we move toward our goal of one day seeing humans on Mars."
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-perseverance-rover-pulls-breathable-oxygen-from-air-on-mars/
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Never thought I'd read that in my lifetime.
