Paraitepuy Pass on the planet Mars, an example of a Mars landscape.
(Photo:NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Iconic artist David Bowie may have sang Is there life on Mars?
in 1971, but the dream of findingor placingliving creatures on the red planet isstill alivein 2022.
Paraitepuy Pass on the planet Mars, an example of a Mars landscape. (Photo:NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Oxygen, of course, is critical.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover is a machine of many wonders.
Attached to the intrepid exploring robot is a particularly innovative machine, MOXIE.
MOXIE, showing compressor and SOXE assemblies. (Photo:Fig. 1/Hoffman et al.)
When started, the rig takes several hours to warm up.
It then begins filtering and pressuring air pulled from Mars' atmosphere.
It breaks molecules into carbon monoxide and oxygen.
Perseverance, the Mars Rover, taking a selfie. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
MOXIE produces 0.2 ounces of oxygen per hourabout as much as a small tree does thoughphotosynthesis.
Testing MOXIE under different conditions is critical research.
One objective is to show we can run in all seasons.
The team has tested it in fall, winter, and various times of day.
Demonstrations of MOXIE’s success offer hope that missions to Mars will be more feasible than previously thought.
Mankind on Mars might just be closer, and more possible, than we dared to dream.
MOXIE, showing compressor and SOXE assemblies.
(Photo:Fig.
1/Hoffman et al.)
Perseverance, the Mars Rover, taking a selfie.
