https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8926/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet/ NASA NASA Science Mars Exploration Program [logo_mars_] Skip Navigation menu NEWS | April 21, 2021 NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Extracts First Oxygen From Red Planet Technicians at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory lower the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument into the belly of the Perseverance rover. MOXIE Being Installed in Perseverance: Technicians at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory lower the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) instrument into the belly of the Perseverance rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Full image and caption > --------------------------------------------------------------------- The milestone, which the MOXIE instrument achieved by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, points the way to future human exploration of the Red Planet. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The growing list of "firsts" for Perseverance, NASA's newest six-wheeled robot on the Martian surface, includes converting some of the Red Planet's thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen. A toaster-size, experimental instrument aboard Perseverance called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) accomplished the task. The test took place April 20, the 60th Martian day, or sol, since the mission landed Feb. 18. While the technology demonstration is just getting started, it could pave the way for science fiction to become science fact - isolating and storing oxygen on Mars to help power rockets that could lift astronauts off the planet's surface. Such devices also might one day provide breathable air for astronauts themselves. MOXIE is an exploration technology investigation - as is the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) weather station - and is sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. "This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator STMD. "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. Oxygen isn't just the stuff we breathe. Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home." For rockets or astronauts, oxygen is key, said MOXIE's principal investigator, Michael Hecht of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Haystack Observatory. MOXIE Oxygen Produced After a two-hour warmup period, MOXIE began producing oxygen at a rate of 6 grams per hour. The was reduced two times during the run (labeled as "current sweeps") in order to assess the status of the instrument. After an hour of operation the total oxygen produced was about 5.4 grams, enough to keep an astronaut healthy for about 10 minutes of normal activity. Credit: MIT Haystack Observatory To burn its fuel, a rocket must have more oxygen by weight. To get four astronauts off the Martian surface on a future mission would require approximately 15,000 pounds (7 metric tons) of rocket fuel and 55,000 pounds (25 metric tons) of oxygen. In contrast, astronauts living and working on Mars would require far less oxygen to breathe. "The astronauts who spend a year on the surface will maybe use one metric ton between them," Hecht said. Hauling 25 metric tons of oxygen from Earth to Mars would be an arduous task. Transporting a one-ton oxygen converter - a larger, more powerful descendant of MOXIE that could produce those 25 tons - would be far more economical and practical. Mars' atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide. MOXIE works by separating oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, which are made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. A waste product, carbon monoxide, is emitted into the Martian atmosphere. The conversion process requires high levels of heat to reach a temperature of approximately 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit (800 Celsius). To accommodate this, the MOXIE unit is made with heat-tolerant materials. These include 3D-printed nickel alloy parts, which heat and cool the gases flowing through it, and a lightweight aerogel that helps hold in the heat. A thin gold coating on the outside of MOXIE reflects infrared heat, keeping it from radiating outward and potentially damaging other parts of Perseverance. Illustration of the MOXIE instrument, depicting the elements within the instrument. Illustration of the MOXIE instrument, depicting the elements within the instrument. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Download image > In this first operation, MOXIE's oxygen production was quite modest - about 5 grams, equivalent to about 10 minutes' worth of breathable oxygen for an astronaut. MOXIE is designed to generate up to 10 grams of oxygen per hour. This technology demonstration was designed to ensure the instrument survived the launch from Earth, a nearly seven-month journey through deep space, and touchdown with Perseverance on Feb. 18. MOXIE is expected to extract oxygen at least nine more times over the course of a Martian year (nearly two years on Earth). These oxygen-production runs will come in three phases. The first phase will check out and characterize the instrument's function, while the second phase will run the instrument in varying atmospheric conditions, such as different times of day and seasons. In the third phase, Hecht said, "we'll push the envelope" - trying new operating modes, or introducing "new wrinkles, such as a run where we compare operations at three or more different temperatures." "MOXIE isn't just the first instrument to produce oxygen on another world," said Trudy Kortes, director of technology demonstrations within STMD. It's the first technology of its kind that will help future missions "live off the land," using elements of another world's environment, also known as in-situ resource utilization. "It's taking regolith, the substance you find on the ground, and putting it through a processing plant, making it into a large structure, or taking carbon dioxide - the bulk of the atmosphere - and converting it into oxygen," she said. "This process allows us to convert these abundant materials into useable things: propellant, breathable air, or, combined with hydrogen, water." More About Perseverance A key objective of Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. For more about Perseverance: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance News Media Contacts Karen Fox / Alana Johnson / Clare Skelly Headquarters, Washington 301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501/ 202-515-6654 karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov / clare.a.skelly@nasa.gov Andrew Good Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-2433 andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov Related images and videos * NASA's Ingenuity helicopter can be seen here taking off, hovering and then landing on the Martian surface on April 19, 2021. The Mastcam-Z imager aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover shot video of the helicopter's flight, presented here in side-by-side processed versions that have both been enhanced to show a dust plume swirling during takeoff and again on landing. Enhanced Video Shows Dust During Ingenuity's Flight * NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter hovers over the Martian surface - the first instance of powered, controlled flight on another planet - as viewed by the Mastcam-Z imager aboard the Perseverance Mars rover on April 19, 2021. Perseverance's Mastcam-Z Video of Ingenuity Hovering * The first flight of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter - and the first powered, controlled flight on another planet - was captured in this image from Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable cameras aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, on April 19, 2021. Ingenuity's First Flight Recorded by Mastcam-Z > more images > more videos [166, 165, 180] You Might Also Like The small rotorcraft made history, hovering above Jezero Crater, demonstrating that powered, controlled flight on another planet is possible. More NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight [165, 175, 180] A livestream will begin at 3:15 a.m. PDT that morning as the helicopter team prepares to receive the data downlink at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. More NASA to Attempt First Controlled Flight on Mars As Soon As Monday NASA to Attempt First Controlled Flight on Mars As Soon As Monday [175, 180, 19] The small rotorcraft's "Wright brothers moment" is two Mars days away. More NASA's Mars Helicopter to Make First Flight Attempt NASA's Mars Helicopter to Make First Flight Attempt [165, 175, 180] Do you like solving problems, working with other people, and making a difference? Consider a career in engineering! More Webinars--Taking Flight: How Girls Can Grow up to Be Engineers Webinars--Taking Flight: How Girls Can Grow up to Be Engineers [180, 184] NASA's newest Mars rover used a camera on the end of its robotic arm to snap this shot of itself with the Ingenuity helicopter nearby. More Say Cheese on Mars: Perseverance's Selfie With Ingenuity Say Cheese on Mars: Perseverance's Selfie With Ingenuity [165, 175, 180] Perseverance's MEDA will help us understand how to prepare astronauts for a future on the Red Planet. More NASA's First Weather Report From Jezero Crater on Mars NASA's First Weather Report From Jezero Crater on Mars [165, 175, 180] The helicopter is scheduled to lift off close to the end of the day on April 11. More NASA Invites Public to Take Flight With Ingenuity Mars Helicopter NASA Invites Public to Take Flight With Ingenuity Mars Helicopter [165, 175, 180] NASA's Ingenuity helicopter can be seen on Mars as viewed by the Perseverance rover's rear Hazard Camera on April 4, 2021, the 44th Martian day, or sol of the mission. More NASA's Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own NASA's Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own [165, 175, 180] MEDLI2 was one of the crucial technologies onboard the rover's protective aeroshell that helped document the entry, descent, and landing of the spacecraft. More Sensors Collect Crucial Data on Mars Landings With Arrival of Perseverance Sensors Collect Crucial Data on Mars Landings With Arrival of Perseverance [165, 175, 180] Now uncocooned from its protective carbon-fiber shield, the helicopter is being readied for its next steps. More NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Prepares for First Flight NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Prepares for First Flight [175, 180, 19] Members of the projects will lay out the steps necessary before the helicopter attempts its historic test flights. More NASA to Host Briefing to Preview First Mars Helicopter Flights NASA to Host Briefing to Preview First Mars Helicopter Flights [165, 175, 180] NASA's newest rover recorded audio of itself crunching over the surface of the Red Planet, adding a whole new dimension to Mars exploration. More Another First: Perseverance Captures the Sounds of Driving on Mars Another First: Perseverance Captures the Sounds of Driving on Mars [165, 175, 180] Get the Mars Newsletter [ ] [] Follow the Journey twitter facebook instagram rss The Red Planet * + Dashboard + Science Goals + The Planet + Atmosphere + Astrobiology + Past, Present, Future, Timeline The Program * + Mission Statement + About the Program + Organization + Why Mars? + Research Programs + Planetary Resources + Technologies News & Events * + News + Events Multimedia * + Images + Videos + Audio + More Resources Missions * + Past + Present + Future + International Partners More * * NASA Science Mission Directorate * Privacy * Image Policy * Feedback Managed by the Mars Exploration Program and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate