Washington: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully generated oxygen on Mars, western media reported on Monday.
During the experiment a small-sized instrument generated enough Oxygen for an astronaut for few hours. This is the first experiment of its kind giving hope for future human exploration.
The Perseverance rover, that landed on Mars in February 2021, has been burning the carbon dioxide to generate small amounts of oxygen for more than two years.
Device extracted 122g of oxygen
A device of the size of a microwave oven extracted 122g of oxygen in total – which can support an astronaut for about three hours.
Around 5gm of Oxygen is sufficient for an astronaut for 10 minutes. The development gives a hope to start human life on the red planet and provide rocket fuel during future explorations.
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The device, named MOXIE, produced oxygen on 16 different occasions since the first attempt in April 2021.
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said MOXIE’s impressive performance shows that it is possible to extract oxygen from Mars’ atmosphere that could help supply breathable air.
