MIT’s MOXIE device may be developed into a scaled-up version that could be sent to Mars ahead of a human mission. Once it arrives on the Red Planet, it would be able to continuously produce oxygen at the rate of several hundred trees, generating enough oxygen to both sustain humans once they arrive as well as fuel a rocket for returning them back to Earth.
Oxygen production on Mars using MOXIE would mark the first demonstration of “in-situ resource utilization,” which refers to the idea of harvesting and using a planet’s materials (carbon dioxide on Mars) to make resources (oxygen) that would otherwise have to be transported from Earth or a space station. The current lunchbox-sized version is designed to fit aboard the Perseverance rover and built to run for short periods. A full-scale version would include several larger units that would run continuously. We’re still waiting for the day until SpinLaunch’s suborbital accelerator can slingshot humans directly to Mars.
- POWERED BY THE SUN - Solar panels included in the model kit powers the moon buggy and Mars rover, making them move when in direct sunlight. This great...
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED - Laser-cut wooden components, easy-to-follow instructions, solar panels, sandpaper, and learning guides with interesting facts...
- GREAT FOR KIDS AND ADULTS - The solar-powered moon buggy and Mars rover are fantastic for kids and adults with an interest in Engineering,...
This is the first demonstration of actually using resources on the surface of another planetary body, and transforming them chemically into something that would be useful for a human mission. It’s historic in that sense,” said Jeffrey Hoffman, MOXIE deputy principal investigator and professor of the practice in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics.
