There is a race to get oxygen to Mars. And we have a new system to make it happen

Exploration of Mars would have to face countless problems. The difficulty of carrying essential substances such as oxygen or water is one of the main ones. resource generation on site (ISRU) is one of the space agencies’ priorities.And not just on Mars). Recently a new hack was introduced that could pave the way in this direction. Depends on the use of plasma.

From carbon dioxide to breathable oxygen.
The Mars atmosphere It consists of 96% carbon dioxide (nitrogen and argon are the second most abundant gases and neither reaches 2%). Nitrogen (just over 78%) and oxygen (20.9%) dominate the Earth’s atmosphere. The Earth’s atmosphere is also noticeably more massive, and although it is less dense, it also has more mass.

The advantage of carbon dioxide is that its oxygen atoms can be extracted and thus form molecular oxygen (O2) for use as a resource, not only for respiration but also, for example, for fueling rockets. The problem is that this is a difficult task. First of all, because carbon dioxide molecules are very stable, it is difficult to break them apart. Secondly, because it is necessary to separate the oxygen molecules from other molecules such as carbon monoxide.

Plasma against carbon dioxide.
The team consisting of European researchers and researchers from the US Massachusetts Institute of Technology proposed a new mechanism for obtaining this resource on site On Mars: Plasma, the “fourth natural state of matter.” They did it in article Published in the magazine Journal of Applied Physics. Plasma contains charged particles such as electrons that can be accelerated to high energies through electric fields.

Atmospheric conditions on the Red Planet would be ideal for using this instrument, as its pressure level would favor the ignition of the plasma. The abundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will do the rest.

Overcome two obstacles at once.
The mechanism will be able to overcome the two difficulties in this process, namely the separation of the carbon dioxide molecule and the separation of molecular oxygen from other gases such as carbon monoxide. In the words of Vasco Guerraone of the study authors “We are looking at these two steps in a comprehensive way to solve both challenges at the same time. This is where plasma can help.”

“When electrons like lead hit a carbon dioxide molecule, they can either break it down directly or transfer energy to it to make it vibrate,” Guerra explains. This energy can, to a greater extent, be directed to the decomposition of carbon dioxide. (…) Moreover, the heat generated in the plasma is also useful in the separation of oxygen.”

Guerra’s team, along with French and Dutch researchers, were able to experimentally prove that this process can in fact be used to “extract” this oxygen from carbon dioxide.

Complement or compete.
This isn’t the first project to attempt to extract oxygen from Mars’ atmosphere, and it won’t be the first to reach the Red Planet either. The rover Among its tools is perseverance Moxy experience (Martian oxygen in the site experiment). Electrolysis is used to separate oxygen molecules from carbon dioxide, as well as produce carbon monoxide in the process.

It is a matter of time to find out which technology is most effective and efficient when it comes to making use of the resources that the neighboring planet has to offer for exploration. Exploration that continues forward, every time using More agents involved in new space race The winners are Not yet determined.

picture | Olivier Guetella