NASA develops the MOXIE instrument with 3D printed parts that can produce oxygen on Mars

China3D printingNet, April 23, after arriving on Mars in February 2021, NASA’s Perseverance Rover has achieved a number of breakthrough achievements. In early April, the Ingenuity helicopter became the first aircraft in history to conduct a controlled flight on another planet, circling over Jezero Crater twice.Soon thereafter, on April 21st, MOXIE came, this novel instrument with3D printingComponent is the abbreviation of “Mars Oxygen Field Resource Utilization Experiment”. This instrument converts Mars’s thin and carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen for the first time. Completely different from science fiction on Mars, this technology can use a large number of elements found on-site to help future missions survive in environments other than Earth.

MOXIE is installed onWandererIn the car: A technician at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory puts MOXIE on the belly of the Perseverance Rover. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

NASA’s latest six-wheel robot encountered a hostile habitat on the surface of Mars. Although full of clouds and gusts like the earth, the atmosphere lacks a strong ozone layer, so the surface is exposed to ultraviolet radiation. In addition, Mars contains a lot of carbon dioxide (96%) and very little oxygen, with a content of less than 1%. Oxygen concentrators like MOXIE can flourish on other planets and evolve into larger and more efficient platforms, allowing astronauts to create their own air to breathe, and provide oxygen to burn what they need to send humans back to Earth. Rocket fuel.

MOXIE is a toaster-sized device with refractory materials that is durable and can withstand temperatures of approximately 1470 degrees Fahrenheit (800 degrees Celsius), which is a prerequisite for a successful conversion process.It consists of3D printingMade of nickel alloy parts that heat and cool the gas flowing through them, and the lightweight aerogel helps retain heat. The thin gold coating on the outside of MOXIE reflects infrared heat, preventing it from radiating outward and possibly damaging other parts of Perseverance.

Jim Reuter, deputy director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Technology Mission Agency (STMD), described this achievement as “a critical first step in the conversion of carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars.” Although MOXIE still has a lot of work to do, Reuter said that the results of this technology demonstration provide great hope, especially as the Mars manned flight program continues to move forward.

In order to perform the key process, MOXIE basically absorbs carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere, then electrochemically decomposes carbon dioxide molecules to produce pure oxygen, separating it from carbon monoxide, the process is equivalent to running a fuel cell in reverse. The purity of oxygen is analyzed, and then it is discharged into the Martian atmosphere along with carbon monoxide and other exhaust products.

After two hours of on-site preheating, MOXIE began to produce oxygen at a rate of 6 grams per hour. Reduced twice in the process of evaluating the state of the instrument. After one hour of operation, the total amount of oxygen produced is about 5.4 grams, which is enough to keep the astronauts in a healthy state of normal activities for nearly ten minutes.

After two hours of preheating, MOXIE began to produce oxygen at a rate of 6 grams per hour. Image courtesy of Haystack Observatory at MIT.

For rockets and astronauts, oxygen is the key, so by separating oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, MOXIE can ensure the production of oxygen. Rockets need to operate in space without oxygen, which means that they not only need to carry fuel, but also their own oxygen. To burn fuel, the rocket must increase oxygen by weight. If four astronauts are to leave the surface of Mars in future missions, it will require approximately 15,000 pounds of rocket fuel and 55,000 pounds of oxygen. MOXIE’s principal investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Said Michael Hecht of Haystack Observatory (MIT).

Nevertheless, transporting 55,000 pounds of oxygen from Earth to Mars is still a daunting task. If future prospectors will rely on the production of propellants on Mars to return home, then finding a sustainable, low-cost, and efficient way to convert local resources into oxygen will be critical to the success of any mission. Astronauts living and working on Mars also need oxygen to breathe, although it is nowhere near as rocket takeoff. Hecht estimates that one ton of weight will be used among astronauts who have spent a year on the ground. In contrast, humans on Earth breathe approximately 740 kilograms of oxygen each year.

Navcam view of Perseverance’s maiden voyage. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

NASA claims that although the technology demonstration has just begun, MOXIE can pave the way for “science fiction to become a scientific fact.” This technical demonstration aims to ensure that the instrument can survive the launch from the earth, after nearly seven months of deep-space travel, and reach the ground through perseverance. It is expected that MOXIE will extract oxygen at least 9 times during the year of Mars (nearly two years on Mars).

China3D printingNet compile article!

(Editor in charge: admin)