Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE)

• NASA announced the successful completion of its Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) aboard the Perseverance Mars Rover.

About MOXIE:

• It was sent by NASA on the Perseverence and made by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
• It works like a tree, splitting carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere to produce pure oxygen.
• The instrument produced 6 grams of oxygen per hour, similar to a moderate-sized tree.
• Inside Moxie, Martian air is first filtered in and pressurised.
• It is then sent through the Solid OXide Electrolyzer (SOXE), which electrochemically splits the carbon dioxide-rich air into oxygen ions and carbon monoxide.
• The oxygen ions are isolated and recombined to form breathable, molecular oxygen (O2).