Science fiction may soon become a reality as the first steps to terraforming or making oxygen on Mars becomes possible using a gold box called Moxie (Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment).
The machine will be part of the payload of the Perseverance Mars rover that will be sent to the Mars Jerero crater to map the surface of the Red Planet. This rover will feature upgrades over the Curiosity Mars rover.
Perseverance is getting its final fits at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, so it makes its July 17 launch for a rendezvous with mars on Feb.18 2021, as part of NASA's Mars 2020 program to explore the red planet. The main objective of rover mission is to survey Martian rocks for traces of past life on mars.
NASA said,"Throughout its investigation, it will collect samples of soil and rock, and cache them on the surface for potential return to Earth by a future mission."
First steps to terraforming
One crucial experiment is using MOXIE to convert CO2 into breathable air, with encased machinery in a gold box that the rover has as one of its instruments.
According to analysis, the Mars atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide, 2% nitrogen, with 2% argon. The objective is to create and validate a technology for oxygen conversion. It will help future Mars settlers to make their own oxygen when the first pioneers land on Mars.
MOXIE's principle investigator Michael Hecht said, "One idea would be to bring an empty oxygen tank and fill it up on Mars."
MOXIE "uses solid oxide electrolysis, which is like a fuel cell in reverse." It takes low-pressure Martian gas and reduce the pressure to somewhat an earth type atmosphere pressure. The gold also lowers the temperature.
Inter-planetary pickup scheme
Another of NASA's ambitious projects is retrieving a sample and sending it back to earth, which has been mentioned many times, but this time they are dead serious.
But the logistic of creating the technology and engineering a way for the sample to get back home is daunting.
It was described by the lead scientist who told Nature, NASA and ESA's collaboration will be the most ambitious mission to the red planet so far.
The initial stage is getting the vehicle out there, that's where the Perseverance rover is a collector for such samples. Right now, it is getting fitted and tested for its maiden flight in July.
Once on Mars, the robotic device will drill and scoop samples in 30 small tubes, governed by the AI without human help. This will only be one of two robotic rovers on the Mars surface
A second interplanetary pick vehicle will be leaving earth in 2026 with an arrival date of 2028. It is another rover that will collect the contents of Perseverance into its chassis. Once collected, the machine will place all vials in a Mars ascent vehicle.
Before going to earth, another craft will meet the orbital craft, and sync up the to collect the retrieval craft. Next is a lengthy trip to earth with the arriving by 2031.
Related article : Mars Rover Perseverance Preps for Maiden Launch to Mars on July 17
