For the first time ever, breathable oxygen has been produced in Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover generated 4.3 ounces of breathable oxygen while on the Red Planet — enough to sustain an adult human for three hours.
MOXIE’s success marks a significant step toward enabling astronauts to “live off the land” on Mars by producing their own oxygen and rocket propellant, supporting long-term exploration and sustainability on the Red Planet.
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NASA’s Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE), a device roughly the size of a microwave oven, has demonstrated its ability to convert Martian carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen.
MOXIE produces molecular oxygen by separating one oxygen atom from each molecule of carbon dioxide pumped in from Mars’ thin atmosphere. Mars’ atmosphere provides the source of carbon dioxide.