NASA has an Oxygen generator on Mars! How does it work?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
- How does NASA generate Oxygen on Mars? What is the MOXIE Experiment How to make oxygen on Mars?
Video Breakdown
0:00 Intro
1:00 Earth v Mars Atmosphere
2:05 MOXIE Overview
3:45 MOXIE's Value
6:11 How MOXIE works
11:44 Future Oxygen Production
13:50 Discord!
In this video, we introduce the MOXIE experiment and its recent test on Mars. First, we discuss the difference between Earth and Mars's atmosphere. Mars's atmosphere is much thinner but is primarily Carbon Dioxide. The MOXIE experiment converts the carbon dioxide to oxygen and carbon monoxide using electrochemistry (solid oxide electrolysis). During the first experiment, NASA generated 5 grams of oxygen. MOXIE is an experiment onboard the Perseverance rover.
Secondly, we look at some of the uses for oxygen on Mars, including breathing for astronauts, an ingredient to generate water, and as an oxidizer for rocket fuel.
We also consider the design of MOXIE, stepping through the compressor, preheater, and SOXE unit to understand how the entire process works.
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Thank you for watching!! When do you think NASA will send another oxygen generator to Mars? 5, 10, 20+ years?
NASA - 20 years,, SpaceX - 4-5 yeears
5
SpaceX either 2022 or 2024 launch window 1-3 years, NASA 5-9 years
Underrated
Dang brother, good looking out, that was hugely helpful. Thanks for all the editing and animation blending. Much appreciated.
I appreciate the hard work you put into these videos Marian Wolf, as I always learn something new and it inspires me to want to know even more about the subject you are talking about. Who knows one young watcher may one day be so inspired by your videos to become a Nasa engineer or an astronaut, being the first person breathing oxygen created by MOXIE's big brother on Mars. ~ Take care and please stay safe out there.
Wow that was a quality video thank you! I'm wondering, how does plants compare to moxie? You do need to keep them in a certain temperature range and pressure but maybe it could be less energy intensive overall?
Excellent question! With some quick research, one large tree would produce about 13 grams of Oxygen per hour, so almost the same rate as MOXIE. It would be hard to maintain a tree on Mars as of the challenges you mentioned, but smaller vegetation or algae is more practical. You'd still have to pressurize the air for plants as well, so that would still take up quite some energy. I'd imagine a greenhouse type of design would require larger structures on the surface, so maybe after the first few crewed missions to Mars. Great comment!
Pretty cool video, I wonder if we could instead of throwing the Carbon Monoxide away, we could use it to produce something else, like methane
Thank you! And you're correct, one of the plans is to use the carbon collected as a source of Methane on Mars. It might require additional steps in the production of fuel, but is definitely considered for future ISRU.
Martian wolf breathing life into me
You explained very well!
Very good explanation on a fascinating subject. Experiments like this, and the Sabatier reactor gives one hope we'll be able to survive on an in-situ basis on Mars. All good wishes.
Congrats Master Wolf. #BoilerUp
Thanks!
I just want to say thank you for putting real interesting things here that everyone can learn and use instead of mindless dribble like seeing what can one really eat like toothpaste
Great video MW! You made the complexity of this system easier to understand.But what worries me is once people are put on Mars a myriad of things could go wrong.That may be a little pessimistic but not if you are the people that are there.Astronauts are special people.And everyone in the Space Program.
I completely agree, there are immense safety challenges with sending astronauts to Mars. I think the ISS has shown that we can account for a lot of the human-related challenges in spaceflight, but I think the Artemis program will teach us what still needs improvement.
@@MartianWolf When they do go,I will be saying a prayer for them. 🙏🏼
Am your subscriber
If we make it so we can colect the soot, then we can make a building material out of it. Then we can get 3 to 4 times the oxygen and a building material
Ur back
An important test! I wonder if that's how those home oxygen concentrators some people with respiratory problems use work? They crank out a lot of heat.
The mental image I have is some future Martian colonist with a chimney sweep's hat and brush, scraping soot out of a moxie unit.
There's a regional brand of pop called "Moxie" ( made in Pennsylvania, I think).
Well done video.
Interesting observation, I’d have to look into it. I’d imagine concentrators might focus more on separating the oxygen out of the atmosphere, so it might primarily filter out nitrogen instead of converting CO2.
The MOXIE sweep sounds like a fun job!
THIS is why this 70-year-old American wishes he could live another 70 years: To see what we will be doing 70 years from now. They are also working on 3D printers that can print parts for many things up there that astronauts will need for the return trip. I am fascinated with all things technology. I do not know why the Media did not shout this one from the rooftops!! I did not know about this until a few hours ago. THANK YOU!! ❤
No worries, Dave. In ten years you can run for President!
@@antonnym214 🤡💀
I like this channel.
Moxie is also a soda made in Lowell Massachusetts
Hello ! Great video, but I have a question how does the pressure help the other elements as CO or CO2 go into the oxygen port ? If the CO is positively charged, isn't suppose to be attracted by the negative port ? Thank you :)
I don't think scales is a problem. Moxie was designed to be small and lightweight because of the mission. Scaling it up with larger machines, I don't think will be a problem.
The Carbon soot could be useful as it is dark(used to make black ink) thus soot may be useful to coat martials that could capture more solar heat energy. (soot particles absorb sunlight very effectively)
If one day there is enough energy available on Mars then heating the soot to high temperatures to form carbon vapor; that could then be condensed to form solid carbon structures, this way fullerenes can be made.
You don't have to go to the poles or dig for water ice. There is a giant relict water-ice glacier at the extreme western end of Valles Marineris, situated at 6.0°S latitude and 98.0°W longitude. That is VERY near the equator. By "giant", I mean 8.6 cubic miles of ice. That is slightly larger than Lake Meade at the Hoover Dam. At 4.2 billion tons per cubic mile, that's 36.12 billion tons of ice. At 1.014 trillion gallons per cubic mile, we're talking about more than 8.7 trillion gallons of water. That is enough for just about any sized colony you could want, at least in the beginning.
Great vid.. the patreon link in the description 404 errors for me! :)
Thanks for letting me know! I think I may have fixed it
@@MartianWolf Also the trailer linked to on the patreon is set to private
👏👏👏👏👏 super video. This really explains the workings of MOXIE. Will diffinitly watch this again 👍🏽👍🏽. I think Elon and company will need to send some type of MOXIE to Mars in the first ships to Mars. Just wondering if they will try to scale MOXIE up so each astronaut will a little generator to make oxygen for them to REFILL their tanks, sorta like scuba divers have air compressors to refill their tanks? 🤔They could each run their units all day and night making oxygen during the day.
Loved this video 👌.
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the video. Having personal MOXIE tanks would be an interesting idea, one challenge might be how we power them when they are attached to a spacesuit. I am not sure if SpaceX is developing oxygen generators, or if they are relying on NASA for the designs, but it would be interesting to hear what they are working on.
The next hurdle is efficiency. Mars's pressure Moxie. Like room temperature superconductors is next the goal. Either that or free energy is no longer a restraint. Fusion energy on Mars. Our current technology in solar panels is only 40% efficient on Mars. No solar past Jupiter, the Sun is too far away using solar panels.
Moxie was successful, proving we can do this under Marsian conditions.
If starting a contained base on Mars. Solving locally sourced oxygen is a obviously a necessity. That solution could even be used to supplement the atmosphere in a mars base if also combined with plants in a confined base. Then the devices may not need to run all the time, just as required because a lot of power is needed to supplement oxygen or carbon monoxide when either is running low.
With that eventually solved, then a local source of vitamin D for an isolated base needs to be solved.
Otherwise, without vitamin D, on a long missions relying on local resources in an air tight confined base, there will eventually be a huge problem with people becoming weaker and fracturing bones doing simple tasks such as walking to another room.
Two questions please
1 why would 2 negatively charged O atoms conbine to form O2 molecule if they are both negative ?
2 we cant breadth Pure O2 gas so where would the 75% N2 come feom ? Thanks
MOXIE needs to be the size of my iPhone 📱 and keep a human alive.
Simpler than algae for sure. Though I’d have thought it easier to convert CO2 ice or water ice instead. Load it up, melt it, and it’s already at high pressure. Water ice, I’d you can find it, is also probably easier to electrolyse without absurd temperatures, because it’s a liquid. Though maybe you can run a current through pressurised liquid CO2 and do something useful. I’ll have to look into that. If they’re making fuel on Mars they’ll probably want a source of hydrogen anyhow.
Algae or breaking apart large molecules from the surface are also valid options for oxygen production (in some cases provide more by-products/resources like solid rocket propellent). And you make an excellent point, converting CO2 from ice would bypass the compressor phase, which would save a lot of energy for the current design (although be slightly more expensive for the thermal changes). I am unsure about the temperatures needed for electrolysis with liquid CO2, that is something I need to look into. Thanks for the comment!
@@MartianWolf
Well ideally you wouldn’t need to heat up the liquid above melting point, electrolysis could be doable at any temperature so long as it is liquified. Not sure how 800C compares to the enthalpy of fusion, but with some clever engineering using blackbody solar absorbers you could get that heat reasonably cheaply. Couldn’t find any electrical data for liquid CO2, at least not at ridiculous pressures. As we know, electrolysis of water is rather easy and well understood, if somewhat power hungry.
Looks like Mars has quite a lot of water ice, though the only place it’s visible from the surface is the North Pole. Being there would drop solar yields a fair bit. If it isn’t feasible to extract from the regolith closer to the equator, then CO2 is likely the best way to go. Dry ice is found on the surface closer to the equator, at least in Martian winters. Maybe there’s a good sheltered crater to set up nearby.
Of course, extracting any kind of solid would need to be worth establishing the mechanical infrastructure for, compared to just running a pump. Certainly not the case with a rover test rig. For a pre-human fuel generating lander though, perhaps.
I live in Karachi Pakistan and I follow your website
The explanation has the capacity to induce sleep in anyone, consequently, the author ventured into the business of sleep aid devices.
But isnt CO more dangorous than CO²? Im talking about when said removing one oxygen molocule
Keep sending moxie to Mars then send a man'd mission with tools to make more, add some folage and a water generator and bam, colonies on Mars in 100 years!
What if everyone on mars had their own personal MOXIE unit? Instead of one big one?
It would take a lot to fill a Starship tank.
Damn this happened 2 years ago
Why not separate both o2 because we breathe o2 no o its unstable alone pus having a bi product.of CO is bad isn't it ?
How much does MOXIE weigh?
MOXIE is about the size of a toaster and has a mass of 17 kg, or weighs about 37 pounds
We can send mini nuclear power supplies to power a bigger scale of moxie.
Dangg so really we will be on Mars probably by 2030 or 2035
Here is some fun facts, the very first soda was called Moxie, was in Maine, then later Dr. Pepper established in Plano Texas, a year later in Georga Coca-cola was established
Good stuff. 👍
Thats why rhey have to have CO because C alone I'll build up sut I get it
Mars has nasty winds lol let's build some super strong wind turbines! To power this incredible machine coupled with solar panels if we really went for it I bet we could produce a lot of oxygen now completely terraforming is an entirely different story👍
CO only dangerous if ur trapped in a room with just that not mixed with O2 I think 😮
How to breathe on mars :
Using perflourocarbon
9th / 8th comment
how to make methane before carbon damage Moxie..
How can moxi, a very energy Intensive process ever compete with the electrolysis of water 🌊💦
This is Mars, the only suspected places of water are at the poles. If you want to transverse the planet you'll need to get O2 from the atmosphere.
Why can't we put this in our cars to eliminate CO2 ?
Why not just plant 🌱 on Mars
Mars is cool, but what could technology like this mean for the future of combating climate change?
It’s electricity not magnetism it’s+ and - not. N and S
I hope the Martians like carbon monoxide!
Fantasy land. NASA can’t put a video camera on the moon. Nice fantasy though.
Just great, pump a poison gas(CO) into the Martian atmosphere.
No CCP or Russian government participation.
Insted of making earth carbon negative and making it more green people are trying to go to mars 😢😢
From Nigeria. Thank you MW for all the explanations. They could find a way to eject the Carbon or soot from Moxie rather than leave it inside. Create a Chimney!!
Hi Alex, glad you enjoyed the video! There are some possibilities of cleaning out the soot, or even using the Carbon to produce rocket fuel, but with the current design it would be challenging. I'd imagine they'll have more intricate designs for oxygen/propellent generators in the years to come!