Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment
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The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) is a
technology demonstration A technology demonstration (or tech demo), also known as demonstrator model, is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a conceivable product or future system, put together as proof of concept with the primary purpose of ...
on the
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
Mars 2020 Mars 2020 is a Mars rover mission forming part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program that includes the rover ''Perseverance'', the small robotic, coaxial helicopter '' Ingenuity'', and associated delivery vehicles. Mars 2020 was launched from Ear ...
rover ''
Perseverance Perseverance may refer to: Behaviour * Psychological resilience * Perseverance of the saints, a Protestant Christian teaching * Assurance (theology) Geography * Perseverance, Queensland, a locality in Australia * Perseverance Island, Seychelles * ...
'' investigating the production of
oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
on
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
. On April 20, 2021, MOXIE produced oxygen from
carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
in the
Martian atmosphere The atmosphere of Mars is the layer of gases surrounding Mars. It is primarily composed of carbon dioxide (95%), molecular nitrogen (2.8%), and argon (2%). It also contains trace levels of water vapor, oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and no ...
by using solid oxide electrolysis. This was the first experimental extraction of a
natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...
from another planet for human use. The technology may be scaled up for use in a human mission to the planet to provide breathable oxygen,
oxidizer An oxidizing agent (also known as an oxidant, oxidizer, electron recipient, or electron acceptor) is a substance in a redox chemical reaction that gains or " accepts"/"receives" an electron from a (called the , , or ). In other words, an oxid ...
, and
propellant A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or other motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the e ...
; water may also be produced by combining the produced oxygen with
hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
. The experiment was a collaboration between the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, the
Haystack Observatory Haystack Observatory is a multidisciplinary radio science center, ionospheric observatory, and astronomical microwave observatory owned by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It is located in Westford, Massachusetts (US), approximately ...
, the NASA/
Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...
, and other institutions.


Objective

MOXIE's objective is to produce oxygen of at least 98% purity at a rate of and to do this at least ten times, so the device can be tested in a range of times of the day, including at night, and in most environmental conditions, including during a
dust storm A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transporte ...
.


Development

MOXIE builds upon an earlier experiment, the Mars In-situ propellant production Precursor (MIP), which was designed and built to fly on the Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander mission. MIP was intended to demonstrate In-Situ Propellant Production (ISPP) on a laboratory scale using electrolysis of carbon dioxide to produce oxygen. The MIP flight demonstration was postponed when the
Mars Surveyor 2001 The Mars Surveyor 2001 project was a multi-part Mars exploration mission intended as a follow-up to Mars Surveyor '98. After the two probes of the 1998 project, Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander, were both lost, NASA's "better, faster ...
lander mission was cancelled after the
Mars Polar Lander The Mars Polar Lander, also known as the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander, was a 290-kilogram robotic spacecraft lander launched by NASA on January 3, 1999, to study the soil and climate of Planum Australe, a region near the south pole on Mars. It for ...
mission failed. The Principal Investigator (PI) of MOXIE is Michael Hecht from the
Haystack Observatory Haystack Observatory is a multidisciplinary radio science center, ionospheric observatory, and astronomical microwave observatory owned by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It is located in Westford, Massachusetts (US), approximately ...
at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
(MIT). The deputy PI is former NASA astronaut
Jeffrey Hoffman Jeffrey Alan Hoffman (born November 2, 1944) is an American former NASA astronaut and currently a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. Hoffman made five flights as a Space Shuttle astronaut, including the first mission to repair t ...
from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. The project manager is Jeff Mellstrom from the NASA/Caltech
Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...
(JPL). Along with MIT and JPL, major contributors are OxEon Energy (previously Ceramatec, Inc.) and
Air Squared Air Squared is a Vertical integration, vertically integrated research and development (research and development, R&D) original equipment manufacturing (Original equipment manufacturer, OEM) firm headquartered in Thornton, Colorado, Thornton, Color ...
. Other contributors include
Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
, Space Exploration Instruments LLC, Destiny Space Systems LLC, the
Niels Bohr Institute The Niels Bohr Institute (Danish: ''Niels Bohr Institutet'') is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics and biophysics. ...
at the
University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
,
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, and the
Technical University of Denmark The Technical University of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet), often simply referred to as DTU, is a polytechnic university and school of engineering. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's fi ...
.


Principle

MOXIE acquires, compresses, and heats Martian atmospheric gases using a
HEPA filter HEPA (, high-efficiency particulate air) filter, also known as high-efficiency particulate absorbing filter and high-efficiency particulate arrestance filter, is an efficiency standard of air filters. Filters meeting the HEPA standard must sa ...
,
scroll compressor A scroll compressor (also called ''spiral compressor'', scroll pump and scroll vacuum pump) is a device for compressing air or refrigerant. It is used in air conditioning equipment, as an automobile supercharger (where it is known as a scroll- ...
, and heaters alongside insulation, then splits the
carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
() molecules into
oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
(O) and
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...
(CO) using solid oxide electrolysis, where the O atoms combine to form gaseous oxygen (). The conversion process requires a temperature of approximately . A solid oxide electrolysis cell works on the principle that, at elevated temperatures, certain ceramic oxides, such as
yttria-stabilized zirconia Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is a ceramic in which the cubic crystal structure of zirconium dioxide is made stable at room temperature by an addition of yttrium oxide. These oxides are commonly called "zirconia" ( Zr O2) and "yttria" ( Y2 O3) ...
(YSZ) and doped
ceria Cerium(IV) oxide, also known as ceric oxide, ceric dioxide, ceria, cerium oxide or cerium dioxide, is an oxide of the rare-earth metal cerium. It is a pale yellow-white powder with the chemical formula CeO2. It is an important commercial produ ...
, become oxide ion (O2–) conductors. A thin nonporous disk of YSZ (solid electrolyte) is sandwiched between two porous
electrode An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials de ...
s. diffuses through the porous electrode (
cathode A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device. This definition can be recalled by using the mnemonic ''CCD'' for ''Cathode Current Departs''. A conventional current describes the direction in whi ...
) and reaches the vicinity of the electrode-electrolyte boundary. Through a combination of thermal dissociation and electrocatalysis, an oxygen atom is liberated from the molecule and picks up two electrons from the cathode to become an oxide ion (O2–). Via oxygen ion vacancies in the crystal lattice of the electrolyte, the oxygen ion is transported to the electrolyte–anode interface due to the applied DC potential. At this interface, the oxygen ion transfers its charge to the
anode An anode is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the device. A common mnemonic is ...
, combines with another oxygen atom to form oxygen (), and diffuses out of the anode. The net reaction is thus \longrightarrow + .
Inert gas An inert gas is a gas that does not readily undergo chemical reactions with other chemical substances and therefore does not readily form chemical compounds. The noble gases often do not react with many substances and were historically referred to ...
es such as
nitrogen gas Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seventh ...
() and
argon Argon is a chemical element with the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble gas. Argon is the third-most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, at 0.934% (9340 ppmv). It is more than twice as abu ...
(Ar) are not separated from the feed, but returned to the atmosphere with the carbon monoxide (CO) and unused .


Mars experiment

Oxygen production was first achieved on April 20, 2021, in
Jezero Crater Jezero is a crater on Mars in the Syrtis Major quadrangle, about in diameter. Thought to have once been flooded with water, the crater contains a fan- delta deposit rich in clays. The lake in the crater was present when valley networks were for ...
, producing of oxygen, equivalent to what an astronaut on Mars would need to breathe for roughly 10 minutes. MOXIE is designed to safely generate up to of oxygen, with theoretical production limited to of oxygen due to the limited capacity of the 4
ampere The ampere (, ; symbol: A), often shortened to amp,SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of abbreviations for units. is the unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI). One ampere is equal to elect ...
flight power supply. The oxygen produced is analyzed, and then released back into the atmosphere. MOXIE is planned to isolate oxygen a further nine more times over the course of approximately two Earth years, or one Martian year, in three stages; the first stage will further investigate the oxygen production, the second to test the instrument in a variety of times of day, seasons, and atmospheric conditions, and the third to produce oxygen at different temperatures, and alter the mode of operation to investigate differences in production. On April 21, 2021, Jim Reuter, the Associate Administrator for STMD explained that the experiment was functioning with results having many uses, stating: "This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars. MOXIE has more work to do, but the results from this technology demonstration are full of promise as we move toward our goal of one day seeing humans on Mars. Oxygen isn’t just the stuff we breathe. Rocket propellant depends on oxygen, and future explorers will depend on producing propellant on Mars to make the trip home."


Implications

NASA states that if MOXIE worked efficiently, they could land an approximately 200-times larger, MOXIE-based instrument on the planet, along with a power plant capable of generating . Over the course of approximately one Earth year, this system would produce oxygen at a rate of at least in support of a human mission sometime in the 2030s.The Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE)
PDF. Presentation: MARS 2020 Mission and Instruments". November 6, 2014.
The stored oxygen could be used for life support, but the primary need is for an oxidizer for a Mars ascent vehicle. It is projected for example, in a mission of four astronauts on Martian surface for a year, only about 1 metric ton of oxygen would be used for life support for the entire year, compared to about 25 metric tons of oxygen for propulsion off the surface of Mars for the return mission. The CO, a byproduct of the reaction, may be collected and used as a low-grade fuel or reacted with water to form
methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
() for use as a primary fuel. As an alternative use, an oxygen generation system could fill a small oxygen tank to support a
sample return mission A sample-return mission is a spacecraft mission to collect and return samples from an extraterrestrial location to Earth for analysis. Sample-return missions may bring back merely atoms and molecules or a deposit of complex compounds such as lo ...
. The oxygen could also be combined with hydrogen to form water.


Technical specifications

''Data from NASA (MARS 2020 Mission Perseverance Rover), Ceramatec and OxEon Energy,J. Hartvigsen, S. Elangovan, J. Elwell, D. Larsen, L. Clark, E. Mitchel, B. MilletCeramatec, Inc/OxEonEnergy ''Development and Flight Qualification of a Solid Oxide Electrolysis Stack for the Mars2020 MOXIE Project'' https://www.ice2017.net NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.'' • Main Job: To produce oxygen from the Martian carbon-dioxide atmosphere. • Location: Inside the rover (front, right side) • Mass: 17.1 kilograms • Weight: 37.7 pounds on Earth, 14.14 pounds on Mars • Power: 300 watts • Volume: 9.4 x 9.4 x 12.2 inches (23.9 x 23.9 x 30.9 centimeters) • Oxygen Production Rate: Up to 10 grams per hour (At least 0.022 pounds per hour) • Operation Time: Approximately one hour of oxygen (O2) production per experiment. which will be scheduled intermittently over the duration of the mission. MOXIE: Operational Design Drive (SOXE): • Gas Flow: Internally manifolded for O2 Purity & dP • Feed: DRY in a range of 30-80 g/hr • Product: 99.6% Pure O2, internal manifolding • Structural: Robust to survive Launch, EDL Shock and Vibe, Compression Load Requirements • Power: Highly constrained • Mass: 1 kg max • Volume: Rigidly constrained • Operation: 20+ 120 minute cycles • Heating Ramps: 90 minutes (~515 °C/hour) from ambient(potentially -40 °C) to 800 °C. • Heat Application: Heaters on endplates only MOXIE: Materials Design Drivers: • Interconnects (IC): Powder metallurgy (CFY, Plansee) • Seals: Glass Seals • Current Busbars: Brazed rod / welded wire • Feed Manifolds: Inlet tube/internal manifold O2 purity • Anode Electrode: Perovskite • Cathode Electrode: Modified proprietary Cermet • Electrolyte: Scandia-Stabilized Zirconia (ScSZ) MOXIE: Cell Design: • Number of Cells: 10 Cells (Arranged in two stacks of 5 cells each) • Oxygen Production: 10 grams per hour (>1g/hr. per cell) • Each Cell Consists of: - Electrolyte (Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia YSZ) - Cathode - Anode • Connecting Cells: - High chromium alloy (matched CTE to ceramic electrolyte) - Approximately 100mm x 50mm x 2mm - Contains manifolding for gas streams MOXIE: Gas Delivery System (Scroll Compressor): • Scroll Pump Compression Rate: Up to approximately 1 bar • Scroll Pump RPM: Low-speed (2000-4000 RPM) • Performance: Inlet Gas: 83g/hr, P= 7 Torr, T= 20 °C, Pin= 120 W, Mass: ~2 kg MOXIE: Targets: • Operational Cycles: The primary mission requirements call for the capability to operate a total of 20 cycles: – 10 cycles preflight – 10+ cycles on Mars • Qualification and Verification Testing: It involves 60 full operational cycles for proof of extensibility, which is three times the number of cycles planned for the primary mission. • Oxygen Purity: 99.6%+ at end of life • Temperature Capability: Capable to operate at -65 °C proof temperature • Compression, Shock, and Vibe Requirements: - Withstand 8 kN compressive force - Withstand (PF) + 3 dB levels for flight shock and vibe requirements


References


External links

* {{Satellite and spacecraft instruments Colonization of Mars Electrochemical cells Mars 2020 instruments Oxygen Space science experiments Technology demonstrations