MOXIE "Makes" Oxygen On MARS

The Martian atmosphere is almost pure carbon dioxide (CO2). If humans are to colonize the Red Planet, we will need oxygen to survive. Transporting oxygen from Earth would be so expensive that it would simply not be worth doing. Fortunately, NASA's Perseverance Martian rover has carried a small (size of a toaster oven) experimental device (MOXIE) that uses the principles of electro-chemistry to harvest oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules. The end result is the pure oxygen (O2) needed for staying alive (cellular respiration) and which also needed for the combustion of rocket fuel (H2). If you are wondering about the carbon atoms in CO2 molecules, congratulations! The unusable by-product of the chemical electrolysis of the Martian atmosphere would be carbon monoxide (CO). The first test of MOXIE has been successful! One small breath for a rover, one giant leap for future colonization.