The Mars Perseverance Rover MADE OXYGEN on Mars.

It’s actually been doing it for years, but it just officially completed its mission, proving we can make oxygen reliably and long term. And that, as you might have guessed, will be crucial for any future astronaut missions.

This device works by intaking some of Mars’ atmosphere, which is 96% carbon dioxide, and separating one oxygen atom from each carbon dioxide molecule through an electrochemical process. Then, it releases the remaining carbon monoxide molecule back into the atmosphere.

Since landing on Mars in 2021, the device, named MOXIE, has generated enough oxygen to support a small dog for about 10 hours. It’s a demonstration that this type of technology can work and NASA plans on designing a larger system. Overall, this mission was a success and I’m excited to think we’re one step closer to going to Mars.

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