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NASA Extracts Breathable Oxygen on Mars In Historic First
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NASA Extracts Breathable Oxygen on Mars In Historic First

NASA achieved another historic first this week thanks to its Mars Perseverance mission.

Science & Tech

NASA has made history for the second time this week by converting carbon dioxide from the thin atmosphere of Mars and converting it into pure, breathable oxygen, the US space agency said in a statement on Wednesday, April 22.

The achievement comes days after NASA conducted the first controlled flight on Mars, and constitutes another step in the agency's plans for future human exploration of the red planet in the 2030s.

The extraction of oxygen from Mars' carbon-rich atmosphere was carried out by a small experimental instrument, called MOXIE. The toaster-sized device is fixed to NASA's Mars Perseverance rover, which touched down on the red planet's Jezero Crater on February 18, after a seven-month journey from Earth.

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Extracting oxygen for humans on future Mars missions

Standing for Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, MOXIE accomplished its first task on Tuesday, April 20. After its activation on Tuesday, the instrument produced approximately 5 grams of oxygen, which is enough for roughly 10 minutes of breathing time for an astronaut, NASA explained.