MIT's MOXIE Instrument Aims to Produce Oxygen on Mars
NASA's Perseverance rover carries an MIT-designed instrument called MOXIE that generates oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. This technology demonstration supports future human exploration while the rover searches for signs of ancient life.
NASA's Perseverance rover lands on Mars equipped with a groundbreaking MIT-designed instrument called MOXIE. This device takes in carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and converts it into breathable oxygen, proving that future astronauts can rely on local resources rather than hauling heavy oxygen tanks from Earth.
The rover explores Jezero Crater, an ancient lakebed that holds promising geological signs of past microbial life. As Perseverance traverses this 28-mile-wide basin, MIT scientists help guide the vehicle to the most valuable sedimentary rocks to collect and cache for eventual return to Earth.
MOXIE serves as a critical step toward sustaining human presence on the Red Planet by demonstrating in-situ resource utilization. While the main rover focuses on gathering rock samples, this lunchbox-sized experiment successfully brews up oxygen to show how future missions can support rocket propulsion and astronaut life support systems directly on Mars.