The Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE) is NASA’s ambitions project for this year to bring breathable oxygen to Mars using nothing more than a box made out of gold. The experiment is scheduled to be tested when the Mars 2020 project is released, as per sources.
The Mars 2020 will send in the outer space a state-of-the-art Perseverance rover that is assigned to analyze the Jerero crater.
The mission is scheduled to be launched on the 17th of July and its arrival on the red planet is going to take place on the 18th of February 2021.
The spacecraft is currently undergoing additional tests to assure its 100% functionality before it starts its duty. The primary focus of this research is to determine any data that could support the theory of the existence of past life.
NASA wants to produce oxygen on Mars
The Perseverance rover was specially designed to collect samples of rocks that will eventually be analyzed by the scientists when the robot reaches Earth’s atmosphere again.
An additional part of this research is the golden box, whose aim is to turn the carbon dioxide into breathable air. The principal purpose is to determine if the oxygen can survive in the Martian atmosphere, given the fact that it is composed of 95% CO2, 2% argon and 2% nitrogen.
Should this attempt be successful, it will bring humanity one step closer to the exploration of the Red Planet by humans. The explanation of the material used for creating the box is that the gold has a low emissivity rate. Therefore, in case of any increase in degrees, the rover’s components will not be affected by any heating radiation.
The MOXIE box was designed to produce six grams of oxygen on Mars, which are enough to keep alive a medium-size animal. The researcher focuses as well on MOXIE’s adaptation to night and day, as well as to extreme weather conditions.
