Toxic chemicals in the soil of Mars are one of the biggest dangers future human explorers will face. These chemicals could be used to produce oxygen on a planet where the majority of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide.
The European Space Agency is working on a device that can detect chemicals. Perchlorates, the salts found on the Martian surface which are known to cause health problems in humans, are the source of these. To make sure explorers don't come into contact with them, and to make sure that the oxygen they can give off isn't mistaken for a sign of life, there are two big reasons to detect such chemicals.
The exciting aspect is that this technique can be used for more than just superoxide detection. Within a matter of hours, the oxygen supply will be restored. The area is estimated to yield enough oxygen to keep a single person alive.
It's difficult to test this technology. There is a research done on the composition of the regolith in the Martian soil. The dangerous chemicals are removed for safety reasons. The team is using samples of Martian and lunar meteorites to create their own regolith simulant. The team wants to apply to NASA to see if they can get samples from the Apollo missions.
The leader of the company which is planning to produce a prototype detector said the aim is to be smaller than a paperback book.
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