There are many challenges that astronauts will face when they begin exploring Mars. There are health risks associated with long-duration missions in space, as well as the time and energy it takes to get there. The atmosphere on Mars is thin and toxic, the surface is cold and dry, and the planet is exposed to high levels of radiation.
In-Situ Resource Utilization is a process that missions to Mars will need to use. A team from the Spanish innovation company is working on a system that uses solar power to convert astronauts' waste into fuel. This technology could be a game-changer for missions to deep space in the future.
A non-profit research, development, and innovation organization that specializes in advanced manufacturing and information and communications technology is located in northeastern Spain. This photoelectrochemical system uses high-efficiency catalytic materials to produce hydrocarbons like methane, carbon monoxide, or alcohols from atmospheric CO 2 and wastewater.
The system also recycles the wastewater used in the process. The system was created by Dr. Borja Poza and Dr. Eva Gutierrez. In a recent press release, Poza explained.
“We aim to make the first reactor to produce space propellant on Mars using the planet’s air, which is 95% carbon dioxide. The reactr will be powered by sunlight, and astronauts’ greywater will be used to help in the production of the propellant.”
Multiple lines of evidence show that there is ice on Mars. Future missions would harvest this ice to provide drinking water, irrigation for plants, and manufacture rocket fuel. This is done by breaking down water molecule to produce hydrogen and oxygen.
Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen become the two ingredients of conventional hydrogen fuel when cooled to a certain temperature. Mission planners are concerned about the locations of water ice deposits on Mars. There are abundant supplies of water in the ice caps around the poles, as well as layers of permafrost at all latitudes.
Water ice can be found just 30 cm beneath the surface in some spots around the poles. Recent data obtained by the TGO revealed large amounts of ice mixed with regolith at the bottom of Mars. There is evidence that there may be underground sources of ice around the planet.
The technical officer for the project at the European Space Operations Center is Jean-Christophe Berton.
“The outcome of this activity could provide ESA with valuable input on the production of propellant on Mars or to power remote sites like ground stations on Earth. It could also potentially provide input on how to decarbonise our own atmosphere.”
The project was submitted in response to an open call for new ideas for applications in space. This system will allow astronauts and crews to live and work for extended periods on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Resupply missions will take weeks or months to reach them, making reliance on Earth impractical.
These include technologies that will allow astronauts to use local regolith to build habitats that will protect against the elements and radiation on Mars, grow and cultivate food inside these habitats, and create oxygen gas from the Martian atmosphere.
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