The MOXIE instrument is designed to extract oxygen from Mars' thin atmosphere, paving the way for future human exploration.
"This was the riskiest run we've done," Hecht said, adding that the experiment could have damaged the sensitive MOXIE instrument. "This could have gone wrong," he added.The latest experiment lasted 58 minutes, during which time MOXIE achieved a production rate of approximately 12 grams of oxygen per hour — roughly double what was expected.
NASA's MOXIE instrument is a toaster-sized machine that was sent to Mars aboard 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. The instrument pumps Martian air into a reservoir where an electrochemical process removes an oxygen atom from each carbon dioxide molecule.
Once separated, oxygen ions are united again to create breathable oxygen, which MOXIE then analyzes to measure its purity and quantity. For the MOXIE experiment, the oxygen is then harmlessly released back into the Martian atmosphere. The risk mentioned by Hecht comes from the fact that the solid carbon byproduct can build up inside the device, potentially bricking the machine.
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