Martian Robot

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Mars is one of planet in our solar system known as red planet and close of earth and sun. Already many issues spread among the people about Mars, the humans will own new planet since NASA make a research sign of life on Mars. NASA plans to make oxygen from Mars atmosphere of when NASA's robot landed on Mars in next 2020. The Scientists will send this robot produce air in martian atmosphere for human life and save breath. They will make oxygen by using Moxie (Mars Oxygen In-situ Resource Utilization Experiment), this moxie could convert CO₂ into Oxygen (O₂), Moxie is a microorganism of Martian atmosphere would releases oxygen as byproduct. If this experiment was successful, the oxygen will use for human breathe and use for astronaut rocket fuel to return to the Earth, this is a big step to allows human inhabit in Mars for the future, talking about life on Mars is one of big matter for astronauts because availability of oxygen, after scientists discovered Moxie, this became a solution of oxygen scarcity on the Mars. This will be the first, where scientist will actually produce oxygen on Mars surface Scientist said 96% of Mars's atmosphere contains carbon dioxide (CO₂), whereas oxygen reaches only 0.2%, the research team predicts Moxie can convert all components of Mars atmosphere to 99.6% pure oxygen, to change everything, Moxie will collect carbon dioxide (CO₂) surrounds the Mars and isolate oxygen (O₂) atom to combine both, then it convert to Oxygen (O₂) which can be inhaled in the free air. With Moxie, NASA not only can get the fresh air for astronauts but also oxygen will be use for rocket fuel.

How Does Moxie Work?

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Moxie will separate oxygen from carbon dioxide, then Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) diffuses through an electrode (cathode), through thermal combination dissociation process and electro catalysis, the releasing of oxygen atoms is liberated from CO₂ molecule and atom takes two electrons from cathode to oxygen (O-2) ions, this process occur through a vacuum oxygen ions were transported to anode electrolyte, At this interface, the oxygen ions transfer charge to anode and join other oxygen atoms to forming oxygen (O₂) and then diffuse to exit of anode. we can make chemical equation as follow :

2CO₂  ⇒ 2CO + O₂ Cathode

O_2-  ⇒ 1/2 O₂ + 2^e- Anode

The Process Refer to Photosynthesis

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The oxygen gas has 21% by volume (w/v) and 23.1% mass (w/m) in the atmosphere. The Earth has a high concentration of oxygen gas in the atmosphere when compared to Mars which has only 0.2% (oxygen) of O₂. However, other planets Oxygen (O₂) only produced from ultraviolet radiation that give an affects molecules contain oxygen atoms such as carbon dioxide. The oxygen concentration of the Earth caused oxygen cycle, this biochemical and geochemical cycle explains the oxygen movement of three main reservoirs in the earth, namely atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere, the main factor prompt oxygen cycle is photosynthesis, it releases oxygen to atmosphere, when respiration process the oxygen disappears from atmosphere. The simple chemical equations for photosynthesis can be formulated.

CO₂ + H₂O + photon ⇒  C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂

The reaction above hasn't reached the balance, to equalize of reaction photosynthesis can be formulated as follow :

6CO₂ + 6H₂O + photon ⇒ C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂

The evolution of oxygen photolytic takes place in thylakoid membrane of organism and it requires four photons energy, many steps involved in this process, but the result is a formation of proton gradient across the surface of thylakoid used to synthesize ATP via photo phosphorylation. byproducts result of this reaction is oxygen (O₂) which released to the atmosphere, during oxidation phosphorylation the oxygen used to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the mitochondria. The reaction of aerobic respiration is opposite of photosynthesis reaction, the reaction can be formulated.

C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ ⇒ 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + 2880 kJ·mol-1

Oxygen is free produced of water photolysis during oxygenic photosynthesis, less than 70% of oxygen produced in oceans by green algae, and the rest generated by terrestrial plants. Moxie produces oxygen just as a plants photosynthesis, it's just occurs naturally.

Kinds of Oxygen

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Oxygen is a chemical element of cholesterol group readily reacts with other elements (to be oxides), at standard pressure and temperature two atoms of this element bind to form dioxygen, a compound of diatomic gas with O₂ formula that colorless, tasteless, and odorless. Oxygen is the third abundant element in universe based on the mass and the most abundant element in the Earth's crust. The oxygen commonly found on earth is dioxygen (O₂) who has 121 pm bonding length and 498 kJ·mol-1 of energy bonds. Allotropes oxygen is a major component of Earth's atmosphere used for cell respiration by living organisms. Trioxygen (O₃) commonly known as ozone, is a highly reactive allotrope oxygen and can damage lung tissue, in the atmosphere ozone produced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation when dioxygen (O₂) separated atomic oxygen the combines O₂ molecule. Ozone serves as a radiation shield to protects planet because it can absorbs UV waves very strongly. The metastable tetraoxygen (O₄) molecule was found in 2001 assumed to be present in one of six phases in solid oxygen. This was evidenced in 2006, by pressing O₂ to 20 GPa to form rhombohedral (O₈) hull structure. This hob was potentially a stronger oxidizer than O₂ and O₃, it used as rocket fuel, at pressures above 96 GPa and low temperatures, the oxygen phase becomes a superconductor. In the Earth, Oxygen fills 20.9% atmospheric volume, Oxygen in O₂ form produced from water by cyanobacteria, algae, and plants during photosynthesis, and it used for cell respiration by all living things. O₂ began to accumulate in the atmosphere about 2.5 billion years ago. There was also another allotropes oxygen (ozone). The ozone layer in the atmosphere helps to protect biosphere from ultraviolet radiation, but on the Earth surface it was a pollutant as ashtrays byproduct. in industrial scale, Oxygen produced by electrolysis or distillation process of liquid air, using zeolite to separate carbon dioxide and nitrogen from the air, oxygen use to support life on aircraft, submarines, space flight and also use for rocket propellant.

Conclusion

Moxie works as trees photosynthesis, inhaling CO₂ and releasing O₂ (oxygen) that can be inhale by living things, the oxygen production of moxie is not just for human breath on Mars, but oxygen also will be process as rocket fuel for astronauts back to the earth. It may take a lot of volume of oxygen to produce rocket fuel, because the oxygen mole will be compressed up to twice as much as producing hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂).

Source :

Moxie News

Mars Oxygen Experiment

Photosynthesis Aerobic Anaerobic

Cell Respiration

Allotropes Oxygen 1, 2, 3, 4

Earth Atmosphere

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