Added 1 new A* page:NASA just used their MOXIE instrument on the Perseverance rover on Mars to convert Martian atmospheric carbon dioxide to oxygen; the 300 watt instrument took an hour to generate 5.4 grams of oxygen, "enough to keep an astronaut healthy for about 10 minutes of normal activity."
NASA provided some other interesting numbers for future planetary explorers:
"To get four astronauts off the Martian surface on a future mission would require approximately 15,000 pounds (7 metric tons) of rocket fuel and 55,000 pounds (25 metric tons) of oxygen. In contrast, astronauts living and working on Mars would require far less oxygen to breathe. 'The astronauts who spend a year on the surface will maybe use one metric ton between them,' Hecht said.
Hauling 25 metric tons of oxygen from Earth to Mars would be an arduous task. Transporting a one-ton oxygen converter – a larger, more powerful descendant of MOXIE that could produce those 25 tons – would be far more economical and practical.
Mars' atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide. MOXIE works by separating oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide molecules, which are made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. A waste product, carbon monoxide, is emitted into the Martian atmosphere."
So yeah we're already producing greenhouse gases on Mars. : P
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The original 16" x 6.75" watercolor art for today's new A* page is up for auction on eBay. : )
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