Create Breathable Air on Mars

[airpro]

Creating breathable air on Mars, where the atmosphere is composed primarily of carbon dioxide (CO₂), presents significant challenges. However, there are several approaches being researched and developed to achieve this goal. Here's an outline of some methods:

1. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)​

This involves using the resources available on Mars to produce what is needed.

MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment)​

• Process: Electrolysis of carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere.
• Reaction: 2CO2→2CO+O22 \text{CO}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{CO} + \text{O}_22CO2→2CO+O2
• Equipment: MOXIE, an experiment on NASA's Perseverance rover, aims to demonstrate this technology.

2. Chemical Conversion​

• Sabine Process: Converts CO₂ and hydrogen into methane and water using a nickel catalyst.
  • Reaction: CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O\text{CO}_2 + 4 \text{H}_2 \rightarrow \text{CH}_4 + 2 \text{H}_2\text{O}CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O
• Water Electrolysis: Splits water into oxygen and hydrogen.
  • Reaction: 2H2O→2H2+O22 \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 2 \text{H}_2 + \text{O}_22H2O→2H2+O2

3. Biological Methods​

• Algae and Cyanobacteria: Use photosynthesis to convert CO₂ and sunlight into oxygen.
  • Equation: 6 CO2+6 H2O+light→C6H12O6+6 O2\text{6 CO}_2 + \text{6 H}_2\text{O} + \text{light} \rightarrow \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + \text{6 O}_26 CO2+6 H2O+light→C6H12O6+6 O2

4. Importing Oxygen​

• Transport from Earth: Initially, oxygen could be transported from Earth, although this is not sustainable long-term due to cost and logistics.

Implementation Considerations​

1. Energy Requirements: All methods require significant energy input, which can come from solar panels or nuclear reactors.
2. Infrastructure: Developing robust and reliable systems to support continuous oxygen production.
3. Redundancy and Safety: Multiple systems and backups to ensure a stable supply of breathable air.

Steps to Create Breathable Air on Mars​

1. Assess Resources: Determine the availability of water ice and CO₂ in the local environment.
2. Select Appropriate Technology: Choose between MOXIE, Sabine process, or biological methods based on specific mission requirements.
3. Develop Infrastructure: Build and test the necessary infrastructure for oxygen production and storage.
4. Continuous Monitoring: Implement systems for monitoring air quality and ensuring the stability of oxygen levels.

These methods and considerations form the foundation for creating a breathable atmosphere on Mars for future missions and potential colonization.

 

[COLGeek]

Sources? When posting something like this, you should provide supporting information.

 

[Classical Motion]

IF you could make it, could you keep it? What holds and keeps our air? Is it gravity or is it an EM field and an ionization boundary?

To have life any where one needs a large body of liquid water. And a zillion life forms in it. There has to be a recycling of nutrients and energy. Steady environments for generational recycling.

A tall order. I don't think we're ready.

Mental heath and disease, local food production and low resource geo-power is much more obtainable. This planet can be mended.

The real terra forming was done in the Amazon long ago. Before refined chemicals. And we forgot how to do it.

 

[billslugg]

Mass of Mar's atmosphere is 2.5e16 kg.
It is 96% CO2.
It's pressure at the surface is 4.6 mm Hg.
If the oxygen was freed from the CO2 molecules its partial pressure would be 3.3 mm Hg.
The highest permanent human habitation is at 18,000 feet where the O2 partial pressure is 76 mm.
Mars has a frozen cap of CO2 with a mass of 1% that of its water ice, thus is insignificant. Releasing all CO2 on Mars would increase the atmospheric pressure only about 50%.

There is lots of water ice in the polar caps. The northern cap contains 821,000 cubic kilometers of water ice. This is 8e17 kg, It contains 7e17 kg oxygen. This would provide an atmosphere of 150 mm O2, about that at the Earth's surface.

 

[arturo.v.dominguez@gmail.]

Life on Ganymede would be domed. Simply because/if more water exists on Ganymede, than on Earth. I imagine that if humans ever do get to colonize another of our solar systems bodies it will be Ganymede.

Nothing against Mars it's just that the environment as is on mars might give humans one or two chances to get it right. Sure, we could argue that the environment on Gany is worse. But then again with water being the key to success. Then good ole Mede has it hands down.

 

[arturo.v.dominguez@gmail.]

I haven't seen or heard of any fossil fuel sources for the production car fuel on Ganymede. So, I think any individual type of transportation would have to be battery electric (snowmobiles?), transporting refined fossil fuels would be extra ordinarily expensive.

 

[Ken Fabian]

the foundation for creating a breathable atmosphere on Mars for future missions and potential colonization.

Sounds like you are talking about making the atmosphere of Mars itself breathable - extremely unrealistic - rather than make small amounts of suitable air for use in pressurized heated habitats, which is less unrealistic.

Not convinced we'll have any crewed missions to Mars, which will likely have to stay a time waiting for the return window, but if there are they may well try to reduce their payload requirements by exploiting local resources. Fuel for return as per NASA and SpaceX proposals, making oxygen for air - but only where the equipment for that is significantly less to carry.

I expect further exploration of Mars will remain robotic for the foreseeable future.

 

[Jambo Bwana!]

I haven't seen or heard of any fossil fuel sources for the production car fuel on Ganymede. So, I think any individual type of transportation would have to be battery electric (snowmobiles?), transporting refined fossil fuels would be extra ordinarily expensive.

Transporting fossil fuels!?? Who would do that!

 

[Cisventure Astronot]

Creating breathable air on Mars, where the atmosphere is composed primarily of carbon dioxide (CO₂), presents significant challenges. However, there are several approaches being researched and developed to achieve this goal. Here's an outline of some methods:

1. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)​

This involves using the resources available on Mars to produce what is needed.

MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment)​

• Process: Electrolysis of carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere.
• Reaction: 2CO2→2CO+O22 \text{CO}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{CO} + \text{O}_22CO2→2CO+O2
• Equipment: MOXIE, an experiment on NASA's Perseverance rover, aims to demonstrate this technology.

2. Chemical Conversion​

• Sabine Process: Converts CO₂ and hydrogen into methane and water using a nickel catalyst.
  • Reaction: CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O\text{CO}_2 + 4 \text{H}_2 \rightarrow \text{CH}_4 + 2 \text{H}_2\text{O}CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O
• Water Electrolysis: Splits water into oxygen and hydrogen.
  • Reaction: 2H2O→2H2+O22 \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 2 \text{H}_2 + \text{O}_22H2O→2H2+O2

3. Biological Methods​

• Algae and Cyanobacteria: Use photosynthesis to convert CO₂ and sunlight into oxygen.
  • Equation: 6 CO2+6 H2O+light→C6H12O6+6 O2\text{6 CO}_2 + \text{6 H}_2\text{O} + \text{light} \rightarrow \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + \text{6 O}_26 CO2+6 H2O+light→C6H12O6+6 O2

4. Importing Oxygen​

• Transport from Earth: Initially, oxygen could be transported from Earth, although this is not sustainable long-term due to cost and logistics.

Implementation Considerations​

1. Energy Requirements: All methods require significant energy input, which can come from solar panels or nuclear reactors.
2. Infrastructure: Developing robust and reliable systems to support continuous oxygen production.
3. Redundancy and Safety: Multiple systems and backups to ensure a stable supply of breathable air.

Steps to Create Breathable Air on Mars​

1. Assess Resources: Determine the availability of water ice and CO₂ in the local environment.
2. Select Appropriate Technology: Choose between MOXIE, Sabine process, or biological methods based on specific mission requirements.
3. Develop Infrastructure: Build and test the necessary infrastructure for oxygen production and storage.
4. Continuous Monitoring: Implement systems for monitoring air quality and ensuring the stability of oxygen levels.

These methods and considerations form the foundation for creating a breathable atmosphere on Mars for future missions and potential colonization.

Shouldn't "2. Chemical Conversion" and "3. Biological Methods" be under "1. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)"?

Is this AI generated? /gen

 

[billslugg]

I think MOXIE confused the AI generator. With an error like than, nothing else on the page can be trusted.

 

[Ken Fabian]

@Cisventure - Not logically numbered, no. There are 2 categories of ISRU - Chemical Conversion and Biological Methods. MOXIE used a kind of Chemical Conversion ISRU (electrolysis) but it seems more like a human type of mistake (choice?) to give it a number all it's own and not include it under Chemical conversion.

 

[arturo.v.dominguez@gmail.]

Eventually to have a viable oxygen atmosphere on Mars it must get to, or become auto renewable, via photosynthesis. That means there must also be the requisite amount of water for whatever life forms are imported to mars.

 

[AlphaCrusis]

Creating breathable air on Mars, where the atmosphere is composed primarily of carbon dioxide (CO₂), presents significant challenges. However, there are several approaches being researched and developed to achieve this goal. Here's an outline of some methods:

1. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)​

This involves using the resources available on Mars to produce what is needed.

MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment)​

• Process: Electrolysis of carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere.
• Reaction: 2CO2→2CO+O22 \text{CO}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{CO} + \text{O}_22CO2→2CO+O2
• Equipment: MOXIE, an experiment on NASA's Perseverance rover, aims to demonstrate this technology.

2. Chemical Conversion​

• Sabine Process: Converts CO₂ and hydrogen into methane and water using a nickel catalyst.
  • Reaction: CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O\text{CO}_2 + 4 \text{H}_2 \rightarrow \text{CH}_4 + 2 \text{H}_2\text{O}CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O
• Water Electrolysis: Splits water into oxygen and hydrogen.
  • Reaction: 2H2O→2H2+O22 \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 2 \text{H}_2 + \text{O}_22H2O→2H2+O2

3. Biological Methods​

• Algae and Cyanobacteria: Use photosynthesis to convert CO₂ and sunlight into oxygen.
  • Equation: 6 CO2+6 H2O+light→C6H12O6+6 O2\text{6 CO}_2 + \text{6 H}_2\text{O} + \text{light} \rightarrow \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + \text{6 O}_26 CO2+6 H2O+light→C6H12O6+6 O2

4. Importing Oxygen​

• Transport from Earth: Initially, oxygen could be transported from Earth, although this is not sustainable long-term due to cost and logistics.

Implementation Considerations​

1. Energy Requirements: All methods require significant energy input, which can come from solar panels or nuclear reactors.
2. Infrastructure: Developing robust and reliable systems to support continuous oxygen production.
3. Redundancy and Safety: Multiple systems and backups to ensure a stable supply of breathable air.

Steps to Create Breathable Air on Mars​

1. Assess Resources: Determine the availability of water ice and CO₂ in the local environment.
2. Select Appropriate Technology: Choose between MOXIE, Sabine process, or biological methods based on specific mission requirements.
3. Develop Infrastructure: Build and test the necessary infrastructure for oxygen production and storage.
4. Continuous Monitoring: Implement systems for monitoring air quality and ensuring the stability of oxygen levels.

These methods and considerations form the foundation for creating a breathable atmosphere on Mars for future missions and potential colonization.

All of these methods of atmosphere production are great on paper but one has to wonder why there is no atmosphere on Mars to begin with.

 

[billslugg]

Mars is too small to have maintained enough heat inside it to maintain molten iron convection. This is what makes the planet's magnetic field. Mars was wet and had an atmospere billions of years ago, but when the planet cooled enough, the plate tectonics stopped so did the magnetic field. With a protective field, the solar wind particles stripped the atmosphere away.

 

[AlphaCrusis]

Since there is no magnetic field now then there is nothing protecting any new atmosphere (whether natural or man-made) to be stripped away by the solar wind as soon as it is produced, therefore; if Mars is to be successfully aerated then shouldn't a magnetic field or something similar be produced to protect it?

 

[billslugg]

Since there is no magnetic field now then there is nothing protecting any new atmosphere (whether natural or man-made) to be stripped away by the solar wind as soon as it is produced, therefore; if Mars is to be successfully aerated then shouldn't a magnetic field or something similar be produced to protect it?

Yes and no. Depends on how fast you can make replacement atmosphere. Stripping it takes millions of years. If we could somehow produce enough to terraform it, and we could do it within a thousand years or so, I don't see stripping as a problem. For humans, the cosmic rays from the Sun would be deadly. There are proposals to put giant magnets in space between Mars and the Sun to deflect them.
If all of the frozen gases on Mars were liberated, the atmosphere would only be a few percent that of Earth. Terraforming would require a huge amount of water. Steering comets into the planet would work. After all, that's how Earth got hers.

 

[sizzlerjoe]

Creating breathable air on Mars, where the atmosphere is composed primarily of carbon dioxide (CO₂), presents significant challenges. However, there are several approaches being researched and developed to achieve this goal. Here's an outline of some methods:

1. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)​

This involves using the resources available on Mars to produce what is needed.

MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment)​

• Process: Electrolysis of carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere.
• Reaction: 2CO2→2CO+O22 \text{CO}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{CO} + \text{O}_22CO2→2CO+O2
• Equipment: MOXIE, an experiment on NASA's Perseverance rover, aims to demonstrate this technology.

2. Chemical Conversion​

• Sabine Process: Converts CO₂ and hydrogen into methane and water using a nickel catalyst.
  • Reaction: CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O\text{CO}_2 + 4 \text{H}_2 \rightarrow \text{CH}_4 + 2 \text{H}_2\text{O}CO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O
• Water Electrolysis: Splits water into oxygen and hydrogen.
  • Reaction: 2H2O→2H2+O22 \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow 2 \text{H}_2 + \text{O}_22H2O→2H2+O2

3. Biological Methods​

• Algae and Cyanobacteria: Use photosynthesis to convert CO₂ and sunlight into oxygen.
  • Equation: 6 CO2+6 H2O+light→C6H12O6+6 O2\text{6 CO}_2 + \text{6 H}_2\text{O} + \text{light} \rightarrow \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + \text{6 O}_26 CO2+6 H2O+light→C6H12O6+6 O2

4. Importing Oxygen​

• Transport from Earth: Initially, oxygen could be transported from Earth, although this is not sustainable long-term due to cost and logistics.

Implementation Considerations​

1. Energy Requirements: All methods require significant energy input, which can come from solar panels or nuclear reactors.
2. Infrastructure: Developing robust and reliable systems to support continuous oxygen production.
3. Redundancy and Safety: Multiple systems and backups to ensure a stable supply of breathable air.

Steps to Create Breathable Air on Mars​

1. Assess Resources: Determine the availability of water ice and CO₂ in the local environment.
2. Select Appropriate Technology: Choose between MOXIE, Sabine process, or biological methods based on specific mission requirements.
3. Develop Infrastructure: Build and test the necessary infrastructure for oxygen production and storage.
4. Continuous Monitoring: Implement systems for monitoring air quality and ensuring the stability of oxygen levels.

These methods and considerations form the foundation for creating a breathable atmosphere on Mars for future missions and potential colonization.

Simply need-mother of invention- how to discern building the tech that transforms any atmosphere into breathable air. Yes, always easier said, but so were many things to well All previous generations, and look how far we've come now

 

[CRES]

Life on Ganymede would be domed. Simply because/if more water exists on Ganymede, than on Earth. I imagine that if humans ever do get to colonize another of our solar systems bodies it will be Ganymede.

Nothing against Mars it's just that the environment as is on mars might give humans one or two chances to get it right. Sure, we could argue that the environment on Gany is worse. But then again with water being the key to success. Then good ole Mede has it hands down.

What do we know about ecosystem on Ganymede, if it exists?

 

[billslugg]

We know that Ganymede is covered in water ice, has a magnetic field, has a low moment of inertia. The magnetic field is best modeled by a molten iron core. The low moment of inertia says that heavy stuff must be located at the core which leaves the rest of its volume that can only be water. Given that it is hot at the center and frozen on the outside, at some location in between it has got to be liquid water. They say more water than the Earth has. There is also a tenuous oxygen atmosphere but it is made from natural causes and is only a millionth as dense as Earth's. We have no evidence of life there, but with liquid water it would a great place to look.