Mars explorers could breathe oxygen made by plasma

Researchers from Lisbon and Porto Universities believe that future crewed missions to Mars could make their own oxygen for exploring the surface from the local atmosphere. “Sending a manned mission to Mars is one of the next major steps in our exploration of space. Creating a breathable environment, however, is a substantial challenge,” said the lead author of the study in the journal  Plasma Sources Science and Technology, Vasco Guerra.

Guerra and colleagues are investigating cold plasma, an ionised gas at low temperatures but containing fast-moving electrons and ions, for converting CO2 emissions from industrial processes into hydrocarbon fuels using solar energy. “Low temperature plasmas are one of the best media for CO2 decomposition –  the split-up of the molecule into oxygen and carbon monoxide – both by direct electron impact, and by transferring electron energy into vibrational excitation,” he explained (for an example, see here).