Scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei have finally found a molecule that could be used to produce oxygen on Mars. The analysis was carried out using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Nature Synthesis (NatSynth).
Future manned missions to Mars will need oxygen not only for humans to breathe, but also for use as rocket fuel. One of the key ways to make such missions cost-effective in the long term is to use existing resources on the red planet.
A similar source could be water ice, which is found in large quantities on Mars. To convert it into oxygen, catalyst compounds that can split frozen water into oxygen and hydrogen are needed.
The science team focused on studying Martian meteorites—pieces of rock that fell to Earth after impacts from space fell from the neighboring planet.
Scientists created an artificial intelligence-controlled robotic system to take samples and scan them with a laser. The machine’s algorithm analyzed the composition of the alien ore and concluded that 3.7 million molecules could be extracted from six metal elements (iron, nickel, manganese, magnesium, aluminum and calcium) in these rocks.
Over six days, the robotic chemist selected, synthesized and tested 243 different molecules. The best catalyst he found could split water at -37 °C, which corresponds to Martian conditions.
Researchers estimate that it would take about 2,000 years for a human scientist to find the best catalyst option using traditional trial and error methods.
Previous scientists started Search for a way to extract oxygen from lunar dust.
Source: Gazeta
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