per flight and take high resolution images . From the point of view of astrobiology , there are two relevant experiments and both will be carried out for the first time in the history of the exploration of Mars . First , the rocks and Martian soil will be drilled , and the samples obtained will be stored in 43 different tubes . The mechanism is similar to that used to study the records of hundreds of thousands of years of climate in ice holes in Antarctica . Samples from Mars will be brought to Earth by future missions , between 2025 and 2030 . Not all tubes that this
mission will use will have samples from Mars . Four of them will function as “ witness containers ”, that is to say that what is found in them will be due to contamination on Earth . Any other findings in the samples from the other vessels will be due exclusively to Mars . Furthermore , we know that the Martian atmosphere is basically made up of carbon dioxide , so humans who travel to Mars will not be able to breathe freely . The low amount of atmospheric oxygen determines that the planet does not have an ozone layer that protects it from radiation . The MOXIE device ( Mars Oxygen
In situ Experiment ) will perform the experiment of taking CO2 from the atmosphere and producing oxygen by electrolysis . It has a power of 300 Watt and is capable of producing 9 grams of oxygen per hour . It is a small device that will perform intermittent experiments during mission time . If successful , later missions will carry larger and more powerful devices capable of generating more oxygen . If all other experiments related to life on Mars give negative results and MOXIE is successful , we will at least have the consolation of having taken the first step to make Mars habitable for humans in the future .
COURTESY OF NASA / JPL-Caltech
This image was captured while NASA ’ s Perseverance rover drove on Mars for the first time on March 4 , 2021 . One of Perseverance ’ s Hazard Avoidance Cameras ( Hazcams ) captured this image as the rover completed a short traverse and turn from its landing site in Jezero Crater . A key objective for Perseverance ’ s mission on Mars is astrobiology , and it will be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith ( broken rock and dust ).
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