Abstract
MOXIE is a technology demonstration that addresses the Mars 2020 (Perseverance) objective of preparing for future human exploration by demonstrating In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) in the form of dissociating atmospheric CO2 into O2. The primary goals of the MOXIE project are to verify and validate the technology of Mars ISRU as a springboard for the future, and to establish achievable performance requirements and design approaches that will lead to a full-scale ISRU system based on MOXIE technology.
MOXIE has three top-level requirements: to be capable of producing at least 6 g/hr of oxygen in the context of the Mars 2020 mission (assuming atmospheric intake at 5 Torr, typical of Jezero Crater, and \(0~^{\circ}\text{C}\), typical of the rover interior); to produce oxygen with \(>98\%\) purity; and to meet these first two requirements for at least 10 operational cycles after delivery. Since MOXIE is expected to operate in all seasons and at all times of day and night on Mars, these requirements are intended to be satisfied under worst-case environmental conditions, including during a dust storm, if possible.
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Notes
- 1.
The somewhat unusual unit of g/hr reflects initial requirements on the MOXIE system and will be used consistently through descriptions of the flow system.
- 2.
When discussing instrumentation, pressure is generally expressed in Torr, while in atmospheric studies it is typically expressed in mbar.
- 3.
MathWorks®, Simulink®, Release R2020a, March, 2020.
- 4.
MathWorks®, MATLAB®, Release R2020a, March, 2020.
- 5.
MathWorks®, Simscape™, Release R2020a, March, 2020.
Abbreviations
- APB:
-
Advance Peripheral Bus
- ASR:
-
Area Specific Resistance
- CAC:
-
CO2 Acquisition and Compression System
- CSA:
-
Ceramatec SOXE Assembly
- DAC:
-
Digital-to-Analog Converter
- DRA:
-
Design Reference Architecture
- EDL:
-
Entry, Descent, and Landing
- EM:
-
Engineering Model
- FPGA:
-
Field Programmable Gate Array
- FM:
-
Flight Model
- FS:
-
Flight Spare
- GUI:
-
Graphical User Interface
- HEPA:
-
High Efficiency Particulate Air filter
- iASR:
-
Intrinsic Area Specific Resistance
- ISRU:
-
In Situ Resource Utilization
- JPL:
-
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- JSA:
-
JPL SOXE Assembly
- LOX:
-
Liquid Oxygen
- MAV:
-
Mars Ascent Vehicle
- MEDA:
-
Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer
- MMRTG:
-
Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator
- MOXIE:
-
Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment
- MRAM:
-
Magneto-resistive Random Access Memory
- MT:
-
Metric Tons
- NASA:
-
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- NDIR:
-
Non-Dispersive Infrared Radiation
- OCV:
-
Open Circuit Voltage
- OC#:
-
Operating Cycle number
- PET:
-
Polyethylene Terephthalate
- PID:
-
Proportional-Integral-Differential
- PMC:
-
Process Monitor and Control
- PRT:
-
Platinum Resistance Thermometer
- PWM:
-
Pulse Width Modulation
- RAMP:
-
Rover Avionics Mounting Panel
- RCE:
-
Rover Compute Element
- RCT:
-
Run Control Table
- ScSZ:
-
Scandia-Stabilized-Zirconia
- SOXE:
-
Solid Oxide Electrolysis unit
- SRS:
-
Shock Response Spectrum
- TVAC:
-
Thermal Vacuum
- VFCD:
-
Viscous Flow Control Device
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Acknowledgements
Portions of this research were carried out at MIT under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNH17CH01C) and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under NASA contract 80NM0018D0004. Test of MOXIE inlet filters at the Mars Simulation Laboratory at Aarhus University, Denmark, was supported by Carlsberg Foundation grants CF16-0981, and CF17-0979. We thank Gavin Kohn for modeling the dust loading rate and capture fraction.
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The Mars 2020 Mission
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Hecht, M., Hoffman, J., Rapp, D. et al. Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE). Space Sci Rev 217, 9 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00782-8
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Keywords
- In-situ resource utilization
- ISRU
- Mars atmosphere
- Oxygen production on Mars
- Mars 2020
- MOXIE