How to survive on the Moon or Mars explained: A new device will be required

Despite the ambitious goals set by NASA and other space agencies with the Artemis program, long-term human presence on the Moon and other planets with outer space exploration is still a long way off. There are many unknowns, especially the resource problem and the need to survive in places where no human can survive alone. But at least a solution may have been found for our basic need.

New solution to living on the Moon and Mars: Photoelectrochemical devices

In a new study published in the journal Nature, it is stated that the life support technologies that humans have used to live on the International Space Station (ISS) so far are not suitable for deeper and longer missions. According to the study, astronauts will need something different to live on the Moon or Mars, and scientists think photoelectrochemical devices could be the solution.

About 1.5 kW of the 4.6 kW total energy budget of the Environmental Control and Life Support System on the ISS is currently oxygenated via a photovoltaic-based electrolysis process, according to the paper by Katharina Brinkert, assistant professor at the University of Warwick. is used to produce. The Oxygen Generator Assembly (OGA) on the space station separates oxygen molecules from hydrogen so that astronauts can actually breathe in space.

Much more efficient and stable than existing devices

According to scientists, the current OGA system will become a burden on long space missions farther from Earth, as it is costly, cumbersome and prone to failure. An alternative approach proposed by Brinkert and colleagues involves using photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices instead of photovoltaic electrolysers.

Compared to OGA, the PEC device is based on a one-step process designed to convert solar energy directly into chemical energy. Semiconductor materials convert electromagnetic radiation into oxygen and hydrogen, eliminating the need for intermediate electricity generation.

The research paper lays down “the theoretical foundations for the application of PEC devices in habitats on the Moon and Mars,” and explores the feasibility of PEC machines specifically designed to generate oxygen and recycle carbon dioxide in these remote, alien soils. While research into the long-term efficiency and “power density” of PEC devices is still ongoing, “In-Site Sourcing” (meaning using material you can find on the Moon or Mars to build PEC machines) and the ability to operate in microgravity conditions are thought to pose no serious problems.