They will turn air, dust and sunlight into iron.  But not on the ground

Akbar Ramdani and his colleagues presented a novel idea with which they would like to convert commonly available materials into iron.

In this case, the researchers mean Mars, where – if the planet was ever colonized – it would be possible to extract resources. Thus, they developed a method for converting air, dust and sunlight into iron. This process uses concentrated solar energy as a heat source, and carbon formed by cooling carbon monoxide, a byproduct of oxygen formation in the Martian atmosphere.

Read also: We already know what the spaghetti-like object was seen on Mars

The possibility of producing oxygen on the Red Planet has already been confirmed by the Perseverance rover, which has done so as part of the MOXIE (Mars Site Oxygen Resource Utilization Experiment) project. The mineral extraction process is coupled with the installation of a potential oxygen generator that operates on a much larger scale. In the future, this will lead to the production of oxygen and iron alloys, which will be used by the colonists.

The MOXIE experiment showed that oxygen could be produced on Mars

On-site resource utilization will be critical due to the high cost of teleportation and the risk of failure. That is why it is better to use what is available on Mars than to deliver it from our planet there. Whenever a one-way trip takes several months.

Read also: Scientists have improved 3D metal printing. Prints just got more durable

In conjunction with the Fluid Dynamics and Processes Research Group and the Institute of Space Technology and Industry, the researchers are working with CSIRO Minerals and the space technology future science platform CSIRO to move to the next stage of the research. As Rhamdhani explains, his team would like to develop a mineral extraction process on Mars that already uses on-site resources, without bringing reactors from Earth. This will allow our species to explore the Red Planet even further. Detailed arrangements on this matter are available at Acta Space.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Scientists have discovered the brightest gamma-ray burst ever | Urania

Three researchers have detected a gamma-ray burst in the constellation Sagittarius, which…

Influenza vaccinations should be free to every adult

The Ministry of Health is preparing a regulation allowing all adults to…

Asteroid 2021 SG flew through Earth before scientists discovered it

Currently, scientists are constantly monitoring the sky for things that could threaten…

Gaia probe with the most accurate map of the Milky Way ever

Thanks to new data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft, it…