How will the first astronauts on Mars generate oxygen to breathe and rocket propellant to return to Earth? ⁣ ⁣ An experimental device called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) has generated oxygen for the 16th and final time aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover. ⁣ ⁣ Since Perseverance landed on Mars in 2021, MOXIE has generated a total of 122 grams of oxygen. At its most efficient, MOXIE was able to produce 12 grams of oxygen an hour – twice as much as NASA’s original goals for the instrument — at 98% purity or better. On its 16th run, on Aug. 7, the instrument made 9.8 grams of oxygen.⁣ ⁣ MOXIE generates oxygen by collecting carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere and electrochemically splitting the carbon dioxide molecules into oxygen and carbon monoxide molecules. The oxygen is then analyzed for purity before being vented back out to the Martian atmosphere along with the carbon monoxide and other exhaust products. ⁣ ⁣ The Perseverance mission is part of N...