Fuel from thin air: How astronauts will avoid getting stranded on Mars
Scientists devise how to make clean rocket fuel from Mars' atmosphere (photo: Unsplash)
Researchers from the University of Mississippi and Texas A&M University have developed a new technology that will allow future astronauts to create rocket fuel directly on Mars, according to a scientific research article in the journal ACS Catalysis.
What is the essence of the new technology?
The main problem with flights to Mars is the enormous weight of fuel that must be brought from Earth for the return journey. Each additional kilogram significantly increases launch costs and makes it harder to overcome Earth's gravity.
The Martian atmosphere is 96% carbon dioxide. Scientists have created a specially engineered copper catalyst that is 100,000 times thinner than a human hair.
Using electricity, it converts CO2 into methane.
Why is this important specifically for Mars?
Similar chemical reactions have existed before, but they created many byproducts. On Earth, this is not considered a problem because powerful purification infrastructure exists.
Features of Martian conditions:
- There is no possibility of building large purification plants on the Red Planet;
- Fuel must immediately have a high level of purity suitable for rocket engines;
- The new copper catalyst ensures high reaction selectivity, producing precisely methane and minimizing the appearance of impurities.
Benefits for Earth and aviation
The development could also help on our planet. Methane is the main component of natural gas, and its local production from captured CO2 will reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Additionally, the technology can be adapted to create synthetic carbon-based fuel for aviation. This will allow aircraft to fly without using heavy batteries and without extracting fossil resources.
Researchers now plan to test the method with other materials under a grant from Mississippi NASA EPSCoR to further enhance the stability and efficiency of the synthesis.
