As reported by Ukrinform, this was reported by Futurism.

“We had great results. It was the most risky venture we’ve ever made,” said Michael Gert, MOXIE’s lead designer and assistant director of research at the MIT Haystack Observatory.

This month, in 58 minutes, MOXIE achieved an oxygen production rate of about 12 grams per hour on Mars, nearly double what was expected.

He says NASA’s instrument works by pumping Martian air into a reservoir and then using an electrochemical process to “snap” an oxygen atom from each carbon dioxide molecule. The process is not without risk, as a solid carbon byproduct can build up inside the device.

During 2021, MOXIE conducted seven one-hour experiments, even in the harsh winter of Mars.

Scientists now hope to build prototypes on Earth that could produce enough oxygen for a human mission to Mars.

As Ukrinform reports, NASA’s Perseverance rover was delivered to the Red Planet on February 18, 2022, after nearly seven months of flight.