NASA to allow parabolic flight testing for electrolyzer that could fuel Mars missions
In Texas, a Southwest Research Institute and University of Texas at San Antonio experiment has passed a critical NASA review, designating it ready for parabolic flight testing. The two institutions will evaluate the performance of a patent-pending electrolyzer, the Mars Atmospheric Reactor for Synthesis of Consumables (MARS-C), in partial-gravity environments.
MARS-C is an in situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology meant to improve production of propellants and life-support compounds on Mars, but similar technology can be applied to the moon and other planetary bodies. It applies voltage across two electrodes to electrochemically convert simulated Martian brine and carbon dioxide into oxygen, ethanol and other hydrocarbons.
Category: Research
