Full Answer
What happens to oxygen in space?
Photo Credit: NASA When spacecraft travel in low Earth orbit (where crewed vehicles and the International Space Station fly), the atomic oxygen formed from the residual atmosphere can react with spacecraft surfaces, causing damage to the vehicle.
How do you get oxygen aboard the International Space Station?
As you now know, getting oxygen aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is handled in one of three ways, using oxygen generators, pressurized oxygen tanks or solid fuel oxygen generators. On the previous page, we talked about the oxygen generators. Now, let's talk about the other two methods.
What is the source of oxygen in space?
Feature. Atomic oxygen doesn't exist naturally for very long on the surface of Earth, as it is very reactive. But in space, where there is plenty of ultraviolet radiation, O 2 molecules are more easily broken apart to create atomic oxygen. The atmosphere in low Earth orbit is comprised of about 96% atomic oxygen.
How is oxygen made on the ISS?
Aboard the ISS, oxygen is made using one of the following ways: oxygen generators, pressurized oxygen tanks or solid fuel oxygen generators (also called oxygen candles). Can oxygen be created in space? Yes, oxygen can be created aboard the ISS using either oxygen generators, pressurized oxygen tanks or solid fuel oxygen generators (oxygen candles).
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How do Russian spacesuits make oxygen?
Russian spacesuits also make oxygen using SFOGs. In future space stations or space colonies, NASA scientists hope to create oxygen and eliminate carbon dioxide naturally by growing plants. The plants would supply breathable air and be a food source for the astronauts.
Where is oxygen made on the ISS?
Bursch, Expedition Four flight engineer, works on the Elektron Oxygen Generator in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). On Earth, we have a constant supply of fresh air.
What is the primary method of oxygen generators?
The primary method is accomplished by the oxygen generators: the Russian-made Elektron and the U.S. Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS).
How much oxygen does SFOG supply?
The SFOG supplies 6.5 man-hours of oxygen per kilogram of the mixture. Russian spacesuits also make oxygen using SFOGs.
How does the ISS get oxygen?
As you now know, getting oxygen aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is handled in one of three ways, using oxygen generators, pressurized oxygen tanks or solid fuel oxygen generators. On the previous page, we talked about the oxygen generators. Now, let's talk about the other two methods.
What temperature does SFOG burn?
When the SFOG is ignited, the iron "burns" at 1112 degrees F (600 degrees C), which supplies the heat energy required for the reaction. The sodium chlorate breaks down into sodium chloride (table salt- NaCl) and oxygen gas (O 2 ). Some of the oxygen combines with iron to form iron oxide (FeO): 600°C.
Where is the oxygen generator in the station?
The system is called the solid fuel oxygen generator (SFOG) and is located in the station's service module (Zvezda). The SFOG, which is also called oxygen candles or chlorate candles, has canisters that contain a mixture of powdered sodium chlorate (NaClO 3) and iron (Fe) powder.
How to apply oxygen to a surface?
There are different ways of applying atomic oxygen to surfaces. Most frequently, a vacuum chamber is used. These chambers range from the size of a shoebox to a chamber that is 4 feet by 6 feet by 3 feet. Microwaves or radiofrequency waves are used to break the oxygen into oxygen atoms—atomic oxygen.
How is atomic oxygen created?
Atomic Oxygen is created in a lab by separating O2 (the oxygen that naturally appears in Earth’s atmosphere) into O (one atom of oxygen—otherwise known as atomic oxygen). Photo Credit: NASA When spacecraft travel in low Earth orbit (where crewed vehicles and the International Space Station fly), the atomic oxygen formed from the residual atmosphere can react with spacecraft surfaces, causing damage to the vehicle. When the solar arrays were designed for the Space Station, there was a concern that the solar array blankets, which are made of polymers, would quickly erode due to atomic oxygen.
How is oxygen used in medicine?
Helping Human Health. Atomic oxygen can be used in medical applications, such as texturing surfaces for use in glucose monitors. Photo Credit: NASA There are many biomedical applications of atomic oxygen. Many have been investigated, and many more areas can be explored.
What is the purpose of atomic oxygen?
A scientific method developed by researchers at NASA's Glenn Research Center uses atomic oxygen to save and restore works of art that would have been irreparably damaged. It can also completely sterilize surgical implants intended for human bodies, dramatically reducing the risk of inflammation.
Why did the space shuttles look frosty?
"In the first few shuttle flights, materials looked frosty because they were actually being eroded and textured, " says Bruce Banks, a senior physicist with Alphaport, supporting the Space Environment and Experiments branch at Glenn.
Can oxygen cause damage?
In certain conditions, atomic oxygen can cause damage . Thanks to NASA researchers, atomic oxygen is now used in ways that make positive contributions to space exploration and to life on Earth. Whether saving a priceless piece of art or enhancing human health, atomic oxygen is powerful.
Does oxygen exist on Earth?
Atomic oxygen doesn't exist naturally for very long on the surface of Earth, as it is very reactive. But in space, where there is plenty of ultraviolet radiation, O 2 molecules are more easily broken apart to create atomic oxygen. The atmosphere in low Earth orbit is comprised of about 96% atomic oxygen.
How much oxygen does the Red Planet emit?
All in all, the device is designed to generate up to 10 grams of oxygen per hour but could potentially be scaled up to provide the oxygen that would be required for vehicles and astronauts to navigate the Red Planet.
How high did the Ingenuity helicopter land on Mars?
After receiving the data downlink, the NASA team confirmed that the Ingenuity helicopter had successfully executed its flight on Mars, with data showing that it had taken off, ascended to around 10ft (three meters) above the surface of Mars, and landed again.
What is the mission of the Mars Perseverance rover?
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover has successfully pulled carbon dioxide from the Red Planet's atmosphere and converted it into oxygen. When the Perseverance rover landed on Mars' Jezero Crater back in February, the six-wheeled robot was equipped with a toaster-sized instrument called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (or MOXIE for short). MOXIE was recently used to extract some of the planet's thin, carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and convert it into pure, breathable oxygen for the very first time.
What is the name of the rover that landed on Mars?
Sights and Sounds of Mars from NASA's Perseverance Rover. Following a nearly seven-month journey through deep space, NASA's Perseverance rover has been actively searching for signs of habitable conditions and past microbial life on Mars, though it has also been a participant in side missions such as the Ingenuity helicopter's historic flight on ...
Can we breathe on Mars?
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. MOXIE has demonstrated a way that future explorers might be able to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere for propellant and for breathing, though NASA says oxygen generators supporting any potential human missions on Mars would need to be about 100 times larger than the instrument located inside the rover, ...
What Happens to Oxygen in Space?
Oxygen was discovered in the 1770s, but astronomers have only recently discovered where to find it in space. And the reason for it being so elusive is stardust.
Where Does Oxygen Come From?
Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, so in theory, space should be full of it. However, the space between the planets, stars and other celestial bodies is only thinly populated with dust, gas and radiation. Despite decades of astronomy, molecular oxygen (the stuff you can breathe, comprising two atoms, O 2, joined together) is almost nonexistent. As Science.org notes, in space, hydrogen molecules, H 2, outnumber O 2 by a million to one.
