Settlement FAQs

how to produce oxygen in a space settlement

by Dr. Brannon Grady Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The short answer is the astronauts and cosmonauts (that means a Russian astronaut) bring oxygen from Earth, and they make oxygen by running electricity through water. This is called electrolysis.Dec 5, 2017

How will we get oxygen in space?

"The primary source of oxygen will be water electrolysis, followed by O 2 in a pressurized storage tank," said Jay Perry, an aerospace engineer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center working on the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) project.

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).

How is oxygen produced in an airplane?

The first method creates oxygen using electrolysis, as a result of which water gets split into hydrogen and oxygen gas. The former is released into space, while the latter is circulated within the cabin. The second method entails delivery of oxygen from Earth.

How does the International Space Station provide breathable air?

During their four-month stay, the crew will rely on the Station's hardware to provide breathable air. Each molecule of water contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Running a current through water causes these atoms to separate and recombine as gaseous hydrogen (H 2) and oxygen (O 2 ).

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What happens when water molecules are shot at high speeds onto other surfaces containing oxygen?

One of the phenomena that occurs happens when water molecules (hydrogen plus oxygen) are shot at high speeds onto other surfaces containing oxygen, like rust or sand, both common on comets. The reaction isn’t chemical but physical, as the hydrogen gets ripped away and the oxygen molecules stick together instead.

How do comets change their surface?

Comets can be busy places. They travel at fast speeds, and the transition from the icy cold reaches of the outer solar system to hot sunlight as they approach the Sun can lead to dramatic changes on their surfaces. One of the phenomena that occurs happens when water molecules (hydrogen plus oxygen) are shot at high speeds onto other surfaces containing oxygen, like rust or sand, both common on comets. The reaction isn’t chemical but physical, as the hydrogen gets ripped away and the oxygen molecules stick together instead.

How did Giapis and Yao test this interaction?

Giapis and Yao tested this interaction by slamming carbon dioxide molecules into gold foil – gold having no oxygen of its own to cloud the results. But they point out that any material would work, provided the carbon dioxide impacts it at high enough speed. They published their results May 24 in Nature Communications.

How many times out of every 10,000 collisions are there?

The process is still unlikely – something like 65 times out of every 10,000 collisions, or less than 1 percent of the time. But the researchers are hopeful that with more study and by tweaking their technique, they might one day be able to farm oxygen, the fuel of life, from carbon dioxide, human’s waste breath. Caltech.

Do comets make oxygen?

New research from Caltech shows that comets make oxygen all on their own, and from a substance much more prevalent in the solar system: carbon dioxide. The surprising conversion, which occurs naturally on comets, could provide a way for future space farers to create breathable air from a gas that humans expel with every breath, ...

Is water plentiful in asteroids?

Water is plentiful in asteroids. Gravity can be induced with spinning space stations. But oxygen can be hard to come by in the form we need. As an element, it’s ubiquitous. But humans need molecular oxygen, O 2, for breathing, and that’s a lot scarcer.

Does water have oxygen?

But water isn’t the only oxygen-containing molecule getting slammed into comet surfaces at high speeds. The Caltech researchers wanted to know if carbon dioxide could produce the same result. Even though carbon dioxide (CO 2) already has two oxygen atoms, they’re arranged in a line with the carbon atom in between.

Is the recycling part of a vent bad?

Thats why I brought up designing the Ventilators to have a "depressurize" function like we have with vents in Space Engineers. The recycling part isn't bad though, maybe a CO2 Scrubber.

Do you need hydrogen in SE?

I do that in SE for all of my ships, make mining ice kinda not needed for anything but hydrogen anymore. And even then you only need hydrogen for low tier ships in SE.

Does the ISS make oxygen from water?

ye, kevin398_727. ISS makes oxygen from water, so we need a water tank? that we can fill with water from jugs and a device that fills o2 over time ony planets with o2 and a device that takes water out of athmosphere?

What does it mean to live on the space station?

Living on the Space Station also means hard work, cramped quarters, and... what's that smell? Probably more outgassing from a scientific experiment or, worse yet, a crewmate. With 3 to 7 people sharing a small enclosed volume on the still-growing Space Station, air management is critical.

Why is it important to keep chemicals out of the air?

Keeping these chemicals out of the air will be vital for the crew's health. When the Space Station was first being designed, NASA engineers envisioned a centralized chemical-handling system that would manage and contain all the chemicals used for experiments. But such a system proved to be too complex.

Why is the ISS redundant?

To ensure the safety of the crew, the ISS will have redundant supplies of that essential gas.

What is the life support system on the ISS?

Life support systems on the ISS provide oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, and manage vaporous emissions from the astronauts themselves. It's all part of breathing easy in our new home in space. Listen to this story (requires RealPlayer) November 13, 2000 -- Many of us stuck on Earth wish we could join (at least temporarily) the Expedition 1 crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Floating effortlessly from module to module, looking down on Earth from a breathtaking height of 350 kilometers.... It's a dream come true for innumerable space lovers.

What gases are not allowed on the ISS?

Life support systems on the ISS must not only supply oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the cabin's atmosphere, but also prevent gases like ammonia and acetone, which people emit in small quantities, from accumulating. Vaporous chemicals from science experiments are a potential hazard, too, if they combine in unforeseen ways with other elements in the air supply.

What is the process that converts sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into sugars for food?

Plants, algae, cyanobacteria and phytoplankton all split water molecules as part of photosynthesis -- the process that converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugars for food. The hydrogen is used for making sugars, and the oxygen is released into the atmosphere.

Why is methane expelling used?

Various uses for the methane are being considered, including expelling it to help provide the thrust necessary to maintain the Space Station's orbit. At present, "all of the venting that goes overboard is designed to be non-propulsive," Perry said.

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, ...

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