One of the obstacles in sending humans to Mars is how astronauts carry enough rocket fuel to safely return to Earth. The challenge may have found its solution in research conducted by a group of scientists at the University of California. The study suggests that astronauts could use methane to launch their rocket fuel to make their journey back to Earth. A team of scientists led by Houlin Xin, an assistant professor of physics & astronomy, has found a more efficient way to make methane-based rocket fuel on Mars.
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Scientists have made the process more efficient
The idea of creating rocket fuel is not based on new methane and was first proposed by billionaire Elon Musk and his team at SpaceX. It used solar infrastructure to create electricity, which resulted in the electrolysis of carbon dioxide, which, when mixed with water from the ice found on Mars, produces methane. The International Space Station (ISS) uses the method to breathe oxygen.
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However, the issue is a two-stage process that requires large resources to operate efficiently. Xin and his team have created a one-step method that uses anatomically dispersed zinc to become a synthetic enzyme, catalyzing the carbon dioxide and starting the process. The process developed by Xin and his team does not require much space capable of producing methane using materials and under conditions similar to those found on the surface of Mars.
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“The sink is basically a huge civilian appliance. It has time, selectivity and carrying capacity – a great addition to space travel. The process we developed goes beyond the water-to-hydrogen process, instead it efficiently converts CO2 to methane with high selectivity. Much engineering and research is needed before this can be fully implemented. But the results are very promising, “Xin said. in a statement.
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