Scientists predict efficiency of oxygen-evolving electrolysis on Moon and Mars in new study 

Manchester [England], February 12 : Often the question has arisen of whether Earth is the only planet with living organisms or not and what would be the conditions suitable for the growth and survival of life? Scientists have now provided more insight into the possibility of establishing a pathway to generate oxygen for humans to potentially call the Moon or Mars 'home' for extended periods of time.

New research published in 'Nature Communications', demonstrated how a team of researchers from The University of Manchester and the University of Glasgow undertook experiments to determine how the potentially life-giving electrolysis method acted in reduced gravity conditions.

Creating a reliable source of oxygen could help humanity establish liveable habitats off-Earth in an era where space travel is more achievable than ever before. Electrolysis is a popular potential method which involves passing electricity through a chemical system to drive a reaction and can be used to extract oxygen out of lunar rocks or to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This can be useful for both life support systems as well as for the in-situ production of rocket propellant.

Until now, however, how lower gravitational fields on the Moon (1/6th of Earth's gravity) and Mars (1/3rd of Earth's gravity) might affect gas-evolving electrolysis when compared to known conditions here on Earth had not been investigated in detail. Lower gravity can have a significant impact on electrolysis efficiency, as bubbles can remain stuck to electrode surfaces and create a resistive layer.

( Details and picture courtesy ANI, the content is auto-generated from feed.)

 Please follow us on Telegram for all the latest updates.