When one ponders the possibility of breathing on the red planet, it seems the odds of achieving it are astronomical. But using technology developed by NASA and other companies bent on colonising mars, there is the opportunity finish their research and calculate how much oxygen is needed and what steps needed to survive. One of the things to consider when talking about breathing on Mars are the natural resources from earth that are available, the main tool being algae.
Yes, it’s true, algae and other marine plants actually produce 70-80% of all oxygen breathed on earth, according to the article “The Most Important Organism” by Dr. Jack Hall. This means that in the huge atmosphere of the world, it is able to pump out fair amounts of oxygen. Scale that down to a complex of about 7,000 feet, and there is easily enough algae to produce 60 percent of the oxygen from the sphere. Also, specific species of algae have been proven to survive in space, under the harsh ultraviolet radiation and extreme temperatures that it provides, according to Quartz.
Essentially, experiments have been done on the ISS, which means that in a closed environment on Mars, it would be similar to the conditions the International Space Station, meaning it could survive for an extended period of time, and even if it did die, it would always be able to reproduce and spread. Speaking of growth and reproduction, algae is not only the most effective oxygen producer, but according to FAQ , “Microalgae grow fast, and some can double in size in 24 hours.”One of the reasons why algae is so successful at producing oxygen is actually because of its ability to multiply, its ability is what sets it apart from the plant and crops someone would think of at first. So an idea to incorporate in the structure was putting water filled with algae in grate so the ventilation can pick up that oxygen.
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This is concrete evidence of why algae should definitely be considered as a main conductor of oxygen, but what if it fails? What if a disease happens or the algae can’t grow? Well, the other 40% is a technology that is perfectly capable of being a producer of oxygen, and the backup system. Furthermore, if there was a system that can give appropriate amounts of oxygen that is currently being used is an oxygen generator and basic human needs multitool of sorts, and it Environmental Control and Life Support System, or the ECLSS.
First, system is dependable. This is because it has been used on the ISS, or International Space Station since 2008, and as of July 2018, six people have been living on the ISS, living pretty much only off the ECLSS, however, crews of up to 13 have been on the ISS at once, according to NASA, temporarily. This means that in order for the structure to be able to get enough air for an extended amount of time, five or six of these will probably need to be at hand, just to compensate for the fact that a lot of these people are going to be hard at work, and burning more calories than the people that are floating on the ISS.
This also will allow for a very complex plumbing system and reusable wastewater system too. Furthermore, this system should be used because of its other benefits, like acting as a backup machine for sanitation processes, regulating pressure, and water recycling. As NASA’s official site says, “The heart of the Oxygen Generation Assembly is the cell stack, which electrolyzes, or breaks apart, water provided by the Water Recovery System, yielding oxygen and hydrogen as byproducts. The oxygen is delivered to the cabin atmosphere while the hydrogen is vented overboard.”
This is good because not only have they hit things like wastewater treatment and recycling, but also means it can produce 40% of the air, and maintaining cabin humidity, which is something that would not have been able to achieve with just photosynthesis. One concern I’ve had about this is: what if it fails? What will be done? Then, the NASA site again says, “Deep space missions in the future will not be able to waste any resources. It will not be possible to resupply air and water due to the distances involved, nor will there be room to take it along on a spacecraft due to the volume and mass of consumables required for a voyage of months or years”
This was reassuring because even though it might not be as reliable as much as preferred, it would work better stabilized on the ground. Now this is because there have also been multiple tests on this before it went into space on the ground, meaning that if they approved it, it was probably performing phenomenally, and since then, there is confidence that the system won’t fail. After all, algae may be a reliable source, but options have to be at hand in case there is a flaw in the system anywhere. Now, this is all very cool technology, however, where is the proof of it working for 35 people?
Well, this paragraph is all about the math and science behind the two methods of getting air, algae and other plants, and ECLSS. Algae, like any other living plant, does photosynthesis and cellular respiration, which is how oxygen is produced and is how they make energy for themselves. Plants are constantly using the cells in their stems and leaves called chloroplasts to intake water and carbon dioxide, which is the first part of the photosynthesis equation, called the reactants because they are making the reaction happen. For example, this is the equation for photosynthesis, 6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2. So the next ½ of this equation is all about the products, or the result.
What happens is that the C6H12O6, which is actually glucose, a form of energy, and oxygen become the reactants for cellular respiration. What I mean is that the equation for photosynthesis is actually reversed for cellular respiration. For example, C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O is the equation. These two equations are what keep the amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen at safe levels. This is all fine, but how does the ECLSS make oxygen if it uses technology and not photosynthesis? NASA explains, “…breaks apart, water provided by the Water Recovery System, yielding oxygen and hydrogen as byproducts. The oxygen is delivered to the cabin atmosphere while the hydrogen is either vented into space or fed to the carbon dioxide reduction assembly.”
Essentially, this means that by chemically separating the water into two different products, then the oxygen is made available, while the hydrogen is put out into the Mars atmosphere. Now, another aspect of this is the carbon dioxide. Said carbon dioxide will kill if it’s in too great amounts, which is why another aspect of this is reducing levels of carbon dioxide, because especially with intensive labour, there is going to be a lot of carbon dioxide. Now for scaling, and the actual math. In this case, I did the math for 35 people, just so I could have cushion room for error. So ncbi.gov states that when exercising, the average person breathes 100 liters of air per minute, or 6000 per hour.
The amount of algae we have makes up 60 percent of the system and the 40% is from ECLSS. Overall, based on the research, one can see that from an oxygen standpoint 30 individuals could definitely thrive on Mars for an undetermined amount on time. This is apparent because when constructing the formulas for the systems the amount of oxygen was overestimated in case of population increase or other variables. In addition, algae will be used to compensate for 60% or more of the oxygen needed to thrive on Mars. In conclusion, the best options for oxygen production on Mars for the current and future populations are algae and the ECLSS system.
