Plasmas for in situ resource utilization on Mars: Fuels, life support, and agriculture
Name
070902_1_5.0098011.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.89 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
1c7c46b64e9f94faec1941f294322370
Author(s)
Guerra, V
Silva, T
Pinhão, N
Guaitella, O
Guerra-Garcia, C
Peeters, FJJ
Tsampas, MN
van de Sanden, MCM
Date Issued
August 16, 2022
Journal
Journal of Applied Physics
Publisher
AIP Publishing
Citation
V. Guerra, T. Silva, N. Pinhão, O. Guaitella, C. Guerra-Garcia, F. J. J. Peeters, M. N. Tsampas, M. C. M. van de Sanden; Plasmas for in situ resource utilization on Mars: Fuels, life support, and agriculture. J. Appl. Phys. 21 August 2022; 132 (7): 070902.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
This work discusses the potential of combining non-thermal plasmas and conducting membranes for in situ resource utilization (ISRU) on Mars. By converting different molecules directly from the Martian atmosphere, plasmas can create the necessary feed-stock and base chemicals for processing fuels, breathing oxygen, building materials, and fertilizers. Different plasma sources operate according to different principles and are associated with distinct dominant physicochemical mechanisms. This diversity allows exploring different energy transfer pathways leading to CO2 dissociation, including direct electron-impact processes, plasma chemistry mediated by vibrationally and electronically excited states, and thermally driven dissociation. The coupling of plasmas with membranes is still a technology under development, but a synergistic effect between plasma decomposition and oxygen permeation across conducting membranes is anticipated. The emerging technology is versatile, scalable, and has the potential to deliver high rates of production of molecules per kilogram of instrumentation sent to space. Therefore, it will likely play a very relevant role in future ISRU strategies.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
10.1063/5.0098011
