NASA’s Perseverance rover split CO2 to make breathable air on Mars
The experiment also shows that astronauts can make rocket fuel for their trip back to Earth
![a person in a clean suit maneuvers a gold-colored cube](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/042321_LG_moxie_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
The MOXIE instrument, shown here being lowered into the Mars Perseverance rover while still on Earth, is a small “electrical tree” that converts carbon dioxide into oxygen on Mars.
JPL-Caltech/NASA