Scientists are now working on a viable bacteria system that can produce oxygen for a manned mission to Mars. If researchers are successful, this can significantly slash down costs of an expensive mission that involves transporting oxygen from Earth and soon, a multiyear mission can also become a possibility, making a human colony on Mars a reality.

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NASA asked Techshot which is also an aerospace development corporation to develop and utilize ways for bacteria to create oxygen that is essential for a manned mission to the Red Planet.

The private company has now created a Mars room that has the capabilities to simulate conditions that can occur on the surface of the alien world that includes atmospheric conditions, radiation and its day-night cycle. 

Researchers believe that specific microbial life will be able to absorb oxygen and nitrogen from Martian resources such as its regolith or the rocky material that is found covering bedrock on the planet. According to Eugene Boland who is the chief scientist at Techshot, this can be a feasible way to support humans on future missions to Mars by producing oxygen during the course of the mission, on site as opposed to having to carry around heavy gas canisters.

By sending microbes to the alien world to develop and produce oxygen, this can offer a possible solution to costly missions. This could mean that creating oxygen on the surface of Mars for humans to breathe and function while on a mission can be profoundly vital to establishing human settlements.

These self sustaining ecosystems can produce the essential gases for human life which can hopefully save these missions and sustain human life on Mars.

Scientists believe that biodomes can be established around Mars that can produce oxygen and nitrogen and even other resources of life for visitors. Apart from bacteria, subsurface ice deep within the planet can also later become a valuable resource which can make extraction of water from an alien environment possible.

Algae and bacteria can manufacture life sustaining resources as these microbial life can be transported easier and take up less space as opposed to heavy gas canisters that is filled with oxygen.

Researchers can test these bacteria using plant test canisters on Martian soil. These canisters contain cyanobacteria and other extremophiles that can survive in harsh, alien conditions which are then placed a few inches under the surface.

These microorganisms are now expected to interact with the regolith within the bedrock that can hopefully produce these gas byproducts. The canisters also possess sensors that can detect oxygen which can then send data back to an orbiting probe. These test containers are tightly sealed so that it will not be exposed to other terrestrial organisms found on the atmosphere of Mars.

Tagsmicrobes oxygen mars, algae bacteria mars oxygen, Mars, NASA, Techshot, human mission to mars