Fundamental Study of Water Generation System on Mars

A manned Mars mission will be undertaken in the near future. Then the need for ‘water’ will become critical. One of the solutions to the problem is making use of the resources on Mars.

We take notice of CO₂ reduction. The method is to generate H₂O from CO₂, which is major composition of Martian atmosphere. Nominally, the reaction of CO₂ reduction is performed at atmospheric pressure on Earth. However, the nominal pressure of the Martian atmosphere is below 10 torr. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm whether the reaction of CO₂ reduction can be performed with same efficiency as on Earth. This paper summarizes the results of a fundamental study of CO₂ reduction system for a Mars mission.