2024-02-10 03:15:00
But to achieve this, the biggest challenge must be faced, which is providing water, and the solution that a NASA project is working on now is to treat toxic polluted water sources on Mars.
Mars detoxification is a concept proposed by NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, which involves removing perchlorates from Martian water for drinking, irrigation, and propellant manufacturing.
Perchlorates are toxic compounds found in Martian ice deposits, preventing the detection of organic molecules in previous missions to the planet.
The proposed solution, which was reported on by the “University Today” website, includes the establishment of a bioreactor that uses biologically engineered bacteria to select perchlorate, which is the bacterium “Bacillus subtilis.”
The engineered bacteria convert chlorate and perchlorate into chloride gas and oxygen, providing a sustainable, scalable, waste-free process, says Lynn Rothschild, a research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center.
In the first phase, the project will test the feasibility of sending a bioreactor to Mars, conduct commercial studies, and develop a plan to integrate manned missions. This technology will have implications for removing water pollution on Earth, treating terrestrial pollution with perchlorate, and restoring the environment.
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