When it comes to living on Mars , there ’ s one major problem that will affect future astronauts : oxygen , or rather , a lack thereof . But an instrument called Moxie - the Mars Oxygen In-situ Resource Utilisation Experiment - could provide a solution . It will attempt to turn carbon dioxide on Mars into oxygen when it is taken to the red planet by a new Nasa rover in 2020 - and it could be a precursor to similar technologies on manned misisons . The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is creating an instrument for Mars . Called Moxie ( shown here in this illustration ) it will attempt to turn the planet 's carbon dioxide into oxygen . It will be taken to the red planet by a new unnamed Nasa rover in 2020 . Speaking to Business Insider , former astronaut and principle investigator for the instrument Dr Jeffrey Hoffman explained the project . ‘ It will be the first time when we will actually produce oxygen on the surface of Mars , ’ he said . This next-gen vehicle is the successor to the Curiosity rover , with upgraded hardware and instruments to examine Mars ' rocks . The rover will assess the potential of the environment for humans to live in one day and search for signs of Martian life . It will identify and collect a collection of rock and soil samples , which it will be able to send back to Earth intact , via another spacecraft one day in the future . Dr Charles Elachi , director of Nasa 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory , has previously said that collecting a rock sample and bringing it back to Earth is Nasa 's top priority . Scientists are particularly interested in the samples so they can understand the hazards posed by Martian dust and demonstrate how oxygen can be created - details important to consider for human missions to Mars and the future colonisation of the planet . The rover marks the next major step in fulfilling President Obama 's challenge of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s . The atmosphere of Mars is 96 per cent carbon dioxide and less than 0.2 per cent oxygen , but the team hope to convert the former into 99.6 per cent pure oxygen . To do so , it gathers carbon dioxide from its surroundings and isolates oxygen atoms , then combines them to make O2 - breathable air . On this occasion , together with the by-product of carbon monoxide , the gases will be released back into the air . But proving the technology works would have important implications for future missions - and not just for breathable air , but fuel as well . ‘ Ultimately , the idea is that Nasa would send both an empty rocket and a larger version of Moxie to Mars , before a planned human mission , ’ writes Jessica Orwig for Business Insider . ‘ The oxygen-producing machine would take about a year and a half to fill the rocket with enough liquid oxygen for lift off . ‘ Then , when astronauts arrived , they would have a rocket fueled up and ready for launch to take them home. ’ Nasa ’ s Mars 2020 rover is a planned £1.2 billion ( $ 1.9 billion ) roving laboratory , similar to the Mars Curiosity rover currently on the planet . Moxie was selected from 58 instrument proposals from research teams around the world . If the technology can be proven , it would greatly reduce the weight of a future mission to Mars - 75 per cent of a manned Mars mission would be taken up by oxygen , or equipment carrying it . The atmosphere of Mars is 96 per cent carbon dioxide and less than 0.2 per cent oxygen , but the team hope to convert the former into 99.6 per cent pure oxygen . This could then be used for breathable air on future manned missions ( illustrated ) or even fuel to get them off the surface . Nasa 's 2020 rover ( illustrated ) is the successor to the Curiosity rover , with upgraded hardware and instruments to examine Mars ' rocks . The rover will assess the potential of the environment for humans to live in one day and search for signs of Martian life .
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is creating a Mars instrument . Called Moxie it will attempt to turn the planet 's carbon dioxide into oxygen . It will be taken to the red planet by a new Nasa rover in 2020 . The atmosphere of Mars is 96 % carbon dioxide and less than 0.2 % oxygen . Converting it could provide fuel and air for future manned missions .