VOA慢速英语--研究称新方法可以将火星上的水转化为氧气

American researchers say they have invented a method that could use salty water on Mars to produce oxygen and fuel.

Oxygen and fuel would both be important elements to support future human exploration activities on the Red Planet.

Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, developed the new method. The method operates with electrolysis, a process that passes an electrical current through liquid, such as water.

The machine the researchers created is called an electrolyzer. The researchers say it can separate salty water into oxygen and hydrogen gases. Oxygen would be needed for humans to breathe and hydrogen could be used to fuel spacecrafts and equipment.

The team described the process in a study recently published in Proceedings¹ of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Scientists have already collected solid evidence suggesting that Mars once had huge amounts of water and that the planet likely holds a large supply today. But Mars is extremely cold. So, most of the water is thought to exist in the form of ice.

The research team notes that any water that is not frozen is almost surely full of salt from the Martian soil. The usual electrolysis methods for breaking water down into oxygen require the salt to be removed first. This process can be complex, costly² and harmful to the environment, the researchers say.

They said the new method they invented can take salty water directly and convert it into oxygen and hydrogen.

The team carried out experiments with high levels of magnesium³ salts, which scientists believe likely exist on Mars. The researchers also carried out the tests at temperatures similar to the Red Planet's atmosphere.

In a news release, the engineers suggested that the system would be highly valuable during planned exploration activities on Mars. "In order to live - even temporarily - on Mars, not to mention to return to Earth, astronauts will need to manufacture some of the necessities, including water and fuel, on the Red Planet."

The U.S. space agency NASA has also experimented with technology to produce oxygen on Mars. One device designed to do this will be tested as part of NASA's Perseverance⁴ mission. Perseverance is a new explorer vehicle, or rover, that is currently on its way to Mars.

The NASA device is designed to convert carbon dioxide from the Mars atmosphere into oxygen. The process uses a high-temperature electrolysis method. NASA scientists have tested the system by recreating the Mars atmosphere in experiments on Earth.

The lead researcher on the new project is Vijay Ramani, a professor of chemical engineering at Washington University. He said the system his team developed could produce 25 times more oxygen than the NASA method, while using the same amount of power. It can also produce hydrogen fuel, which the NASA device cannot.

The engineering team said its method could even find valuable uses on Earth. "Having demonstrated these electrolyzers under demanding Martian conditions, we intend to also deploy⁵ them under much milder conditions on Earth," said Pralay Gayen. He is a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University and a lead writer of the study.

Gayen said the device could possibly be used to convert brackish⁶ or salt water into oxygen and hydrogen through "seawater electrolysis."

Once such use could be in defense⁷ industries, he added. The method could create oxygen on demand for submarines. It may also be able to provide oxygen to researchers exploring new environments in the deep sea.

Words in This Story

convert – v. to change the appearance or purpose of something

mention – v. to speak about something quickly, with little detail or using few words

mission – n. an important task, usually involving travel somewhere

brackish – adj. water that can be slightly salty, dirty and unpleasant

1 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 magnesium   

n.镁

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The water contains high amounts of magnesium.这水含有大量的镁。

4 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

5 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

6 brackish   

adj.混有盐的；咸的

参考例句：

• Brackish waters generally support only a small range of faunas.咸水水域通常只能存活为数不多的几种动物。
• The factory has several shallow pools of brackish water.工厂有几个浅的咸水池。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。