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The dream of sending humans to Mars is one step closer, thanks to an amazing new device developed by NASA and MIT!
The toaster-sized device can make oxygen from carbon dioxide -- which could potentially be used to create breathable air out of the Martian atmosphere.
The device is nicknamed MOXIE, which stands for 'Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment'.
Scientists have been testing it since last year, when it arrived on Mars with the Perseverance rover.
“It’s what explorers have done since time immemorial,” said Jeffrey Hoffman, deputy principal investigator of the MOXIE mission. “Find out what resources are available where you’re going to and find out how to use them.”
MOXIE is capable of producing 6-10 grams of oxygen per hour -- roughly the same as one tree on Earth!
Check out more details on The Washington Post.