NASA will create fuel for missiles from ... Mars land

This idea was proposed by NASA scientist Kurt Leucht to create a new energy source for the journey back to Earth, if necessary after finishing the red planet exploration mission.

A big problem that has long been a headache for scientists is how to go after people traveling to distant planets, enough fuel for the spacecraft to return. Besides distance problems, fuel is very important.

However, Kurt Leucht's new idea opened up a potential solution for the future. This is not only a solution to a trip to Mars alone, but is also expected to be applied to other planets outside of Earth if conditions are similar.

The soil on the Martian surface can be used as a rocket material.

Kurt Leucht's team calls this solution "on-site resource use" (ISRU). However, Kurt Leucht likes to call this solution a "dust-proof factory" .

The solution of ISRU is to take water from the regolith layer on Mars - a solid containing Perchlorate . This seemingly difficult idea to follow according to Kurt Leucht is more feasible.

Accordingly, scientists will apply electrolysis method to split into hydrogen and oxygen. Then it combines hydrogen with carbon from the Red Planet's atmosphere to create methane gas (CH ₄ ), which can be used as a rocket fuel.

This idea is being considered by NASA and may be planned by NASA to send the ISRU system to Mars along with the robots that will collect soil from the surface of the red planet.

If this mission succeeds, a few years later, the next mission will have the appearance of people who will go along. At this point we can completely confidently return to Earth because we have created fuel.

"This technology will one day allow people to live and work on Mars," Kurt Leucht said.