Can Magnets Help Astronauts Breathe On Mars? NASA’s New Bet For Oxygen Production On Red Planet

Last Updated:August 20, 2025, 21:35 IST

NASA Mars Oxygen Tech: From water to breathable air, NASA’s new concept could reshape life support for deep space travel.

NASA is testing a futuristic system that uses magnets and water to make oxygen in space. (IMAGE: IMAGEN 4)

NASA Mars Oxygen Tech: A future where astronauts breathe air on Mars not through bulky machines but through the quiet play of water, magnets and microgravity may not be science fiction for long. That is the vision behind a new study led by the Georgia Tech Research Corporation in collaboration with commercial partner Giner Labs, a long-time leader in space electrolysis technology.

Living and working on Mars is not only about landing rockets or building habitats. It is also about something as basic as breathing. Astronauts on long journeys and on the Red Planet will need a steady, reliable source of oxygen, a resource that cannot be shipped in tanks from Earth.

To meet that challenge, researchers working with NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program are testing an idea that sounds almost magical: using magnets and swirling water to make air in space. NASA, sharing a video on Wednesday, explained the project in a post that read, “Living and working on Mars will require innovative technologies to produce oxygen for future explorers. That’s why researchers, working with NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program, are developing a powerful new idea using swirling fluids and strong magnets to produce breathable air."

At the heart of this concept is a magnetohydrodynamic electrolytic cell, a system that can split water into oxygen and hydrogen without any moving parts.

In microgravity, where pumps or centrifuges are difficult to operate and maintain, this could be a game changer. Current machines depend on loops of water, pumps and filters to separate gases from liquids. In the new system, powerful magnetic fields take over the job, guiding the fluids so that oxygen and hydrogen separate naturally.

Researchers estimate that this approach could reduce the weight and complexity of oxygen-generating equipment by as much as 50 percent compared to existing systems like the Oxygen Generation Assembly used on the International Space Station. For a Mars-bound crew of four, who would together consume around 3.36 kilograms of oxygen each day, such savings could mean lighter spacecraft, fewer spare parts and a more reliable life support system.

If the concept proves successful, its impact could go beyond life support. The same principles could be used in water-based propulsion for small satellites or in future missions that harvest Martian ice to make oxygen and fuel directly on the planet.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...

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First Published:

August 20, 2025, 21:31 IST

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