Learn about the problems with air on the spacecraft that will carry astronauts to Mars

The average human being consumes 1.8 pounds of oxygen everyday and that is converted to 2.2 pounds of carbon dioxide. On a Mars mission every human take up 657.45 pounds of oxygen and make 803.55 pounds of carbon dioxide. Even though the carbon dioxide would be vented to outer space, it gives us an idea of how much waste one can create.

To save weight for air is very simple. In an ingenious invention called a fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen atoms come together to form water and in that process electricity is formed. In the same way but opposite, using electricity, one can split water into hydrogen and oxygen. That oxygen can be breathed. Left over water from either the fuel cell or human waste can be converted into oxygen using this system.

Another idea to save weight for oxygen is growing plants. From thrid grade, we learned that plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen using a process called electrophotosenses. Although plants might behave in a different way in long duration flights, they could produce oxygen from carbon dioxide. By producing oxygen from waste, it helps reduce weight of oxygen being needed to carry from the ground.