Breakthrough Could Make Rocket Fuel From Mars' Thin Air

Researchers from Texas A&M and the University of Mississippi developed a nanometer-scale copper catalyst with nitrogen that yields nearly pure methane fuel from electrochemical CO2 reduction. Mars' atmosphere is 96% CO2, allowing fuel production for the return trip on site. The work was published in ACS Catalysis.

• Mars' atmosphere is 96% CO2, the feedstock for fuel
• Copper-nitrogen catalyst yields nearly pure methane without impurities
• Method avoids shipping fuel from Earth, saving launch mass
• Technology also applies on Earth to process captured CO2