Will astronauts use methane as rocket fuel on mars

The new study suggests that rocket fuel could be made from methane gas that is already on the red planet. The researchers have developed a new way to develop a methane-based rocket that they hope will make Mars' return trip quicker.

This method was earlier hypothesized by ELON MUSK & Engineers of SPACE X who analyzed the ways to carbon dioxide and water from ice on Mars to have the necessary carbon & hydrogen to create methane. By this hypothesis, future Astronauts use abundant materials on Mars & make rocket fuel for a return trip to Earth.

Still,while "lots of engineering & research is needed before this can be fully implemented;hualin Xin,a physicist at University of California,Irvine who led this research said in a statement "But the results are very promising."

To develop this new method, the team took an existing two step method used to turn water into breathable oxygen on 'ISS' & made it into a one step process.They did this using single atom zinc catalyst.

Reducing the two-step process to a single step, it makes the mechanism more compact and portable, & thus,easier to carry for use on Mars. The new method takes automatically dispered zinc which acts as a catalyst for the reaction, helping to create methane from carbon dioxide.The process using this specialized catalyst,"efficiently converts CO2 into methane," Xin said.

Many lauch vehicles don't use methane based fuel.Therefore,this process would have compatible with future proplation technology. But methane based fuel advantages over liquid hydrogen.Liquid Hydrogen leaves cardon traces whichwill need to be clean but it will not possible on Mars.according to the statement.

However,Some Companies are already hoping on board to methane based rocket fuel.