Solar SystemEARLY RESEARCH

Turning Mars Air Into Fuel for Astronauts

By Space.Fan Editorial DeskSeptember 20, 2026 at 2:36 AM UTC

MIT researchers are building a special plasma device that could create rocket fuel from the thin air on Mars.

Image · Universe Today

The Drop

Traveling to Mars is a huge challenge because carrying all the fuel needed for a return trip is very heavy. To solve this, scientists are looking at ways to make fuel right on the 's surface using materials already found there. This process is called In-Situ Resource Utilization, or ISRU for short. At MIT, a student named Lanie McKinney is working on a device to help with this. She is using something called a plasma reactor to pull apart the carbon dioxide that makes up most of the Martian atmosphere. The device is known as a Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge, which sounds complicated but works by using small bursts of electricity to break apart gas molecules. Once the plasma splits the carbon dioxide, the goal is to create oxygen and carbon monoxide. The oxygen could be used for astronauts to breathe, while both gases could be turned into propellant for rockets. McKinney is currently testing a special membrane that helps grab the oxygen quickly so it does not turn back into carbon dioxide before it can be collected. This work is part of a larger effort to help humans live sustainably on other worlds. McKinney has also worked on projects to turn trash into spare parts and even designs for lunar buildings, showing that the future of space travel relies on using whatever resources are available on-site.

Why It Matters

Making fuel on Mars is essential for long-term space exploration. If astronauts do not have to bring their return fuel with them from Earth, their spacecraft can be much lighter, safer, and cheaper to launch. This technology could turn Mars from a one-way trip into a place where humans can actually work and return home.

The Catch

While the team can successfully convert gases in a lab, doing it on Mars will be much harder. The machine must work in a very different environment, and scientists are not yet sure how the special membrane will handle the harsh, reactive plasma over a long period. More testing is needed to see if this system can work reliably outside of a controlled laboratory setting.

Put That in Perspective

This research is part of a bigger movement to design Mars missions that last for years instead of months. Future work will focus on testing the plasma reactor and the oxygen-collecting membrane together to see if they can produce fuel efficiently without breaking down.

Source September 20, 2026

Lanie McKinney, Carmen Guerra-Garcia

MIT