Argon: Difference between revisions
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'''Argon''' is the third most abundant element in the martian [[atmosphere]], 1.6%.<ref>[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/marsfact.html NASA ''Mars Fact Sheet'']</ref> It is an oderless, colorless [[nobel gas]]. Like the other | '''Argon''' is the third most abundant element in the martian [[atmosphere]], 1.6%.<ref>[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/marsfact.html NASA ''Mars Fact Sheet'']</ref> It is an oderless, colorless [[nobel gas|noble gas]]. Like the other noble gasses, it is chemically inert. As such, it has many uses in industry. Argon is easily produced [[In-situ resource utilization|in-situ]] from the martian atmosphere by cooling to condense out carbon dioxide and [[distillation]] to separate out the nitrogen. For use as a buffer gas in a colony atmosphere, the nitrogen need not be separated. Mixed nitrogen and argon can be added to oxygen to dilute it to 20% mole fraction oxygen, the concentration of the standard Earth atmosphere. The substitution of nitrogen by argon for a breathable atmosphere seems straightforward. | ||
== Uses == | |||
* As an atmospheric filler produced at the same time as nitrogen | |||
* As an inert gas in certain industrial processes | |||
* As propellant for electrical space propulsion | |||
==Reference== | ==Reference== | ||
Revision as of 16:17, 11 April 2019
| Ar | 18 |
| Argon | |
Abundance: 1.6% (atmosphere)
Argon is the third most abundant element in the martian atmosphere, 1.6%.[1] It is an oderless, colorless noble gas. Like the other noble gasses, it is chemically inert. As such, it has many uses in industry. Argon is easily produced in-situ from the martian atmosphere by cooling to condense out carbon dioxide and distillation to separate out the nitrogen. For use as a buffer gas in a colony atmosphere, the nitrogen need not be separated. Mixed nitrogen and argon can be added to oxygen to dilute it to 20% mole fraction oxygen, the concentration of the standard Earth atmosphere. The substitution of nitrogen by argon for a breathable atmosphere seems straightforward.
Uses
- As an atmospheric filler produced at the same time as nitrogen
- As an inert gas in certain industrial processes
- As propellant for electrical space propulsion
Reference
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