A contraption designed to generate the first breathable air on Mars has reached the finals of a global competition to land experiments on the red planet.

The student-designed device, named Helena, could be flown on Mars One's first unmanned lander mission, and arrive on the surface of Mars as early as 2018.

The Helena payload aims to demonstrate a key-life support technology for humans, using electrolysis to produce oxygen from water extracted from Martian soil.

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A contraption designed to generate the first breathable air on Mars has reached the finals of a global competition to land experiments on the red planet. The device will extract water from the Martian soil using electrolysis - which is method of using a direct electric current (DC) to drive a chemical reaction

Designed by the University of Western Australia and Mars One astronaut candidate, Josh Richards, Helena is one of ten finalists in the Mars One University Competition.

Its main piece of equipment is an electrolysis chamber that works alongside a pressurising mechanism, oxygen sensor and pressure release valve.

The device extracts water from the Martian soil using electrolysis - which is method of using a direct electric current (DC) to drive a chemical reaction.

Electrolysis will see the production of hydrogen and oxygen in their elemental state.

Electrolysis will see the production of hydrogen and oxygen in their elemental state. The Helena, named after the Shakespearean heroine who 'breathed life into stone', uses electrolysis to produce oxygen from water extracted from Martian soil

Helena will also carry a 'time capsule' in the form of a radiation-hardened DVD filled with messages and art by the public.

The project, which is named after the Shakespearean heroine who 'breathed life into stone', could be the first example of life-support technology on the surface of Mars.

It aims to refine technology that will allow humans to survive on the red planet, before the arrival of the Mars One colonists in 2025.

'Our experiment will hopefully pave the way to ensure the survival of the elected astronauts on the red planet, as we attempt to produce oxygen from Martian resources,' said Helena co-lead, Andre Van Vulpen.

EXPLORERS TO MARS WILL SUFFOCATE IN 68 DAYS, STUDY CLAIMS Mars One is an ambitious plan by a Dutch entrepreneur to send people to Mars next decade and start building a colony there. The proposal has received fierce criticism for its lack of realistic goals, and in October one study dealt the team a crushing blow - by saying the colonists will begin dying in 68 days. Low air pressure, habitats at risk of explosion and a lack of spare parts are among the potentially fatal dangers that apparently await anyone who makes the inaugural trip. The damning study was carried out by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In their research they found a number of ‘failure conditions’ that would ultimately lead to the demise of the crew. ‘The first crew fatality would occur approximately 68 days into the mission,' the students write. First, the astronauts simply won’t have enough food. Based on Mars One’s mission plan, the students say the colonists would ultimately starve on Mars. Next, one of the goals of Mars One is to grow crops in some of the habitats on the red planet. But according to the students, this would create huge amounts of oxygen, in turn creating highly flammable environments. Oxygen would need to be vented while nitrogen levels would need to be maintained to keep up the air pressure; however, the technology to do this on another planet has not yet been invented. Advertisement

'In addition to the scientific contribution, we are hoping to put together the largest crowd-sourced art collection ever sent to another planet, allowing any Earth citizen the opportunity to join us on our trip to Mars, and leave their legacy in truly 'out of this world' style.'

Other entries include 'Cyano Knight', a German project that is aiming to change a small amount of the 95 per cent carbon dioxide Mars atmosphere into oxygen using cyanobacteria.

Another entry from the UK will see a small greenhouse built on the red planet to attempt to grow lettuce for astronauts in a pressurised environment.