NASA has launched a public competition that asks people to find solutions to turn carbon dioxide into molecules that would help astronauts endure the harsh atmosphere on the Red Planet.

Called the "CO2 Conversion Challenge", the competition asks public to discover ways to develop novel synthesis technologies that use carbon dioxide as the sole carbon source to generate molecules that can be used to manufacture a variety of products, including "substrates" for use in microbial bioreactors. "Because CO2 is readily abundant within the Martian atmosphere, such technologies will translate into in-situ manufacturing of products to enable humans to live and thrive on the planet," said NASA in a statement on Sunday.