An innovative prototype of a space suit, inspired by the “stillsuits” of the famous science fiction novel Dunewas developed for recycle urine into drinking water, making long spacewalks possible during future lunar missions.
This cutting-edge technology aims to be integrated into the program Artemis of NASA, which plans to extend human presence and operations on other worlds.
The suit, designed by Sofia Etlin (researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University), is equipped with a external catheter which leads to a combined osmosis unit. This unit can turn urine into drinkable water in just five minutes, with an efficiency of 87%, and returns it to the astronaut, enriched with electrolytes, via a drinking tube.
The system dimensions are compact enough to be carried on the back of the spacesuitmeasuring 38cm by 23cm by 23cm and weighing approximately 8kg. The system is also equipped with various security mechanisms to ensure the well-being of astronauts.
Currently, astronauts have at their disposal only one liter of water in their space suitsan amount considered insufficient for the long lunar walks planned, which could last up to 10 hours or even 24 hours in case of emergency. This system could therefore revolutionize resource management water in space environment.
The current method of space waste management, known as maximum absorbency garment (MAG), consists of an adult diaper, often prone to leaks and not particularly hygienic, which has led to several complaints from astronauts over time, some of whom have suffered from urinary tract infections after use.
This new urine recycling system will be tested on 100 volunteers in New York during the fall to evaluate its comfort and functionality. The tests, which include simulations in microgravity conditions, aim to ensure the complete functionality and safety of the system before its actual use in space missions.
According to Professor Christopher Mason, lead author of the study and researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine, this technology has the potential to significantly improve astronaut well-being during space missions, even beyond the specific need for long lunar walks.
The details of the prototype are were published in the magazine Frontiers in Space Technology. At NASA, preparing for the Artemis III mission of 2026, which aims to land a crew at the lunar south pole, sees these innovations as an important step forward toward the realization of crewed missions to Mars by the 2030s.
Source: www.tomshw.it
