everyday tech from space: water recyclers make pee potable - portable air purification system

Water is an essential part of the daily life of the International Space Station, just like on Earth.
But when you're traveling 226 miles, it's much harder to get clean water (363 kilometers)
On the ground.
Astronauts have been living on the space station for ten years.
It's an expensive thing for them to bring drinking water to the space station, so over the years, NASA has found creative ways to produce distilled clean water, using everything about the humidity of the environmental Station, the breathing of astronauts, the crew created their own urine. (
Yes, you read it right. )
In the coming years, the ISS staff will not be the only ones who will benefit from this technology-the water cycle will be crucial when humans start working for a long time
Fly in asteroids, Mars and other places, or set up bases on Mars or the moon.
This effort to save water has a fine flow. down effects.
Growing concerns about contaminated water supplies on Earth have prompted research into sustainable practices and alternative sources of clean water sources.
In other words, you may also have to get used to drinking your own urine.
In space life in the 1960 s, NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston conducted a research program to develop water purifiers that are light, easy to use, and of low power.
These portable systems are designed for three-
The two-week Apollo manned mission.
This research project produced an electrolytic silver ion generator that can eliminate bacteria in the water within a few hours without using a chemical disinfectant.
They have found a wide range of applications in the water management and processing industry.
But once human beings begin to live in space, the problem of water recycling will really stand out.
Environmental control and life support system of the International Space Station (ECLSS)
Help astronauts use and reuse valuable water.
Before the system is put into use, the bags containing drinking water are transported to the space station, and the urine of the crew is discarded as waste.
Astronauts living on the space station for a long time soon understood that they could not let anything waste.
Like other basic resources at the station, water must be carefully rationed and recycled.
ECLSS water cycle system-
This was developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. —
Waste water from various sources, including urine, hand washing and oral hygiene;
Condensation humidity from the air in the station;
And use fuel cells to produce by-product water when visiting the space shuttle.
Without this recycling system, the Earth needs an average of 10,000 pounds water per crew every year to keep the space station running properly.
The station's purification system recycles waste water within three months. step process.
The first step is to filter out particles and debris.
The liquid then passes through a semi-permeable membrane containing substances that remove both organic and inorganic impurities.
Finally, the catalytic oxidation reactor removes volatile organic compounds and kills bacteria.
The finished product is pure enough water to drink.
When astronauts recycle the water supply from the space station, they use these purified drops very sparingly.
The crew will wash their hands with less than one hand.
The water that people usually use on Earth.
Station residents do not need to take a bath with 50 liters of water, which is average on Earth, but with less than 4 liters of water.
Even with all the recycling efforts, it is necessary to replenish clean water to the station from time to time.
The space shuttle generates water because their fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, and water can be used when the shuttle stops to the space station.
The Russian progressive rocket is also equipped with a large container of H?
Go to the orbital outpost.
NASA scientists are constantly improving life support systems on the space station and looking for ways to reduce water losses and reuse waste.
As human exploration expands into space, lessons learned from the Earth and the International Space Station will be more useful.
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Com Staff Writer Denise Chow on Twitter @ denisechow.