Purifying Collected Urine into Drinkable Water
'Dune' Spacesuit Becomes Reality
Currently, Only 1ℓ of Water Usable with Spacesuit
A spacesuit modeled after the 'stillsuits' that recycle body moisture in the movie 'Dune' has been developed.
On the 12th, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the British daily The Guardian from the previous day, that a prototype of an advanced spacesuit capable of converting urine into drinking water has been created. The spacesuit plays a crucial role in maintaining internal pressure stably. It must also provide oxygen supply and have the function to remove carbon dioxide exhaled by the wearer.
The spacesuit developed by a research team at Weill Cornell Medical College in the United States is designed to collect and purify urine, then provide astronauts with water they can drink again. It takes only 5 minutes to collect and purify 500mL of urine.
Until now, astronauts have been using unisex adult diapers called Maximum Absorbency Garments (MAG) to manage urine.
Dr. Sophia Etlin of Weill Medical College, co-developer of the spacesuit, stated, "Currently, the spacesuit provides only 1 liter of water for astronauts to use." She added, "This is insufficient for the 10-hour lunar extravehicular activities planned by the Artemis project, and the 24-hour emergency duration."
The paper on the new spacesuit was published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Space Technology, where the research team predicted that the use of this spacesuit is imminent. They said they expect the spacesuit to be used in NASA's manned lunar exploration project, Artemis, before 2030.
Previously, astronauts using current spacesuits have complained about water leakage, discomfort, and unsanitary conditions. Some astronauts limit food and drink intake before spacewalks, and there have been reports of astronauts suffering from urinary tract infections. Additionally, the water available for astronauts during spacewalks is limited to 1 liter contained in a drink bag inside the spacesuit.
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