Dune-like spacesuit recycles urine into drinking water

Scientists at Cornell University are looking to make one of the least cool but still practical pieces of Dune A reality. In a new study this week, the team presented a design for a spacesuit that recycles urine into drinking water, similar to the still suits worn by the Fremen of Arrakis. The suit should allow astronauts to perform longer spacewalks, among other benefits, and scientists hope it could be launched in time for upcoming missions to the Moon and Mars.

During space missions, we already systematically recycle liquid waste from our bodies to turn it into drinking water. Last year, for example, NASA announcement Astronauts aboard the International Space Station now recycle 98 percent of their urine and sweat, up from 93 percent previously. As gross as it may sound, this reuse stretches the limited resources available to a crew.

Currently, astronauts can’t do the same thing while they’re out and about in their spacesuits. If they have to urinate during a spacewalk, they simply use modified diapers, which can extend the mission but is not without its drawbacks. The diaper can sometimes leak, for example, making it uncomfortable for astronauts to wear, and this exposure to waste can even increase the risk of complications like a urinary tract infection. Astronauts can reduce their urine output by not drinking much water before a spacewalk, but this can be dangerous and limit the duration of the spacewalk.

From science fiction to reality

Directly inspired by the work of Dune Author Frank Herbert and scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University have designed a spacesuit to overcome these challenges. They have already created a prototype of the suit and detailed its inner workings in a paper published Thursday in the journal The Frontiers of Space Technology.

“The design includes an external vacuum catheter leading to a combined forward and reverse osmosis unit, providing a continuous supply of potable water with multiple safety mechanisms to ensure the well-being of astronauts,” lead author Sofia Etlin, a research staff member at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University, said in a statement. statement from Frontiers, publisher of the journal.

The portable system can filter 500 milliliters of urine in about five minutes, with different collection methods for women and men. So far, it’s not as efficient as the larger systems on the ISS, with an 87 percent recycling rate. But it should be enough to help astronauts extend their spacewalks in greater comfort.

Need for better spacesuits

NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon in the coming years, with a crewed lunar landing – the Artemis 2 mission – planned for later this decade. NASA also hopes to help successfully send people to Mars early on. 2030swith some related missions to Earth already underway. The Cornell team believes their suit could be a valuable aid in achieving these goals, and says it could be ready for use by the time the Artemis missions take off. Engineers will need to study the suit in more detail before considering it suitable for use in space, though.

“Our system can be tested in simulated microgravity conditions, because microgravity is the main space factor we need to consider. These tests will ensure the functionality and safety of the system before it is deployed on real space missions,” lead author Christopher Mason, a professor of physiology and biophysics at Weill Cornell, said in a statement.

A spacesuit that recycles urine into drinking water is cool, but would it kill scientists to invent a way for my brain to quickly calculate complicated math equations (like the bill for a group dinner), Mentat-style?