They developed a spacesuit that can turn urine into drinking water.

Sci-fi spacesuit that turns urine into astronauts could afford drinking water to undertake long spacewalks as part of future lunar missions. The prototype, inspired by the stillsuits from the sci-fi classic Dune, collects urine, purifies it, and can return it to an astronaut through a drinking tube within five minutes.

The suit’s creators hope it will be used in the series before the end of the decade. Artemis belonging POTwhich focuses on learning to live and work for long periods of time on another world. “The design includes an external catheter that moves fluid into a reverse osmosis unit, providing a continuous supply of potable water with multiple safety mechanisms to ensure the well-being of the astronaut,” said Sophia Etlin, a Cornell University researcher who co-designed the suit.

NASA Preparing Artemis III Mission for 2026the purpose of which is to deliver the crew to the South Pole Moon. urine And sweat They are usually already processed and converted into drinking water on the International Space Station, but researcher Etlin argues that an equivalent system is needed when astronauts are on expeditions outside of ships or capsules.” astronauts “They only have one liter of water in their suits in a small reservoir,” Etlin said. “That’s not enough for the long lunar walks they’re planning, which can last up to 10 hours, and in an emergency, it could be up to 24 hours.”

Waste Management Complaints

There have also been long-standing complaints about the current waste disposal solution, the so-called MAG, which essentially consists of adult diapers. Many astronauts find the system prone to leaks, uncomfortable, and unhygienic, leading some astronauts to limit their food and drink intake before flights. space walksc. Some astronauts also complain of urinary tract infections. “If you gave NASA billions of dollars, you’d think they wouldn’t wear diapers anymore,” said Etlin, who interviewed several astronauts while working on the new suit design.

“The magic magnet often leaks. Astronauts say you reach a point where you no longer know whether you have urine or sweat. They see it as a burden of being an astronaut.” Ms Etlin argues that commercial astronauts of the future will not be predisposed to such a stoic attitude. Professor Christopher Mason of Weill Cornell Medical School, lead author of the study, said: “Even on a big desert planet like in the movie DuneThis suit would be better suited for astronauts.”

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