A New Spacesuit Converts Urine Into Drinking Water

Space Outerwear Astronauts onboard the International Space Station sometimes have to get out of their man-made habitat to carry out scientific research or technical repairs – in what are called extra-vehicular activities (EVA). These spacewalks can last up to eight hours, which can be problematic as far as answering the call of nature is concerned. A team of scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College decided to turn this problem into a solution – similarly to the Fremen’s “stillsuits” in Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune,’ they developed a spacesuit that can retrieve urine and filter drinkable water out of it. “Spacesuits as we know them are being reimagined,” the study’s lead author Sofia Etlin told CNN. With the incoming launch of inhabited missions to the Moon, revisiting astronauts’ garments has become a priority, because of the shortcomings in the current versions. Currently, astronauts essentially wear diapers. This has caused them discomfort and “hygiene-related medical events, including urinary tract infections and gastrointestinal distress,” the study reads. In addition, the astronauts’ drink bags are too small for long EVAs. “You’d think in the 21st century, astronauts would not be using diapers,” said Etlin. Etlin and her colleagues designed a model that contains a silicone cup covering the wearer’s genitals. A humidity sensor detects when the astronaut urinates and pumps it into a backpack, where the urine’s components are filtered to only have water left. That water is then pumped again into a drinking bag, with the addition of electrolytes for extra sustenance. The model can treat 17 fluid ounces of urine in five minutes, with an 87 percent efficiency rate. Although there is still room for improvement, the researchers now want to test their invention. “Our system can be tested in simulated microgravity conditions, as microgravity is the primary space factor we must account for,” said senior author Christopher Mason. Correction: In Thursday’s THE WORLD, BRIEFLY section, we said in our “‘From Darkness to Light’” item that Christopher Luton is New Zealand’s prime minister. The prime minister’s name is in fact Christopher Luxon. We apologize for the error. Share this story