this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2024
24 points (96.2% liked)

Interesting Shares

1065 readers
10 users here now

Share interesting articles, projects, research, pictures, or videos.


Please include a prefix in your title!


Prefixes for posts

Certain clients offer filters to make prefixes searchable. Photon (m.lemmy.zip) used for hyperlinks below:


Icon attribution

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Astronauts on spacewalks famously have to relieve themselves inside their spacesuits. Not only is this uncomfortable for the wearer and unhygienic, it is also wasteful, as—unlike wastewater on board the International Space Station (ISS)—the water in urine from spacewalks is not recycled.

top 9 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Why are they caring the whole purification plant on their backs?
Wouldn't it be easier to carry the collection part and exchange wastewater and drinking water with the station?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Good question but I guess it doesn't matter as much in space where you don't weigh as much.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

For the ISS it adds to the launch weight of suits and takes up additional space when using airlocks and in storage.
For a moon/mars mission (claimed use case in the article) it increases your center of mass and your inertia, resulting in more astronauts falling over.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

I doubt launch weight would be a huge issue.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Mass still costs energy to move around. Spacewalks already sound pretty strenuous. Adding any additional exertion seems like it would need a really good benefit to be worth the tradeoff.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Depends on the weight. It might be lighter and easier to work with than a collection unit and a water supply tank.

[–] 7uWqKj 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This is a real-life stillsuit in the same way that a space shuttle is a real-life heighliner.

[–] Maalus 6 points 4 months ago

Gotta clickbait somehow

[–] Thcdenton 1 points 4 months ago