Scientists unveil prototype spacesuit system that recycles urine as drinking water

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore space with news of fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs, and more.

CNN
—

One of the marvels of the sci-fi film series “Dune” is the desert-dwelling Fremen’s “stillsuit” survival suit, which recycles all bodily fluids into drinking water. Now, such technology appears to be on the way, with scientists unveiling a prototype spacesuit system that turns urine into drinking water.

Extravehicular activities (EVAs) allow astronauts to spend significant amounts of time outside their space habitat. Spacewalk Space missions conducted for scientific experiments or to repair the International Space Station between 2021 and 2023 lasted an average of six hours and 26 minutes, according to a study published Friday in the journal SpaceX by Cornell University scientists. The forefront of space technologySpacewalks can last up to eight hours or more.

For long spacewalks, astronauts now wear the familiar white fluffy EVA suits, which contain maximum absorbency garments. These disposable garments are essentially diapers that collect and contain urine and feces. Each crew member is expected to contain up to 1 liter (1.8 pints) of urine and 75 grams (2.6 ounces) of feces per day.

However, these spacewalk suits were designed more than 40 years ago, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) There are currently no concrete plans for an update or replacement. Over $100 billion in contracts canceled NASA confirmed to CNN that it is partnering with Collins Aerospace to develop the next-generation spacesuits, but that at least two other US companies are currently working on spacewalk suits and that it could recruit additional contractors.

“You’d think that in the 21st century, astronauts wouldn’t be using diapers,” lead study author Sophia Etlin, an astrobiologist and research fellow at the Mason Institute at Weill Cornell University’s Medical College in New York, told CNN on Friday.

Although diapers are effective at absorbing waste, they have been found to be harmful to astronauts’ health and cause discomfort. Astronauts report diaper leakage and difficulty distinguishing between urine and sweat, and complain of skin rashes and odor issues. Crew members face medical risks including cross-contamination from waste, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal problems, which are exacerbated by astronauts’ reduced access to medical care.

Some people even reduced their food intake in the days before the spacewalk to avoid wearing masks, which could affect their performance during the rigors of the spacewalk, researchers said.

Just being in space causes dehydration, and the physically demanding nature of spacewalks can cause even more dehydration, impairing astronauts’ performance. But the researchers say there are “significant issues” with the beverage bags in the spacesuits that currently provide astronauts with 32 ounces of water and a little glucose, slowing down preparation times and reducing performance. Astronauts say the amount of water currently provided is not enough.

To “promote astronaut health,” Etlin said, the researchers designed an in-suit urine collection and filtration system known as the “DUNE” system.

The system will recycle urine using forward osmosis and reverse osmosis — a model used in the space station’s current wastewater management treatment system — to remove contaminants from the urine and filter it into drinking water.

One of the system’s features is a urine collection device with a silicone cup that is shaped differently for men and women. The device is made up of multiple layers of fabric, including antibacterial fabric, that quickly wicks urine away from the body to the outside of the cup, where it can be pumped out, reducing the health risks associated with prolonged exposure to urine.

The liquid then enters a filtration system, a two-stage device that removes water from the urine, turning it into salt water, and then a pump separates the pure water from the salt.

The study authors proposed that 500 millilitres (0.9 pints) of urine could be treated within five minutes, effectively recycling more than 86.8% of it into drinking water.

The water is then pumped into a drink bag inside the spacesuit, where it is used to replenish electrolytes and carbohydrates for nutritional and energy needs.

The entire setup will fit into a pouch that attaches to the back of the spacewalk suit, adding 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) to the overall weight.

“While weight is certainly a concern for future lunar missions, we believe that the improved comfort and resource efficiency of this system will more than compensate for the small increased weight” of the spacesuit, the study authors said.

Etlin said now is the “perfect time” to develop the technology because “spacesuits as we know them are being rethought.”

NASA canceled its contract with Collins Aerospace for spacesuits to be worn on the ISS, but it still has a contract worth about $230 million with Houston-based Axiom Space to develop lunar spacesuits.

The suit offers improved flexibility and mobility, increased visibility and insulation, and includes a portable life support system. NASA’s Artemis III missionaims to send astronauts back to the moon later this decade and then venture further than ever before.

But today, Etlin said, these innovative suit designs still use old-fashioned diapers. (Axiom did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit designs.)

“With Artemis, astronauts may be in space for hours, there could be emergencies where they need to return to base but the rover breaks down, they might need water, they might need a waste disposal system that’s not limited to what can fit in a diaper, and a whole host of other contingencies could arise,” she said.

In addition to the Artemis mission, which aims to land Women and People of Color on the Moon For the first time, the race is on to reach Mars, where even drinking water is a luxury.