One small drink for [a] man, one large advance for space water recycling

William Atkins
Thursday, 21 May 2009 19:08

Opinion and Analysis

Water is expensive to transport from Earth to the International Space Station, or other space vehicles such as ones that go to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

It is much more efficient to take water up once and recycle it from then on.

For extended missions in space, within colonies on the Moon and Mars, and other such space-based activities, it is much more cost effective to recycle water than to use it once and toss it away.

This is a first step in preparation for extended missions in space where the availability of water is limited and recycling is mandatory, at least until astronauts are able to process water from nearby sources.

So, let's toast a technical breakthrough in the ability of humans to extend their reach into outer space.

It may seem like a small step, but it is really a large high-tech advancement in our ability to "really" go where no humans have gone before.

And, as NASA tries to do with almost all of its research and development activities, its scientists are attempting to solve two concurrent problems: its problem with availability of water in space and our Earth-based concerns with clean water. Consequently, NASA has teamed up with the University of Florida, among others, to find parallel solutions to these problems.

The University of Florida is now researching ways to recycle air, water and waste on extended space missions such as a manned mission to Mars. The Florida center is also looking into ways to remove pollutants from air and water here on Earth.

The October 18, 2000 UF article "NASA To UF: Improve Space Technology With Earth In Mind," quotes John Warwick, professor of the UF Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences.

Dr. Warwick states, “What’s unique about this center is it’s simultaneously dealing with two issues. One is the technical needs of NASA to support extended human space flight. The second is to support development of technology that has a high commercial potential.”

We find more often than not that what helps us explore space is often, also, of benefit for people here on Earth.