Space suit recycles astronaut pee into water in 5 minutes
NASA spacesuits have been made with maximum absorbency garments (MAG), the waste management system, since the late 1970s.
New Delhi: American scientists have created a unique full-body space suit that astronauts can utilize to recycle pee into water while on spacewalks.
Maximum absorbency garment (MAG), also known as the waste management system, has been a feature of NASA spacesuits since the late 1970s. It is essentially a multi-layered adult diaper composed of superabsorbent polymer.
Inconvenient reports of leaks and health risks including gastrointestinal upset and urinary tract infections accompany astronauts on spacewalks when they urinate inside their spacesuits.
Researchers at Cornell University have created a new space suit prototype that "includes a vacuum-based external catheter leading to a combined forward-reverse osmosis unit."
Weill Cornell Medicine researcher Sofia Etlin stated that it offered "a continuous supply of potable water with multiple safety mechanisms to ensure astronaut wellbeing."
500ml of pee can be collected and purified in just five minutes, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Space Technology. It also includes an apparatus for collecting pee, which includes an undergarment composed of many layers of flexible cloth.
This is attached to a collecting cup.
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