New spacesuit for astronauts will bring hygiene and comfort

Although being an astronaut seems like an attractive profession, it should be known that it actually brings with it many difficulties and sacrifices. Astronauts are forced to stay away from Earth and their loved ones for weeks or months. In addition to the difficulties of working in a zero-gravity environment, they also have to endure unhygienic conditions. In fact, they may sometimes have to drink recycled wastewater. However, this may change in the future.

A new spacesuit developed by scientists from Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University is designed to make astronauts’ spacewalks both hygienic and more comfortable. This innovative spacesuit was inspired by the “Dune” novels of famous science fiction author Frank Herbert. In the “Dune” universe, soldiers wear special clothes called “stillsuits” to survive on the desert planet Arrakis, where water resources are extremely limited. These clothes collect the moisture released from their bodies and turn it back into drinkable water.

In the real world, the newly developed spacesuit aims to recycle astronauts’ urine into drinkable water. These suits include a filtration system with a forward-reverse osmosis unit combined with a vacuum-based external catheter carried in a backpack. In this way, astronauts’ urine will be converted back into drinkable water during spacewalks, ensuring hygiene and comfort.

The findings of Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University research teams were published in the scientific journal “Frontiers”. This innovative spacesuit is considered an important step for future NASA missions. In particular, it has great potential for the Artemis II and Artemis III missions, which will land on the Moon’s south pole within the next two years. NASA and Axiom Space have already approved a spacesuit design for these lunar missions. However, the new filtration system can be integrated into these suits.

Considering the human space missions to Mars, the importance of these new clothes increases even more. Keeping astronauts hygienic and comfortable during long-term missions on the Mars surface will play a critical role in mission success. In addition to quenching the astronauts’ thirst, the new clothes will also ensure their hygiene.

The traditional spacesuit design that NASA has used since the 1970s contains only a superabsorbent polymer. This polymer absorbs astronauts’ urine, but is inadequate in terms of hygiene and comfort. This ancient waste system led to health problems such as urinary tract infections (UTI) and gastrointestinal problems among astronauts. Newly designed clothes aim to eliminate these problems.

NASA has yet to officially accept Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University’s new spacesuit design. However, astronauts on a long-duration spacewalk aboard the International Space Station are likely to realize how necessary this new system is. The hygiene and comfort provided by these new clothes could make time spent in space more bearable.