Astronauts on the ISS recycle 98% of urine and sweat into drinking water

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station were able to recycle 98% of their own urine and sweat into drinking water. Space.com reported it.

Water recycling is a milestone for low-orbit space missions to meet the basic needs of astronauts. It is noted that each crew member on the ISS needs about 4.5 liters of water daily for drinking, eating and hygiene needs.

Therefore, using the environmental control and life support system, with the help of vacuum distillation, the astronauts obtained the water from the urine.

NASA explained that this process consists of a combination of hardware, including a water recovery system that collects wastewater, and advanced dehumidifiers that remove moisture from the ISS air resulting from the crew’s breathing and sweating. The collected water enters the water treatment unit, which then produces drinking water.

All collected water is purified by several filters, as a result of which any traces of contaminants are destroyed in it.

The purity of ready drinking water is checked by special sensors, and if it does not meet the standards, then it is returned for retreatment.

Iodine is then added to the clean, ready-to-drink water to prevent microbial growth, and the water is stored for use by the crew on the next stage.

It should be noted that in the future, by turning urine and sweat into drinking water, astronauts can stay longer in space.

It was previously reported that the Crew Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth space tourists after spending ten days on the International Space Station.