NASA astronaut Steve Swanson wears commercial clothing designed to combat odors - Photo: NASA JSC
Changing and washing clothes regularly is a basic part of personal hygiene, but in space this is difficult.
In space, water is such a precious resource that even urine is not thrown away, but is recycled, purified, and reused. This means that conventional laundry methods involving lots of water and commercial detergents are not applicable on the International Space Station (ISS).
Laundry in an impossible space
Astronauts on the ISS have limited wardrobes and must wear the same clothes over and over again.
Consider the case of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were only expected to stay in space for a week last June, but due to a problem with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, they were stuck for 9 months and just returned to Earth this morning, March 19 (Vietnam time).
They only bring enough clothes for 8 days, not 9 months, so they try to preserve them for a long time.
Some items can be worn for days, weeks, or even months, depending on how dirty or smelly they are. When clothes become too dirty or uncomfortable, they are discarded. But instead of being washed, these clothes become trash, and much of the trash on the ISS is incinerated.
Most of the space station’s trash doesn’t make it back to Earth, but instead burns up in the atmosphere. Some cargo ships sent to the ISS aren’t designed to return to Earth, but instead burn up upon re-entry, carrying a load of station trash with them. This solves the trash problem and saves space on the station — killing two birds with one stone.
The Future of Laundry in Space
So is there a better way? There is no perfect solution yet. However, some research is underway, including the development of fabrics that inhibit bacteria and fungi. This reduces odors and improves hygiene, but may not be stain-resistant.
Multinational corporation Procter & Gamble has partnered with NASA to test several laundry products in space. One of them is Tide Infinity, a liquid detergent that contains no fragrances or solvents, allowing the water to be safely reused.
The product was tested on the ISS in 2021, and in 2023, the CHAPEA (Crew Health And Performance Exploration Analog) simulation mission used Tide Infinity to wash clothes with less water and energy.
In 2022, NASA and Procter & Gamble tested Tide To-Go Wipes and Tide To-Go Pens to remove stains from sriracha, coffee, olive oil, and juice in space.
There is also research into specialized washing machines that could operate not only in orbit, but also on the Moon or Mars in the future.
Things are still in development, but a laundry detergent that uses less water, less electricity, and can be easily removed from water would be good not only for space, but for the Earth as well.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bi-ket-ngoai-khong-gian-phi-hanh-gia-giat-giu-ra-sao-20250201221551384.htm
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