NASA recycles 98% of astronauts' wastewater into drinking water

Drinking water on space shuttles could be recycled from astronauts' urine

In an achievement that could play a key role in future missions to the moon and beyond, NASA revealed that the ISS's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) has recycled almost all of the water brought to the station by astronauts, Engadget reported on June 25.

Part of the ECLSS uses advanced dehumidifying equipment, which absorbs moisture emitted from the breath and sweat of station crew members as they perform their daily tasks.

Another subsystem, called the "Excretory Collection Device", successfully collected astronauts' urine with the help of a vacuum distillation environment in microgravity conditions.

According to NASA, the distillation process collects water and urine that still contains H ₂ O. Recently, the US agency began testing a new device that can extract the remaining H ₂ O molecules in urine. Thanks to the new system, NASA recorded a water recycling rate of up to 98% on the ISS, up from the previous level of 93-94%.

"This is a huge step forward in the development of life support systems," said Christopher Brown, a member of the team that manages these systems on the ISS, in Space.com . "For example, astronauts collect 100 liters of water on the station. They lose 2 liters, and 98% of the remaining water is recycled. Maintaining that amount of water is an exciting achievement."

Some have argued that the process forces astronauts to drink the water they excrete. However, Jill Williamson, NASA's ECLSS program manager, dismissed this argument. "It's basically the same process as the water distribution system on Earth, except it's done in microgravity. The crew isn't drinking urine; they're drinking water that's been recycled, filtered, and purified to a level that's even purer than the water we drink on Earth."

Systems like the ECLSS will play a key role in NASA’s future space missions, Williamson said. “The less water and oxygen you carry on board, the more science equipment you can carry,” he said.

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