NASA has a trash problem of space to solve: Space: Nature World News

Jul 13, 2018 21:22 EDT

Where people go, the trash follows. As humanity travels further and further into the cosmos, NASA is attacking the problem of waste in deep space

Space Trash Challenges

The Hall of the International Space Station is extremely limited and the living conditions of astronauts cautious and meticulously measured.

However, waste is ultimately inevitable. The crew does its best to minimize the waste they produce, but there is no way to eliminate them entirely. Garbage can not stay on board for a long time because it not only takes up valuable space and weight, but also poses potential risks for those who find it.

NASA reports that the crew members of the ISS 2 tons of waste in the station temporarily. Then, these are placed in commercial supply vehicles to be returned to Earth or to burn in the atmosphere during the re – entry.

When missions will move away in the solar system – or even outside, in the distant future – no longer be possible. More complex and creative ways to get rid of astronauts waste will be needed, which is why NASA considers it a priority to explore new solutions to the space waste dilemma

Developing Creativity with Waste space

the development of technological solutions such as the Heat Melt Compactor, which uses heat to reduce waste to a fraction of its original size. Another is the "trash to gas" technology that reuses waste in usable rocket boosters.

However, the agency is also reaching out to the general public. As part of this project, NASA has called on private companies and agencies to find designs for compaction and waste treatment systems that could be used in deep space missions and could also remove hazardous parts. EPTCs compact waste to ensure long-term efficient storage, safe treatment to eliminate or reduce biological hazards, waste stabilization, and gaseous, aqueous, and particulate effluent management.

Aug. 22

"The operations aboard the Moon-orbiting Gateway, as well as on the Moon's surface, will require innovative approaches to live and work more independently of the Earth," the report said. NASA in its release. "The logistical efficiency offered by new innovations like compaction and garbage systems will make human exploration safer and more sustainable."