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This trash space disc was made by heating and compressing a sample of trash that astronauts could produce. These discs are tested for possible use in shields shielding against space radiation.
Source: NASA
As we explore and penetrate farther into the cosmos, what will we do with all our garbage?
For astronauts aboard the International Space Station, the storage space is extremely valuable and limited – but even astronauts have garbage. In addition to taking up valuable space, these wastes create potential physical and biological risks to the health and safety of astronauts. On the space station, astronauts are currently depositing their garbage in garbage bags and, for temporary periods, store up to 2 tons of garbage on board. They then send the garbage to commercial supply vehicles, which reach the Earth or burn on their way home.
But what will happen to these tons of trash when astronauts are much farther away from Earth? The more we go into the solar system, the more complicated it will be to manage and dispose of waste effectively. NASA thinks the key to this big trash-space problem could be addressed with technology that compacts and treats waste, according to a new statement from the agency. [Gallery: Visions of Deep Space Stations for Exploration]
This space bin disc was made by heating and compressing a sample of trash that astronauts could produce. These discs are tested for possible use in shields shielding against space radiation. Credit: NASA
In order to ensure the safety of astronauts and to find an improved solution for waste, NASA has sent a call to American companies to create prototypes of compactors and systems for processing waste. garbage. The agency is looking for innovative designs that could not only compact the waste, but also eliminate hazardous components, and treat and remove parts that could then be reused or recycled.
Resources are limited on the space station, and they would become even more so on a mission in the far space without replenishment. Thus, NASA hopes that this technology will also be able to help astronauts reuse materials more efficiently.
Proposals that seek to fill this void will have a variety of NASA technologies to inspire them. Previously, NASA scientists have designed a hot-melt compactor, which recovers water from waste by using heat transfer and compacting waste; and "trash to gas" technologies, which convert waste into methane gas that could be used as rocket propellant. Researchers have even developed a garbage compaction technology that could help astronauts turn waste into a space radiation shield.
A Russian cargo ship derives from the International Space Station after being unsettled in 2007. NASA has sent an appeal to US companies to develop a new and better way to treat litter in space for future missions in the deep space.
Credit: NASA TV
The search for the next big waste solution will come in two parts, according to the statement. First, NASA will select companies that will create a concept for a system that compact and treat waste. In this first phase, companies will review the design with NASA and perform full demonstrations of their prototype. In the second phase, the companies will build a flight unit that could be tested on the space station by 2022.
NASA was very public about its intention not only to see the moon again, but also to push further into the solar system and explore the deep space. Effective waste treatment and compression technology will maximize space on future spacecraft, increase crew safety, and make the most of limited on-board resources.
Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her @chelsea_gohd . Follow us @Spacedotcom Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com
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