← Back to NASA Technology Projects
Completed
Nowadays NASA uses a water recycling system, requiring low-pressure vacuum distillation. The entire process occurs within a rotating distillation assembly that counteracts zero gravity and, therefore, aids in the separation of liquids and gases in space. The system removes free gas and solid materials (hair, lint, etc.) and sends them through a series of multi-filtration beds for further purification. Any remaining organic contaminants and microorganisms are removed by a high-temperature catalytic reactor assembly. Water quality is monitored by electrical conductivity sensors. The drawbacks from this system are centered on its complexity and high energy consumption. NASA has also highlighted the need to enhance the efficiency of its water recovery, along with the microbe monitor and control systems.
An interdisciplinary competitive team has been assembled to work in collaboration with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to develop novel, energy-efficient technologies to recover, treat, and purify used water from limited sources in the spacecraft, but mainly, from body fluids (i.e. urine). Three teams are established to address appropriate water impurities removal, while assuring water sanitation, quality and reliability for safe consumption as demanded by future manned missions. The project goals are to address appropriate water impurities removal and remediation, while assuring water sanitation, quality and reliability through biological monitoring and control.
To achieve those challenging goals, the assembled team encompasses experienced researchers. The team’s collective strength and synergy developed over 10 years of collaborative and professional interaction makes this initiative ideally suited to foster innovative applications in an area critical area to NASA interests. The theme is also vital not only for the jurisdiction. In effect, the availability of safe water for human consumption is a global necessity. Therefore, the proposed project reckons with such challenging goal through a system that is affordable, energy-lean, portable, and scalable. CSTWR2 aims at developing novel approaches for functional water recovery and reuse, quality, monitoring and control. Accordingly, this project aims at: 1). Develop novel nano-biotechnological approaches for functional water recycling and reuse with stringent monitoring and control systems to produce safe, high-quality drinking water. 2) Formation of a highly qualified cadre of professionals who would become leaders in NASA-driven STEM fields.
The completion of this project will provide practical and diversified research and education/training experiences to foster the research of 6 graduate and over 6 undergraduates students from underrepresented groups in the applied STEM field of water reuse and reclamation. Project participants will receive a mentored, research training experience in the latest techniques for the detection, characterization prevention and purification of contaminants in water systems. Engineering and use advance tools to purify, characterize, and track emerging contaminants from their point of detection to their point of origin.
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.
None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.