Astronaut-Powered Laundry Machine

Without a precedent to laundering clothes off-Earth, a preliminary solution is required to develop a spaceflight laundry machine. The research aims to produce a method and proof-of-concept device to sustain and maintain laundering and exercise performance regardless of the gravitational field, habitable environment, and human operator on space missions. The proposed solution is a stand-alone machine that uses astronaut exercise to recycle contaminated textiles. The single activity reduces logistical strain on crew time, soiled garment management, and mission resupply. Human exercise simultaneously powers a hydraulic pump, electrical generator, and textile agitation mechanisms. Hydraulic valves dictate the laundering process and exercise resistance. The hydraulic system is closed loop containing sensors for monitoring the state of the washing water and water treatment technologies. Water sensors determine the steps of the laundering process. The primary contaminants to monitor and remove are particulates (dead skin, lint, and lunar regolith), salts, and biofluids. Similar water treatment methods on the International Space Station will treat the water to acceptable laundering levels (screens, UV sanitization, and ion resin beds). Bond Graph Theory is used to evaluate how human power affects system and cleaning performance through a math model. Bond Graph simulation results will be used as a guide to mature the technology by revealing sensor types and placements, and the hardware significantly impacting the device's exercise and laundering performance. Data from cardiovascular loading across various laundry environments (vibration agitation, water filtration, and wringing will be used to validate the math model. Vibration agitation efficiency will be determined by sensing the waste mass exiting the agitation chamber as a function of frequency and flow rate. Water filtration ability will be determined by sensing the contaminant concentration. Wringing effectiveness will be determined from the final water retention in textiles as a function of time.

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.

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