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Active TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 2)
The State of the Art (SOA) is to de-orbit commercial garments and to return spacesuit materials to Earth. The up-mass involved is unsustainable for long duration missions such as to Mars and thus reduces mission capability. Soiled materials are not appreciated by astronauts, and they create health hazards to skin and other organ systems from bio-loads and bio-aerosols. Here we leverage two new commercial approaches: one using low water methods coupled with ozone disinfection and enhanced detergents for commercial garments, and liquid CO2 dry cleaning for space materials and electronics that are degraded by water. The latter would be used on the Martian surface where MOXIE has already concentrated atmospheric CO2, and potentially the lunar surface where CO2 is found in lunar CO2 cold trips.
Objectives
To develop low mass, effective flight hardware and protocols for cleaning both commercial garments worn by astronauts as well as specialized space suit materials.
End-State
Lab-proven hardware for both methods on current and future materials ready for test flights.
The primary benefit is logistics reduction, secondarily astronaut health and well being.
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
This is early/mid-stage (TRL 2) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
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