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Completed TRL 1 (started at 1, targeting 3)
On the International Space Station (ISS) clothing is treated as a consumable. Once sufficiently worn by the crew, it is discarded and replaced. For missions beyond low Earth orbit, this approach will prove infeasible due to high logistic and resupply costs. Laundry facilities have been considered and developed to mid-technology readiness levels. However, these facilities invariably require considerable water, add complexity to the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) water recovery system due to the presence and challenge of handling soaps, and require considerable design complexity for microgravity operation. Here we propose an entirely new approach. Rather than cleaning or replacing crew clothing, we propose an in-space manufacturing approach to produce and recycle this clothing.
Due to the versatility of polyester materials, a detailed study will be conducted to evaluate recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), flame retardants compatibility with existing ECLS systems, and of blends of PET with the inherently flame retardant polyimide 84 (P84). The final deliverable of this effort will be a design concept for a miniaturized clothing recycler. This innovation would be the only one of its kind at NASA and could eliminate the need for clothing resupply and eliminate the need for laundry facilities, dramatically reducing the complexity of the missions as well as the ECLS systems dedicated to water recycling.
On the International Space Station (ISS) clothing is treated as a consumable. Once sufficiently worn by the crew, it is discarded and replaced. For missions beyond low Earth orbit, this approach will prove infeasible due to high logistic and resupply costs. Laundry facilities have been considered and developed to mid-technology readiness levels. However, these facilities invariably require considerable water, add complexity to the Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) water recovery system due to the presence and challenge of handling soaps, and require considerable design complexity for microgravity operation. Here we propose an entirely new approach. Rather than cleaning or replacing crew clothing, we propose an in-space manufacturing approach to produce and recycle this clothing.
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