One of the most frequent questions astronauts get asked is, how do you go to the bathroom in space? For decades, their reply has been the same icky answer: they essentially soil their suits.
Astronauts in transit (space stations have more sanitary solutions — but even those can sometimes go awry) have long depended on what are essentially adult diapers to absorb their urine. For short missions, this is merely uncomfortable, and just a bit gross. But for longer journeys — like, perhaps ones planned to Mars — this approach can cause health problems, including serious rashes and urinary tract infections (UTIs).
A team of Cornell University engineers have developed a healthier, more comfortable approach: a system that collects and filters the urine, according to a report in Frontiers in Space Technologies.
The new technology not only protects the user from urine, it transforms the liquid waste into drinkable water. ...
