New York: American researchers have created a space suit that astronauts can wear to convert urine into water during spacewalks.
Since the 1970s, NASA spacesuits have been designed with a Maximum Absorbency Garment (MAG, waste management system) that acts like a versatile adult diaper made of superabsorbent polymers.
When astronauts defecate during spacewalks, it causes discomfort and leaks, as well as health problems such as infections and stomach upsets.
A new spacesuit prototype designed by Cornell University researchers includes a vacuum-based external catheter that leads to a combined forward-reverse osmosis unit.
Sophia Etlin, a research staff member, said the system continues to provide drinking water while ensuring the health of the astronauts through a multi-dimensional mechanism.
According to details published in the journal Frontiers in Space Technology, it takes just five minutes to collect and purify 500 ml of urine.
