NASA is looking for a way to wash astronauts’ clothes

How do astronauts wash clothes in space? They don’t wash it. They wear their underwear, fitness clothes and everything, they can no longer pick up dirt and odor, and then they destroy it.

NASA wants to change that – if not at the station, at least on the moon and on Mars – and stop dumping tons of dirty clothes every year and throw them in the trash to burn on disposal ships. Therefore, he collaborates with Procter & Gamble Co. to determine the best way to clean astronauts’ clothes in space so they can reuse it for months and even years like Earth.

Cincinnati announced on Tuesday that it would send a pair of tests with Tight Soap into space and try to solve the dirt and sweat wear problem next year.

This is not a minor issue when the United States and other countries plan to set up bases on the Moon and Mars.

According to NASA, rocket cargo space is cheap and expensive, so it makes no sense to waste it on new clothes if you can keep the clothes they have new. If you calculate that an astronaut needs 150 pounds of clothing in space each year, it quickly adds up, especially during the three-year voyage to Mars, said chemist Mark Civic, who specializes in tissue technology and world maintenance. P&G.

Then there are the health factors.

The station’s astronauts exercise for two hours each day to combat the effects of weight loss on muscles and bones, which will soon make their workout sweat sweaty, stinky and hard. According to former jersey astronaut and former NFL player Lelan Melvin, their jerseys and socks stink very badly.

“After that time, they are considered toxic,” said Melvin, who serves as the project’s spokesman. “It simply came to our notice then. They are hardened by all the sweat ”.

In its initial experiment, P&G will send a specially formulated detergent into space in December, so scientists can see how enzymes and other substances respond to six months of weight loss. Then, in May, anti-stain wipes will be sent to the test station by astronauts.