Astronauts To last Longer In Space With New Device That Provides Better Air and Water

First Posted: Jun 05, 2015 06:46 AM EDT

There may be a way to keep astronauts in space longer: simply exposing them to better conditions. Scientists have announced a new method to monitor the quality of air and water in real time with one system.

Current options for testing air and water for contaminants, including microbes and radiation, require collecting samples and sending them back to Earth for analysis. Long missions, though, means that this approach could take six months before astronauts have their results. While the International Space Station (ISS) is equipped with some real-time hardware for detecting unwanted substances, it has limitations.

That's why researchers decided to investigate further to see if they could manage to create a monitor that could help astronauts without the long wait. The researchers outfitted a kind of air quality monitor (AQM) already used aboard space missions with a device that can vaporize water samples, turning its contents and any contaminants into a gas. This gas can then enter the AQM for analysis. Astronauts actually use the same equipment, with a modification, to test the air.

In theory, this system could be used in space or for remote locations on Earth. More specifically, it could be huge for astronauts who will be able to monitor the quality of their environment far more quickly than they would otherwise. This is extremely useful for long-term space missions.

The findings are published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

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Tagsair pollution, space, Astronaut, ISS, NASA