Unless you are fortunate enough to live on a water abundant world (like Earth, the red planet, and yes, even the Moon), future space travelers are going to have to recycle every drop of water that exits their body (regardless of origin).

Since bacteria have a tendency to thrive in micro gravity, astronauts will need to find a way to kill off these microscopic creatures before they kill us off via recycled sweat and other bodily fluids (especially since our immune system becomes weaker in zero-G).

Fortunately for us a company may have a quick solution that is not only effective but inexpensive as well.

(Homedics, note: PDF file) UVC [ultraviolet C] light, with wavelengths between 100 and 280 nm, is commonly referred to as “germicidal light” due to its effectiveness in destroying microorganisms. UVC light acts as a natural outdoor air purification system by deactivating the DNA of microorganisms and destroying their ability to multiply. [...]

Utilizing the germ-killing benefits of UVC light, HoMedics, the leader in health and wellness products, developed Restore®, a complete water purification system in an easy to use pitcher. Restore combines UV Clean technology to remove bacteria, viruses and microbial cysts with a filtration system to reduce heavy metals, chlorine (taste and odor), and some industrial and agricultural pollutants.

Although this technology could also be used for off world settlers (who may have to drink recycled water until they can melt enough space ice), this technology would also benefit residents of orbital space stations around Earth, Venus or even a gas giant.

It could also help reduce the overall cost of filtering space water, allowing corporations and governments alike to invest money into other area’s (like propulsion or food).

(via Gizmodo, Image Credit: HoMedics.com)

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Before we can build homes, fertilize the soil and raise up forests upon the red planet (not to mention bring our animal friends as well), we are going to have to figure out a way to safely get to Mars.

Despite the advances of chemical rockets, taking a 6 month journey to that crimson world would not only be unreasonable (as you would have to pack a lot of food and water for the journey) but dangerous as well due to space radiation.

In order to shorten the time span between the blue and red worlds, we may have to resort to Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket’s (aka VASIMR).

(video via Spaceports)

(Space.com) Future Mars outposts or colonies may seem more distant than ever with NASA’s exploration plans in flux, but the rocket technology that could someday propel a human mission to the red planet in as little as 40 days may already exist.

A company founded by former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz has been developing a new rocket engine that draws upon electric power and magnetic fields to channel superheated plasma out the back. That stream of plasma generates steady, efficient thrust that uses low amounts of propellant and builds up speed over time. [...]

A mission trajectory study estimated that a VASIMR-powered spacecraft could reach the red planet within 40 days if it had a 200 megawatt power source. That’s 1,000 times more power than what the current VASIMR prototype will use, although Ad Astra says that VASIMR can scale up to higher power sources.

Although VASIMR could help shorten the trip towards Mars, future astronauts would probably still need a magnetic shield to protect them from the ravages of space radiation.

It may be wise for NASA to team up with Ad Astra in order to perfect this rocket, as it could enable us to not only reach and settle Mars within our life time, but perhaps Callisto, Ganymede and Saturn’s Titan as well.

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Unlike its big terrestrial sister (aka Earth), Mars is sorely lacking in the energy department.

While future Martian cities may eventually be powered by algae, solar steam or even geothermal power plants, colonists are going to need an energy source to immediately ”power up” their off world outposts.

Fortunately it looks like researches may have discovered a solution that could make living upon Mars a reality.

(Emory University) Emory University chemists have developed the most potent homogeneous catalyst known for water oxidation, considered a crucial component for generating clean hydrogen fuel using only water and sunlight. The breakthrough, to be published in “Science” and released online by the journal March 11, was made in collaboration with the Paris Institute of Molecular Chemistry. [...]

The long-term goal is to use sunlight to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen becomes the fuel. Its combustion produces the by-product of water – which flows back into a clean, green, renewable cycle.

Since Mars receives approximately half of the sunlight as Earth does, future colonists may have to look towards a temporary chemical solution rather than an innovative solar panel (like solar rods).

Although this innovative technology is far from perfect (as there are still major hurdles to overcome), it could pave the way for not only green energy on Earth, but help “jump start” colonies on Mars too.

(Image: Bubbles form during water oxidation, catalyzed by the new tetra-cobalt water oxidation catalyst. Credit: Benjamin Yin)

(via Mars News)

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Having existed for thousands of years on Earth, soap has helped keep our human hands clean since the days of ancient Babylon.

Unfortunately if our species ever travel beyond the sky, creating this cleanser via fats and oils may be just a ludicrous as importing it from the home world (aka Earth just in case you were wondering).

Instead of spending minuets scrubbing your hands in sub Earth gravity, future colonists instead could disinfect their hands via plasma gas (in mere seconds nonetheless).

(New York Times) Instead of scrubbing, the workers would put their hands into a small box that bathes them with plasma — the same sort of luminous gas found in neon signs, fluorescent tubes and TV displays. This plasma, though, is at room temperature and pressure, and is engineered to zap germs, including the drug-resistant supergerm MRSA.

The technology is being developed in several laboratories. Gregor Morfill, who created several prototypes using the technology at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, says the plasma quickly inactivates not only bacteria but also viruses and fungi.

Since micro gravity is one of few environments dangerous micro organisms love, having plasma gas around to sanitize hands, feet as well as everything in between (and above) could help keep future settlers healthy whether they are living off world or traveling to another.

Combined with anti-germ paint, future space colonists may not have to fear receiving a deadly infection from a creature that they can not see (as they will have plenty of other issues to worry about).

(Via Gizmodo)

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Russia, a nation nation known for putting the first satellite, man, woman, dog, etc. into space (not to mention being the first to pioneer space tourism with Space Adventures) may embrace nuclear rockets to help them reach the stars (and perhaps even Mars as well).

While a nuclear rocket from a practical stand point makes sense (as they can lift heavier objects to orbit compared to their chemical cousins), it would probably also isolate Russia (since anything nuclear is often frowned upon–at least in the west).

It may also help Russia catch up to America (or rather the private sector) as well as maintain their lead against China, whose presence is motivating everyone to claim a piece of Luna for their own.

(via Spaceports)

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Unfortunately for future space settlers, plastic will not be an easy material to replace in space without heavily importing it from our Earthen homeworld.

However a new material made out of 95% water may help space settelers replace plastic with a more environmentally alternative.

(Nature.com) Here we report that water and clay (2–3 per cent by mass), when mixed with a very small proportion (<0.4 per cent by mass) of organic components, quickly form a transparent hydrogel. This material can be moulded into shape-persistent, free-standing objects owing to its exceptionally great mechanical strength, and rapidly and completely self-heals when damaged. Furthermore, it preserves biologically active proteins for catalysis.

Although scientists would have to find suitable clay for each world (as the soil on Earth would be drastically different than Callisto or Mars), this “elastic water” could make it easier for humanity to live else where.

(Hat Tip and Image Credit via Kirai)

– Posted from my iPhone

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Thanks to the donation of an anonymous donor, it looks as if the Planetary Society will be able to launch not one, but three (3!) solar sails over the next several years.

(The Planetary Society) LightSail is an innovative program that will launch three separate spacecraft over the course of several years, beginning with LightSail-1, which will demonstrate that sunlight alone can propel a spacecraft in Earth orbit. LightSails 2 and 3, more ambitious still, will reach farther into space.

“We are going to merge the ultra-light technology of nanosats with the ultra-large technology of solar sails in an audacious new program,” said Friedman.

Taking advantage of the technological advances in micro- and nano-spacecraft over the past five years, The Planetary Society will build LightSail-1 with three Cubesat spacecraft. One Cubesat will form the central electronics and control module, and two additional Cubesats will house the solar sail module. Cameras, additional sensors, and a control system will be added to the basic Cubesat electronics bus.

“To get sunlight to push us through space, we need a large sail attached to a small spacecraft. Lightsail-1 fits into a volume of just three liters before the sails unfurl to fly on light. It’s elegant,” exclaimed Planetary Society Vice President Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Solar sail’s have the potential of opening up the outer solar system by eliminating the need for star ships to bring their own fuel with them (reducing the overall cost).

While the lack of on board fuel is a benefit to solar sails, its only setback to solar sails would be finding a way for settlers to return back to Earth (an issue magnetic sails might be able to resolve).

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Even though Star Trek replicators are still a few centuries away, it looks like a device called the Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (or EBF3 for short) could help future lunar colonists create the tools they need on site without having to radio Earth for supplies.

(NASA) Electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) is an emerging cross-cutting technology for producing structural metal parts that has been developed by researchers at Langley over the past four years. The EBF3 process uses a focused electron beam in a vacuum environment to create a molten pool on a metallic substrate. The beam is translated with respect to the surface of the substrate while metal wire is fed into the pool. A part is thus built directly from a computer file in a layer-additive fashion. This process has gained interest in the Exploration community for the astronauts to fabricate structural spare parts and new tools during long duration human exploration missions. DARPA has also expressed interest in EBF3 as a manufacturing process that could be used for building large space structures on-orbit.

Despite appearing on MSNBC, this NASA seems to have released info regarding this technology last May, although it seems to have received very little attention.

What makes this significant is that lunar settlers can use the technology to help create spare parts for their vehicles and off world habitats (since the moon dirt is rich in minerals and metals).

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(Hat Tip: Hobby Space)

When it comes to space travel, choosing the right fuel could mean life or death for those watching the rocket blast off into glory.

While the hydrogen/oxygen mix has been popular with governments and corporations alike, scientists from Purdue and Pennsylvania State are trying to come up with safer alternatives such as aluminum and water ice.

(Defense News) In August, the Air Force, NASA and scientists from Purdue and Pennsylvania State universities launched a 9-foot rocket 1,300 feet into the air during an initial test flight of the propellant ALICE – so named for its ingredients, aluminum and ice.

The rocket accelerated to 200 miles per hour in 0.8 seconds, said Timothee Pourpoint, an aeronautics and astronautics professor at Purdue.

That’s a promising start, but not better than current propellants, he said. ALICE developers are convinced they can do better. “We have a lot of ideas on how to improve performance,” Pourpoint said.

While its doubtful that NASA would replace the hydrogen/oxygen mix that they have come to know and love, it may be worth looking into for the space agency as it would enable astronauts to refuel from the moon (since there is plenty of aluminum within its soil).

If NASA is able to confirm the presence of water within the lunar surface, then humanity may have the means to power rockets to and from LEO from lunar orbit.

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Image: NASA engineers check out the Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) in the lab. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

Despite their track record with deploying rovers and a lander upon the red planet, NASA admitted a few years ago that they lacked the technology to land humans on Mars.

Now it looks as if some new technology could enable humans to visit that crimson world without smashing into the surface.

(NASA & NASA IRVE) A successful NASA flight test has shown that a spacecraft returning to Earth can use an inflatable heat shield to slow and protect itself as it enters the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. This was the first time anyone has successfully flown an inflatable reentry capsule, according to engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center.

The Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment, or IRVE, was vacuum-packed into a 15-inch diameter payload “shroud” and launched on a small sounding rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. Nitrogen inflated the 10-foot (3 m) diameter heat shield, made of several layers of silicone-coated industrial fabric, to a mushroom shape in space several minutes after liftoff.

“This was a huge success,” said Mary Beth Wusk, IRVE project manager, based at Langley. “IRVE was a small-scale demonstrator. Now that we’ve proven the concept, we’d like to build more advanced aeroshells capable of handling higher heat rates.”

Since Mars has approximately 1% atmo (or Earth atmospheres in space geek), landing anything over a ton can be extremely difficult (at least for those seeking to avoiding the way of the Kamikaze).

NASA’s IRVE (or Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment) could seriously change all of that by helping to reduce the speed of the craft as it descends through the Martian atmosphere.

While Mars is still probably a few decades out (at best), its good to know that we can at least land people there safely.

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