The space has been occupied daily since the ISS was mounted in orbit. In this sense, astronauts who occupy the cabin make their lives and work as they would on earth. Their daily life is punctuated between scientific experiences, physical exercise, but also a little admiration of the earth from the dome. But a question can come in mind. Since they often leave for several months, what about their laundry?
Can we do a laundry in the ISS?
The answer is simple: no. The reason for this is very simple: logistics. The international space station, although it is equipped to be welcoming for its inhabitants, cannot, for lack of space, accommodate all the equipment that a house could have for example.
Thus, concessions must be made. If the ISS has infrastructure for hygiene, scientific experiments or sport, it was necessary to do without a washing machine. In fact, no laundry in space.
But then what happens to dirty clothes?
Can be worn for several days, for sport, to sleep and all kinds of activity, the clothes necessarily end up being more pleasant to wear. Thus, when the latter arrive at their end, they are stored in a container that goes, taking the way to the earth, burn when arriving in the atmosphere.
So in the ISS, no detergent, but clothes that go up in smoke. Each year, this represents, by astronaut, 72 kg of clothes burning in the high atmosphere according to NASA.
In 2009, the ESA astronaut, Frank de Winne explained this in a short video:
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Will we be able to do your laundry in space in the future?
This is the goal. Even more at the dawn of a space conquest which will take the direction of the red planet.
Thus, in order not to know the same problem of detergent in the ISS, NASA has approached Procter and Gamblea specialized multinational, among other things, in hygiene, cleaning and laundry products to find a solution to detergents in space.
Thus, in 2023, after four years of research, Procter and Gamble presented a first solution: Tide Infinity“A fully degradable detergent, specially designed to be used in space in order to solve the problems of poor odors, cleanliness and disposal of spots, while being adapted to use in a closed circuit water system”Can we read in a press release from Procter and Gamble.
A first step towards the possibility, one day, to do your laundry, at a lower cost, on Mars.
Source : Procter and Gamble / USA Today
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