Wanted: A Technology That Is Foolproof, Easy to Maintain, With No Electric Requirement And No Moving Parts
Interestingly, the technological requirements associated with water purification in the NASA space program are remarkably similar to those for many of the most impoverished areas here on earth. In space travel, the cost of adding weight to the payload exceeds one hundred thousand dollars per pound.
At almost eight pounds per gallon, sending sufficient drinking water into outer space could be an expensive proposition. That’s why NASA needed a water purification technology that could essentially recycle every drop of water generated during a mission.
That conjures up thoughts of recycling human waste, as well as even the condensation that forms on the outside surfaces of the fuel tanks, etc.
And, all of that needs to be done without adding an electrical burden, in a package that is fool-proof.
Similarly, undeveloped remote locations — often suffering from severe water shortages — are in need of a foolproof water treatment package that eliminates the need to ship in treated water by treating local supplies.
And, the similarities don’t end there. It needs to be easy to maintain and require no electrical power to operate.
That is specifically the case with the technology set developed for NASA.