Are you curious to know how Astronauts recycle?

The International Space Station (ISS) is like a tiny, little planet of its own. Here, there is limited space availability. Therefore, astronauts cannot store an abundance of their things for extended periods of time and they have to constantly recycle their things.

When you read such blogs or play sustainability questions quiz, you get to learn more about recycling and other activities that can make this earth a better world. Through the course of this blog, we will take a look at how astronauts recycle in space. Continue reading ahead if you are curious to learn more about the same!

5 Ways Astronauts Recycle in Space

Given below are 5 different ways astronauts recycle in space.

• Water Recycling: When astronauts sweat, breathe or even go to the bathroom, they collect all of it. Special machines in the International Space Station (ISS) are used to clean and filter all of it, resulting in clean water that is safe for human consumption and other use. This is how water is recycled in space.
• Waste Management: Yes, even while in space, astronauts are required to get rid of their trash. But, instead of simply throwing it all away, the trash is sent back to earth with the assistance of special spaceships. In addition to this, things that cannot be used again or recycled are normally burned up in space.
• Air Recycling: Wondering why astronauts need to recycle the air in space? The answer is simple. It is because the air inside the International Space Station (ISS) is not the same as that on earth. There are machines that turn carbon dioxide that astronauts exhale into oxygen that they can use to breathe. This way, they are never put in a situation where they run of oxygen in space!
• Space Farming: Have you ever heard of Hydroponic and Aeroponic systems? These are soil-free farming methods that use nutrient-rich water or air to grow plants in space. These are also called closed-loop systems that help bring down the constant need to bring various supplies from earth. Moreover, these systems allow our astronauts to reproduce their own food and reduce food packaging waste. All of this makes space missions that are of long duration more sustainable.
• Energy Efficiency: Considering that there is no way to recharge equipment and machines in the International Space Station (ISS), it is important that astronauts use power wisely. And so, they make use of solar panels to get energy from the sun, saving power as much as possible and allowing them to do a lot more without the fear of running out of energy.

Conclusion

All of the effort that astronauts put into recycling their things makes a lot of difference. By doing so, they are not only preserving their resources but also making sure that each of their missions are smooth sailing and that they do not experience any obstacles because of the lack of resources.

Hope you had an insightful reading session on the plastic waste management and recycling in the space. At the end of the day, recycling in space also helps reduce the need to depend on the constant need to get resources delivered from earth. Moreover, recycling and the conservation of water, energy and various other materials allows them to sustain themselves and work in space for long periods of time.