There’s no place to take the trash out in space. In the cramped living quarters of a space station, garbage can pile up, spoil and become a health hazard for astronauts.
There has never been a good system for dealing with space waste — the space shuttle now brings full trash bags back to Earth; on the Russian space station MIR, junk would accumulate in hallways for months before it was sent to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Now, a system suitable for use in space is currently being developed to blow hot, dry air through wet trash and then collects water from the warm, moist air that emerges. This water can be purified for drinking, and the remaining trash is dry, odorless and inert. The air and the heat are both recycled to contain odors and save energy. Heat-pump dehumidification drying, as the technique is called is commonly used for drying lumber.
Source: Cornell University, 17 November 2008
Chapter: Home and Living :: 3 December 2008
