Space Circular Design: Turning Waste into Resources
The article explores how space missions, particularly aboard the International Space Station (ISS), offer insights into circular design and resource recovery. It highlights that while the ISS is not a fully closed system, it recovers about 98% of water through systems like the Brine Processor Assembly, and regenerates oxygen via electrolysis and the Sabatier reactor. Solid waste remains challenging, with NASA's Trash Compaction and Processing System (TCPS) and Refabricator experiments addressing it. The article also discusses ESA's MELiSSA project, an artificial ecosystem using microorganisms and plants, and the potential of in-space manufacturing from orbital debris, citing CisLunar Industries and ThinkOrbital. It draws parallels to architecture and design on Earth, emphasizing repair, material recovery, and multi-functional design, as seen in Mars Dune Alpha by ICON and BIG. The piece concludes that space's constraints offer a valuable perspective on making materials last longer and designing for easier recovery.
Key facts
- ISS water recovery rate reaches about 98%.
- NASA's Brine Processor Assembly recovers water from urine processing residue.
- Sabatier reactor combines CO2 with hydrogen to produce water and methane.
- ESA's MELiSSA project has been developed since 1989.
- MELiSSA Pilot Plant is at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
- NASA's TCPS compacts and heats solid waste to stabilize it.
- NASA's Refabricator combines recycling and 3D printing.
- CisLunar Industries is developing a Modular Space Foundry for in-orbit metal processing.
- ThinkOrbital has explored manufacturing and welding in space.
- Mars Dune Alpha is a 3D printed habitat by ICON and BIG for NASA's CHAPEA program.
Entities
Institutions
- NASA
- ESA
- International Space Station
- CisLunar Industries
- ThinkOrbital
- ICON
- BIG
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
- NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
- NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center
Locations
- International Space Station
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Huntsville
- Alabama
- United States
- Mars