How to keep astronauts hydrated in space, far away from any sources of water, has been a challenge for NASA and other space agencies for decades, but science fiction may have offered an answer.

In Frank Herbert’s famous novel Dune, and its recent two-part adaptation on the big screen, people on the arid and barren world of Arrakis survive by wearing suits that recirculate their sweat and urine into precious water.

Although this may sound horrific to some, researchers from Cornell University have devised a real-life ‘stillsuit’, capable of collecting and purifying 500ml of urine in five minutes and saving 87 per cent of it as drinkable water for use by astronauts in upcoming space missions.

Sofia Etlin, a researcher at Cornell and the now-published study’s author, said that the waste management system used by NASA since the late 1970s – the maximum absorbency garment (MAG) – has leaked and caused health issues like urinary tract infections in the past.

“Additionally, astronauts currently have only one litre of water available in their in-suit drink bags,” she said.

“This is insufficient for the planned, longer-lasting lunar spacewalks, which can last 10 hours, and even up to 24 hours in an emergency.”

She said that the prototype design includes a collection cup that draws urine away from the body, where a vacuum pump is activated by moisture.

“The design includes a vacuum-based external catheter leading to a combined forward-reverse osmosis unit,” she said.

“(It provides) a continuous supply of potable water with multiple safety mechanisms to ensure astronaut wellbeing.”

The suit may be used by astronauts as soon as 2025. Image: Karen Morales

Put to the test

The researchers designed the suit for upcoming missions to the Moon in 2025 and 2026, where a crew will orbit and land on its south pole during the second mission.

NASA plans to launch manned missions to Mars in the early 2030s.

The suit, recently published in the Frontiers in Space Technology journal, recycles urine in a two-step process, in which the water is removed from the urine and a pump separates water from salt.

The suit enriches the now-separated water with electrolytes and pumps it into a bag within the suit for astronauts to drink.

Dr Christopher E Mason, another lead author of the study, said that researchers will continue to test the now-available prototype under simulated conditions and eventually in real spacewalks.

“Our system can be tested in simulated microgravity conditions, as microgravity is the primary space factor we must account for,” he said.

“These tests will ensure the system’s functionality and safety before it is deployed in actual space missions.”

A 40-hour battery powers the suit and it weighs about eight kilograms, which researchers believe is sufficiently light enough to be a part of an astronaut’s kit.