Nearly 78 kilograms of trash was jettisoned from the International Space Station (ISS) in a major waste management technology test. The bag was jettisoned from the station’s commercial Bishop Airlock.
The first-of-its-kind technology to dispose of waste has been developed by Nasa’s Johnson Space Center and a private company Nanorocks.
“The technology demonstrates a more efficient and sustainable model for eliminating waste aboard the ISS and furthermore highlights a critical new function and utility for all future commercial space stations,” Nanorocks said in a statement.
So far, astronauts had been storing the trash in the Space Station and sending it back to Earth on the Cygnus cargo vehicle. After Cygnus completes its primary mission at the ISS, the astronauts will fill the spacecraft with bags of trash before it is released from the space station for de-orbit, where the entire spacecraft is burned up upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Congrats to @Nanoracks for successfully leveraging the #BishopAirlock to dispose of 172 pounds of waste from the #ISS! This is a momentous occasion for the company as they have developed a new way to sustainably handle disposal in #space. https://t.co/Plth3K7DGa pic.twitter.com/0wObTT3Jek
— Voyager Space (@VoyagerSH) July 6, 2022
“This was the first open-close cycle of the Bishop Airlock, our first deployment, and what we hope is the beginning of new, more sustainable ISS disposal operations,” Dr. Amela Wilson, Nanoracks CEO said.
The new technology uses a specially designed waste container, which is mounted in the Bishop Airlock. The ISS crew can fill the container with up to 600 lbs of trash. The waste bag is then released and the Airlock is re-mounted empty.
The trash jettisoned this month had foam and packing materials, cargo transfer bags, dirty crew clothing, assorted hygiene products and used office supplies. The bag burns up upon re-entry into the atmosphere and does not contribute to the creation of any space debris.
“Four astronauts can generate up to 2,500 kg of trash per year, or about two trash cans per week. As we move into a time with more people living and working in space, this is a critical function just like it is for everyone at home. Waste collection in space has been a long-standing, yet not as publicly discussed, challenge aboard the ISS,” Cooper Read, Bishop Airlock program manager at Nanoracks added.
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