Wash Your Hands in Space

Abstract:

The current model for the astronauts to take a shower can be concluded as wiping the skin with towels that have soapy water on them. This experience can fulfill the basic needs of the astronauts since that the interiors of space stations are under strictly controlled temperature and low humanity. However, the satisfaction of taking a regular shower with running water cannot be replaced with wet wipes, not even mentioning that the soapy water that the astronauts are using on a daily basis contains chemicals that can be harmful to the astronaut’s skin conditions.

Other than the fact that water is so precious in space, the zero gravity in space makes the water behave in a different way in comparison with its behavior on earth; at the same time, unregulated floating liquid put threats to the astronauts’ safety. However, designing the showering facility in space is a big project which requires collaborations between many different fields, so this project focuses on a smaller scale prototype design, which is designing a handwashing device in the space and also can be considered as the case study for future development of showering facilities.

This project includes background investigation, prototype design, and calculations. In order to mimic the experience of washing hands with tap water on earth, this research investigated the numbers behind the experience. Inspired by the glass boxes that have been widely used in the bio and chemicals research labs, the prototype was designed. And finally, the math has been worked out on paper in order to make the devices meet the expectations for the design project.

Due to the limited access to the research facilities and fabrication labs, this project has not been built yet. A plethora of design details and fabrication procedures are also required to be further addressed. And finally, due to the lack of knowledge in fluid dynamics, the designer has not been able to precisely mimic the behavior of the water under zero gravity in a theoretical way, and related researches are also needed to be conducted.

Background:

During the COVID 19 pandemic, one of the most important measures that have been reiterated worldwide is sensitizing our hands frequently. On earth, washing our hands is a relatively easy task with the help of gravity; nevertheless, in space, due to the absence of gravity, washing our hands is a challenging mission.

According to this video from the European Space Agency, the astronaut was washing her hands by floating the water around her skin, and then rub her hands with some extra soap. Because there is running water in our current space station, the drying process highly depends on the usage of towels and the evaporation process.

This process raises a couple of issues:

One of the most-liked comment under this video is that: “Basically they’re dirty the entire duration of their mission . . . using sanitizing solutions and dry powders to clean the hair can’t be that thorough. Their first shower on return to Earth must be a euphoric experience — I’d be in there for 45 minutes” the popularity of this comment raises the question that how can we brings this kind of experience back to the astronauts so that they can have a more hygiene living and working environment while enjoying some sort of comfort that they can have on earth when the gravity and running water are both in present.

The simulation of gravity has always been an important research area for NASA and the other association; however, with the current resources and technology, it is almost impossible. And the flowing video explains it in detail:

Project Development:

Inspired by the glove boxes that have been used in bio labs, chemicals research labs, and space(fig. 1), the project has been imagined as a box that allows the astronauts to put their hands into it.

The process for using this device has been imagined as the following: firstly, the user can put her/his hands into the device, after detecting the hands at the specific location, the water pipes will shot the water on the surface of the user’s hands; at the same time, in order to avoid the water to bounce around, also in order to simulate the gravity, the fans at the end of the device will create enough air pressure to suck the water out of the space and bring back to the purification system.

A series of questions has been raised along this process. One of the biggest challenges is while allowing the astronauts to put their hands into the box, the space that allows this movement raises the risks of water leakage. So water seal is a huge challenge for this project, in order to mitigate such risks, a “sealing mechanism”(fig.2) has been imagined.

The mechanism of this project can be concluded as the following steps:

Calculations:

The feasibility of the design has to be supported by math, and there are two key things that have to be tested out for this project: 1. Water velocity through pipping. 2. Air velocity through pipping.

Prototype and images:

The dimensions of the overall design have been determined by the average length of an adult male’s hand in the United States, which is 7.6 inches.

Challenges:

Due to the limited access to the research facilities and fabrication labs, this project has not been built yet. A plethora of design details and fabrication procedures are also required to be further addressed. And finally, due to the lack of knowledge in fluid dynamics, the designer has not been able to precisely mimic the behavior of the water under zero gravity in a theoretical way, and related researches are also needed to be conducted.

Conclusion:

Due to the extreme environment in space, any daily events that have been considered as easy and ordinary can be extremely challenging. This project only talks about one aspect of it in a superficial way, but still, in order to realize it, a whole team is needed, and cross-disciplinary collaborations are essential in those developments.

The meanings of space exploration have always been challenged due to its cost, just like even this simple design project reveals the complexity and high cost behind it; however, I still think that space exploration is worthy, despite the amazing spiritual meaning for us, as a species, the technologies and engineering development that have been accumulated through those expensive explorations might be solutions for the unknown challenges that can happen in the future.

References:

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