Copernical Team
Real-life 'stillsuit': Dune-inspired upgrade for spacesuits allow astronauts to recycle urine into water
Astronauts on spacewalks famously have to relieve themselves inside their spacesuits. Not only is this uncomfortable for the wearer and unhygienic, it is also wasteful, as—unlike wastewater on board the International Space Station (ISS)—the water in urine from spacewalks is not recycled.
A solution for these challenges would be full-body 'stillsuits' like those in the blockbuster Dune franchise, which absorbed and purified water lost through sweating and urination, and recycled it into drinkable water. Now, this sci-fi is about to become reality, with a prototype novel urine collection and filtration system for spacesuits.
The design, by researchers from Cornell University, is published in Frontiers in Space Technology.
"The design includes a vacuum-based external catheter leading to a combined forward-reverse osmosis unit, providing a continuous supply of potable water with multiple safety mechanisms to ensure astronaut well-being," said Sofia Etlin, a research staff member at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell University, and the study's first author.
Ariane 6 defies gravity in breathtaking first flight
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Ariane 6 defies gravity in breathtaking first flight Ariane 6 cuts a vertical path up, up and away
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Ariane 6 cuts a vertical path up, up and away Mpemba effect at Concordia
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Freezing boiling water in Concordia against the sunset YPSat: the view from Ariane 6
If there had been an astronaut aboard the historic first launch of Europe’s Ariane 6 launcher, this is what they would have seen: images and videos from key phases of the flight were captured by the YPSat payload, a project led and undertaken by ESA Young Professionals in their own time.
NASA researchers battle biofilm in space
Satellites Assist Relief Operations After Dike Breach in Central China
China has deployed several remote sensing satellites to support rescue and relief efforts after a dike breach on Friday at Dongting Lake in central Hunan Province.
The China Centre For Resources Satellite Data and Application (CRESDA) reported that Gaofen-3 02, Gaofen-3 03, Gaofen-1, and Gaofen-4 satellites are providing real-time monitoring of the affected areas.
CRESDA confirmed th GOES-U Satellite Achieves Geostationary Orbit and Becomes GOES-19
On July 7, 2024, NOAA's GOES-U completed its final engine burn, successfully entering geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above the Earth's equator. Following this achievement, the satellite has been renamed GOES-19. GOES satellites are initially designated with a letter before launch, which is then changed to a number once they reach geostationary orbit.
GOES-U was launched on June 25, 2024, Fleet Space's ExoSphere Advances Barrick Gold's Copper Exploration at Reko Diq
Fleet Space Technologies, a leading Australian space exploration company, has announced the deployment of its comprehensive mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, to support Barrick Gold's copper exploration efforts at the Reko Diq project in Pakistan. Utilizing advanced space technology, AI, and 3D multiphysics, ExoSphere is creating detailed 3D subsurface maps of groundwater systems and copp Spire Global Secures CA 1.41 Million Canadian Government Contract for Ship Tracking
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leader in space-based data, analytics, and space services, has been awarded a CA $1.41 million contract by the Government of Canada (GoC) to provide global automatic identification system (AIS) ship tracking data. The one-year agreement includes options for two additional years, potentially increasing the total value to nearly CA $4.23 million.
"We are pr 
