Tech reaches space
By LAYLA ASLANI, DMG WriterHOUGHTON - Research done at Michigan Technological University has now reached outer space.
The space shuttle Endeavour linked with the International Space Station Sunday, bringing with it a new water recovery system made possible with the help of research done at Michigan Tech from 1993 to 1997. David Hand, a Tech professor of civil and environmental engineering and the lead researcher of the project, said the system purifies water from showers, hand washing, urine, sweat and fuel cells. During the research period, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration sent water samples to Tech.
"They sent us all these different waste streams' water and we ran experiments on them," he said. "We helped them optimize the portable water treatment system by developing a mathematical model."
The new system is more efficient and produces cleaner water than the system it is replacing, Hand said. The motivation for recycling the water boils down to money, he said.
"Transporting items to the International Space Station will run you about $15,000 to $20,000 a pound," he said.
"So if you transported all the water for the crew up to four persons, it would cost you $690 million a year."
The system took a long time to be implemented because NASA tests new equipment rigorously, Hand said.
"It takes many years to flight certify equipment to go into space because of safety reasons, so those guys at NASA worked very hard and long to make sure this equipment will not fail," he said.
Hand said he was pleased the team's work was not in vain.
"Well, it wasn't time wasted," he said. "It's a good feeling that what you did for four years of your life actually has been put into use, that's a real achievement."
NASA's Layne Carter, the water recovery system lead engineer, said the Tech researchers did "a fantastic job."
"Without a doubt, if it hadn't been for their modeling effort, we never would have been able to redesign the multifiltration beds and achieve that level of efficiency," Carter said.
Layla Aslani can be reached at laslani@mininggazette.com.
