During space travel, human waste from astronauts is collected in containers and placed in disposable capsules, but they do not return to Earth because they are laden with waste. They are separated from orbit until they are burned into the atmosphere, but US researchers have developed A new way to take advantage of those wastes, and convert them into fuel for future spacecraft
The researchers used the US space agency NASA, which provided them with a collection of human waste that was produced chemically, as well as a quantity of waste food, towels, clothing and other waste that mimics the waste of astronauts, who are likely to live on the moon for 5 years
Researchers at Florida State University, in their study, published Sunday, in the journal Progress in Space Research, said: "The traditional method of placing waste in space capsules can be useful in short space flights
"When it comes to planning a moon invasion and sending long-term missions to study its surface that could extend to five years by 2019, it requires innovative solutions to deal with human waste," they said.
Space shuttles usually operate with liquid hydrogen gas and liquid oxygen, but in recent years space scientists have begun using methane as a source of vehicle fuel, which can be produced by burning human waste of astronauts.
The team began to look for a solution, because the human waste that astronauts may leave over five years can not be left on the moon, and returning it to Earth will put extra weight on the space shuttle.
The research team used the anaerobic digestion process to produce methane and carbon dioxide from biodegradable organic matter, a process of natural biological degradation of organic matter in the absence of oxygen.
The researchers said the aim of the research was to test the possibility of providing the spacecraft needed fuel during the return journey from the moon through the burning of waste, and only to carry enough fuel for the launch flight only from the ground.
This method can produce enough fuel for a trip back from the moon.
NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon by this year and build a space base there that allows humans to stay on the moon for six months by 2025.
NASA hopes its astronauts will be able to stay on the moon, study its ground and climate, and get used to the difficulty of working in its atmosphere for 180 days, in preparation for going and stability on the surface of other planets.
They added that this method could be useful on the ground as well, as it can produce fuel used to generate electricity and heating from the remnants of students in universities, for example
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