NASA used water filters as part of an innovative water purification system in space capsules, primarily to remove disinfecting silver particles after they had neutralized bacteria.
Innovating Water Purification in Space
In the challenging environment of a space capsule, traditional methods like boiling or using strong chemicals for water purification were not feasible due to limited power and space. Faced with these constraints, NASA developed a novel approach to ensure astronauts had access to safe drinking water.
The Silver Atom Method
Instead of conventional filtration for primary disinfection, NASA invented a device that would kill bacteria by shooting the water full of negatively charged silver atoms. This process involved several key steps:
- A specialized device was created for the space environment.
- Negatively charged silver atoms were introduced into the water supply.
- These silver particles were designed to latch onto bacteria, destroy them.
- Following the disinfection process, the silver particles were filtered out of the water.
- The goal was for both the purified water and the filtered silver particles to be used again, making the system highly efficient and sustainable.
The Role of Filtration
In this specific NASA-developed system, filtration served the crucial purpose of separating the disinfecting silver particles from the purified water. After the silver atoms had successfully attached to and killed the bacteria, they needed to be removed to make the water potable and to allow the valuable silver to potentially be recovered and reused in the system. Thus, filters were integral to completing the purification cycle devised by NASA.
