It ’s an age - onetime question that is now getting a new space - long time turn of events : What day is bin Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ?
So far , the process for dispose of methamphetamine hydrochloride on the International Space Station ( ISS ) has been to stack away it on board for calendar month and expect for a lading ship to arrive with fresh supplies . At that head , the suppuration mess diligently collected and hive away by the astronauts and astronaut would be sent back to Earth on board the empty(er ) ship .
The workmanship often used for these provision missions are , you might be surprised to take , disposable . TheCygnus space freighters , once they are load up with glass , descend to Earth and burn up in our atmosphere , ship and all . basically , it ’s like if on Earth you gave your trash to the Amazon truck after they deliver your parcel , before set that motortruck on fire . It is , to say the least , not the most environmentally well-disposed way of disposing of waste .
Now , there is a new method acting : transmit a trash bag out of the new commercially funded airlock , which boasts five times the volume of the older airlock on the ISS . On Saturday , the new system of rules was tested for the first time , successfully jettisoning approximately 78 kilo ( 172 pound ) of thriftlessness from the ISS .
This more direct path of disposing of trash has been done before in space , admit on the Soviet space place Mir . With other ship able to run resupply mission to the ISS , the unexampled method acting of disposal could lead to a more sustainable way of disposing of trash in space that does n’t involve burning a starship to a potato chip .
“ Waste accumulation in space has been a long - standing , yet not as publically discussed , take exception aboard the ISS , ” Cooper Read , Bishop Airlock programme manager at Nanoracks , who worked on the air lock and trumpery disposition system , tell in apress release .
“ Four astronauts can generate up to 2,500 kilo of trash per twelvemonth , or about two folderol seat per week . As we move into a time with more multitude dwell and working in space , this is a decisive map just like it is for everyone at home . ”
