Astronauts may soon finally be able to do laundry

There is no laundry in space. That is one of the many indignities suffered by the brave men and women who venture into Earth orbit and beyond. A plasma laundry gun currently in development may change that.

Elisca Hicks, a crew systems operations instructor, explained in a NASA podcast on space hygiene that astronauts change their underwear every two to three days, exercise clothes every five days, shirts once a week, and pants every 30 days. The soiled clothing is jettisoned and burned up in the atmosphere with the rest of the trash.

As NASA plans for future bases on the moon and missions to Mars, a more sustainable solution to the laundry problem is required. Gabe Xu at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Chelsi Cassilly at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama think plasma is the solution. According to New Scientist, their cold plasma "laundry gun" zaps a mixture of helium, air, and water vapor with electricity, creating oxygen ions. The ions "seep into the nooks and crannies of the fabric and are absorbed by microbes, killing them through what's known as oxidative stress."

Because the device uses cold plasma, the odor-causing microbes are killed without damaging the fabric. Although the current version only cleans a small section of fabric at a time, Cassilly and Xu are working on both a washing machine and a handheld device for surfaces. Future crews for the six-month trip to Mars are almost certainly anxious for their success.