All About Water

Exciting as it may be, living in space has its own set of problems. Something as simple as washing hands takes careful consideration of the limited water supply. Since there is no water in space, it must be ferried to the International Space Station from Earth. Unfortunately, transporting water into space is very costly, so astronauts must take great care in how they use the water by conserving and recycling as much as possible.

Water in Space- A Precious Commodity

The water in space is supplied in large 90-pound containers that have been shipped from Earth and stored at the station. Without strict recycling and conservation, 40,000 pounds of water would be necessary to supply a small crew of four for the length of time they are stationed in space.

Conservation Techniques

Water in space is a scarce resource, so astronauts must make sure that nothing is wasted. Instead of running a tap to wash their hands, a wet cloth is used. This practice uses about 10 percent of the water that people on Earth normally use when washing their hands. Further, by taking a sponge bath instead of a shower, a resident of the space station saves about 46 liters of water. Beyond these conservation efforts, water on the International Space Station is also heavily recycled.

Recycling and Reusing Water

Water is recycled on the International Space Station by the Environmental Control and Life Support System, or ECLSS. The system reclaims water from almost every available place: fuel cells, washing stations, and even the air inside the station. The system even recycles the sweat and urine excreted by the astronauts. While this may sound gross, the recycled waste water is actually  purer than most Americans drink from the tap. Using these extensive recycling methods, the water recycling system recovers approximately 93 percent of waste water.  Further, NASA recently purchased the Sabatier Reactor System, a new water generator designed to recycle waste gases (carbon dioxide and hydrogen) and convert them into water. The system will provide the International Space Station with 1,000 liters of water per year, helping the space station to improve the efficiency of its water usage.

Down to Earth

Many of the techniques employed by astronauts can be just as easily adapted to life on the ground, even without expensive water purification technology. As with space water, water on Earth can be recycled or used less often. Low-flow shower heads, rain barrels, tankless water heaters, and gray water systems are all great ways to conserve water.

While the innovative uses of water in space are complex and expensive, we should not treat these practices as completely impractical for everyday life. Like a space station, the Earth has a limited supply of resources and these resources, especially water, should be cared for accordingly.

What Is Water?

The chemical formula for water is H₂O. This formula means that one molecule of water is made up of to two hydrogen atoms bonded with one oxygen atom. Oxygen is a negatively charged atom and hydrogen is positively charged, but when the electrons of these atoms combine to form a water molecule, the molecule’s charge is not evenly distributed: the molecule has a slight negative charge on its oxygen end and a slight positive on its hydrogen end. Because of this, water molecules are polar. This polarity causes water molecules to be electrostatically attracted to other water molecules, and also allows water molecules to dissolve other molecules.

What is Water: Polarity’s Effects

Polarity makes water molecules special. For instance, it causes water’s solid form, ice, to float atop its liquid form, water—and unusual chemical property. This happens because water molecules’ hydrogen bonds repulse other water molecules’ hydrogen bonds, which makes the solid water molecules be spaced further apart from each other than they were as liquid water molecules. This causes ice to be less dense than water, thereby causing ice to float.

What Is Water: Other Unusual Properties

When we wonder what is water, need to understand water’s also possesses some other interesting physical properties.

• Water has strong surface tension, high heat of vaporization, and high specific heat.
• Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid, and has therefore been nicknamed “the universal solvent.”
• Water is the only chemical compound on Earth’s surface that is naturally present as liquid, gas and solid.

What is Water: Water Is Necessary for Life

All of life’s biochemical reactions rely upon liquid water to occur. Without water, the world as we know it would not exist. The world’s temperature systems would be wildly different, chemical reactions would not occur, and organisms would not be able to maintain their cell membranes. In chemical reactions, water pushes non-polar compounds together. This hydrophobia is the basis for the creation and maintenance of cell membranes, which are necessary for all living organisms. Additionally, only water can bend enzymes into the proper shape for catalyzing the chemical reactions that we need to stay alive. What is water? Necessary for life. Us folks of Operation Hydros understand how important water is, and that’s why we’re fighting so hard to conserve it.