The Waste of Space

On lengthy space flights, fuel shortages may force astronauts to cut their missions short. But as long as they are aloft, there is little chance that there will ever be a shortage of one constant byproduct of manned-space missions--human waste. During a three-month flight, for example, a crew of three will produce approximately a quarter-ton of solid wastes. What to do with it? Seattle's Rocket Research Corp. offers a practical answer: process the waste and use it as a source of rocket fuel.

To test their theory, Rocket Research scientists mixed together appropriate portions of human feces, hair and nail clippings, paper towels, sponges, detergent, and the carbon that is produced by spacecraft atmospheric-regeneration systems (because it will probably be recycled for drinking water, urine was not included). They then blended their repulsive mixture with powdered metal and a solid oxidizer, producing a black, slimy, globlike but surprisingly odorless substance that was dignified with the name MONEX W. Ground-tested in a rocket engine, it ignited quickly, burned smoothly with a bright orange flame, and produced ample thrust. The successful demonstration has just won Rocket Research a NASA feasibility contract to determine if MONEX W can be used on manned space flights.

Minimizing Discomfort. According to the Seattle scientists, space-flight wastes will be processed in a blender, then stored in convenient tanks until needed for fuel to perform orbital changes, mid-course corrections, retrorocket firing and other maneuvers. Blending and transfer of MONEX W will be handled automatically "to minimize psychological discomfort"--as Rocket Research delicately phrases it.

Though the thrust supplied by the new fuel is lower than the performance of conventional liquid propellants, it has some distinct advantages. It does away with the necessity of disposing of its major ingredient in space, and scientists calculate that because a MONEX W rocket will manufacture part of its fuel in flight, it will actually have less lift-off weight than a conventionally fueled rocket designed for the same long-range mission.

Rocket Research scientists are prepared to go even farther to pare down the orbital weight of a MONEX W rocket. They plan to use a soluble cement to bond powdered metal into such structures as special instrument panels that are used only in the early stages of the flight. When their purpose has been served, the structures will be tossed into the blender. The moist wastes will dissolve the cement, returning the metal to its powdered form and making it a suitable ingredient for MONEX W.

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