some lunar water calculations

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D Tibbets
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Post by D Tibbets »

The numbers make more sinse, if it is regolith, though that has to be matched to the quantity of waster per person requirements. As far as recycling the water, I'm uncertain. They probably have a pretty good handle on this at NASA. Expired water actually adds up to a lot of the water loss per day. almost all of this should be recyclable, along with water from sweat. Much of the water from urine may be recoverable, and possibly very little water recovered from stools. Overall I would not be surprised if ~ 90% water recycling was possible for personel. The amount lost from industrial processes, and fuel production is a whole different issue. If stools are recycled as fertilizer for greenhouses, the water for personel and food may more closely approach 100%. It depends on how closed the closed system is. The Habitat for Humanity systems were supposed to be 100% closed/ recycled, but I don't think they came close to this goal.

Dan Tibbets
To error is human... and I'm very human.

kunkmiester
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Post by kunkmiester »

Water isn't quite as important for recycling on the moon, unusable waste can be concentrated and disposed of with a significant water content. Unlike the ISS, which only gets a shipment every few months, If the tank on the moon is running low, you just grab an ice block from storage and throw it in. It can be considered more expendable.
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krenshala
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Post by krenshala »

Skipjack wrote:Yeah, I think your numbers could be right for a dessert environment, but I dont think they would apply to a moonbase.
I was looking for a figure closer to "average" water usage, but figured military recommendations for use in desert would represent a good high-end pessimistic view (especially since it was the only useful for this thread link I found). I agree, actual water use is probably more like half what my numbers above list, but it does give a good "worst case" value to work with. Especially since working in a pressure suit in microgravity/low gravity can be very strenuous. I seem to remember stories about astronauts practically swimming in their own sweat as they worked.

Skipjack
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Post by Skipjack »

Well, I have posted the numbers for the ISS water consumption earlier, if you saw them?

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