Being in space might seem cool until you think about how few of the creature comforts they have that we take for granted on Earth.
Sure, anti-gravity is pretty sweet, and being at the cutting edge of technology is noble. But, when you start thinking about how the astronauts on the ISS do things like use the toilet, or wash their clothes or bodies, the appeal starts to waver.
Humans have been in space long enough to sort out many of the challenges. Intricate, if not slightly gross, methods have been found for toilet duties. Even washing Astronauts’ bodies has been solved with clever thinking. But astronauts still have no way to wash their clothes.
On Earth, we can just slap our clothing in a washing machine, but they’re incredibly water-reliant. That’s not a possibility in the space station. Water is carefully rationed and used for drinking and washing. It is all recycled and has to be used sparingly.
So, astronauts live with no ability to wash their clothes.
Stinky Astronauts
It may seem disgusting, but when you think about the conditions the astronauts live in, the need to wash clothes is lower than here on Terra Firma.
The environment the space scientists live is very clean. There is no dirt, like there is on earth, so little chance of getting environmental stains. On top of this, the climate is very controlled. Humidity is low, and temperature is also maintained. So, astronauts don’t sweat as much as they would on Earth.
Instead, they will simply wear their clothes, sometimes for weeks at a time, without cleaning them. Eventually, they will become too gross to wear, from sweat and other things, and have to be disposed of.
The garments, if they’re just cheap like pants and t-shirts, are fired into the atmosphere to burn up like some kind of insane garbage disposal. However, expensive clothes such as space suits are sent back for repair and cleaning.
NASA is still working on a way to clean clothes in space, both for the comfort of the astronauts and cost effectiveness. So far, though, they’re stumped.