NASA Trials Mobile Wastewater System to Sustain Future Moon Bases
NASA is testing a mobile Divergent Deployable Wastewater Treatment Facility—built at Kennedy Space Center—to process crew wastewater into water and nutrients for a hydroponic garden as part of simulating long-duration lunar and Martian habitats. The 8.5-by-24-foot trailer carries three bioreactors and autonomous controls to treat separate waste streams (urine, hygiene, laundry, fecal, and food waste) and integrate with an analog habitat at the University of North Dakota, helping assess operations, training needs, system reliability, and potential links to in-space manufacturing and closed-loop life support.