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Bacterial compounds could provide antimicrobial protection.
A man models an astronaut undergarment known as a Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment that was designed for the Space Shuttle/International Space Station Extravehicular Mobility Unit, photographed in 1994.
(Image credit: NASA)
We can probably all agree that sharing your unwashed underwear with another person isn t ideal. However, for
astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS), performing a spacewalk requires that they share not only the spacesuits, but also a next-to-the-skin piece of clothing that s worn underneath the spacesuit and resembles long underwear, known as the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG).
Access to a freshly laundered LCVG isn t an option on the ISS, but technicians with the European Space Agency (ESA) are taking steps to improve the antimicrobial properties in LCVG materials to keep these shared garments clean and fresh for longer, ESA representatives
European Space Agency (ESA) is looking at ways to keep the LCVG cleaner and more hygienic. Since a fresh-out-of-the-laundry LCVG cannot be provided each time to astronauts on the ISS, the ESA plans to improve the antimicrobial properties in the garments. This will help keep them clean and fresh for longer.
Yes, it’s true astronauts share ‘underwear’ when they put on spacesuits to work outside of the International Space Station. This isn’t quite the same type of underwear you’re thinking of, as the astronauts first put on a disposable diaper,
then the full-body underwear layer. Still, there are some downsides to this arrangement that the ESA is attempting to address with a new project.
The International Space Station and future space stations that will eventually replace it are home to a number of spacesuits used during spacewalks. These suits are highly complex and composed of multiple layers designed to protect the person wearing them, including maintaining their comfort. Rather than assigning each astronaut their own suit, the teams share suits.
How to keep spacesuit ‘underwear’ clean?
Spacewalking is a major highlight of any astronaut’s career. But there is a downside: putting on your spacesuit means sharing some previously-worn underlayers. A new ESA study is looking into how best to keep these items clean and hygienic as humans venture on to the Moon and beyond.
During the Space Shuttle era, each astronaut was issued with their own ‘External Mobility Unit’, the official term for a spacesuit. But crews aboard the International Space Station have shifted to sharing suits, with differently sized segments put together to fit a given spacewalker.
The first item spacewalkers put on is a (disposable) ‘Maximum Absorbency Garment’ diaper, then their own ‘Thermal Comfort Undergarment’, followed by the long-underwear-like Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG). Worn next to the skin, the LCVG incorporates liquid cooling tubes and gas ventilation to keep its wearer cool and comfortable during the sustained