This project's objective is to develop and evaluate an austere manual apparel cleaning system (MACS) for use in laundering selected items of clothing on extended duration orbiter (EDO) shuttle missions. Plans to extend shuttle missions to 30, 60, and perhaps 90 days would strain the onboard stowage capability for clothing and other consumables. The laundry system currently being considered for Space Station Freedom (SSF) would be costly and difficult to integrate into the existing shuttle crew compartment. This project addresses these problems with a simple, compact, lightweight system that does not consume orbiter power or involve complex interfaces. Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of a safe, comfortable, productive, and effective MACS through thorough requirements analysis and testing, and design.
Potential Commercial Applications:Potential commercial users of the MACS include travelers in motels, motor homes, trains, or boats, as well as people in isolated settings such as campgrounds, scientific outposts, and military expeditions and installations. Other NASA users include manned missions to Mars.
