Development of the Heat Melt Compactor for Waste Management during Long Duration Human Space Missions

Solid Waste handling and management in space habitats poses serious challenges for long duration human space missions. These wastes typically contain a high quantity of plastic from packaging as well as personal hygiene wastes, wet and dry wipes, gloves, duct tape, and unused food items. The unused food and personal hygiene wastes present substrates for growth of microorganisms that can seriously affect astronaut health and consequently mission success. The heat melt compaction process uses heat to sterilize and dry the waste, and the plastic content to bond and encapsulate the various waste items into a hard tile. The tile that is produced in the heat melt compaction process is tough, extremely compact, and has a predictable shape that allows the efficient use of very limited spacecraft storage volume. The encapsulation of the waste in the melted plastic isolates the growth substrate from spacecraft cabin air to prevent reinoculation of the waste. Plastic wastes contain a high percentage of hydrogen which is considered a desirable material for radiation shielding because it does not produce secondary radiation. Collaborative work with MSFC personnel on evaluating the effectiveness of tiles produced in the Heat Melt Compactor as a shielding material against radiation is in progress. Progress on the development of the next generation Heat Melt Compactor hardware is also presented.