How do EVA suits manage water excretion?Does an astronaut sweat in a space suit?Do astronauts lose potassium faster than terrestrial humans?How much protection do space EVA suits offer against radiation for the wearer?Why use fingers in EVA suits?How do astronauts on EVA deal with nose itching?Does an astronaut sweat in a space suit?How do astronauts deal with micrometeorites during EVA?Could astronauts wear EVA suits in the Soyuz?Have astronauts gotten sick on EVA?Can modern EVA spacesuit be put on/taken off by single person, without assistance?Why were EVA suits never silver?How old are the EVA space suits that are currently used on the ISS?
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How do EVA suits manage water excretion?
Does an astronaut sweat in a space suit?Do astronauts lose potassium faster than terrestrial humans?How much protection do space EVA suits offer against radiation for the wearer?Why use fingers in EVA suits?How do astronauts on EVA deal with nose itching?Does an astronaut sweat in a space suit?How do astronauts deal with micrometeorites during EVA?Could astronauts wear EVA suits in the Soyuz?Have astronauts gotten sick on EVA?Can modern EVA spacesuit be put on/taken off by single person, without assistance?Why were EVA suits never silver?How old are the EVA space suits that are currently used on the ISS?
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$begingroup$
This answer immediately sparked the question in my mind of how space suits manage water excretion from the person wearing them. I am aware that the astronauts had to wear diapers since one may need to pee during an hours long EVA. However this only manages the liquids exiting the person.
If during the course of a long and strenuous EVA astronauts lose several pounds of liquid to sweat and breathing, how does the EVA suit manage all this water? They may have a thermal management system to reduce sweating, but that doesn't solve the breathing issue. I can't imaging they let water/water vapor build up inside the suit, it would make the suit environment extremely uncomfortable.
spacesuits health eva spacewalk
$endgroup$
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
This answer immediately sparked the question in my mind of how space suits manage water excretion from the person wearing them. I am aware that the astronauts had to wear diapers since one may need to pee during an hours long EVA. However this only manages the liquids exiting the person.
If during the course of a long and strenuous EVA astronauts lose several pounds of liquid to sweat and breathing, how does the EVA suit manage all this water? They may have a thermal management system to reduce sweating, but that doesn't solve the breathing issue. I can't imaging they let water/water vapor build up inside the suit, it would make the suit environment extremely uncomfortable.
spacesuits health eva spacewalk
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I’m pretty sure they have a dehumidifier as part of the breathing oxygen loop
$endgroup$
– CourageousPotato
8 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
The LCVG included ventilation ducts: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_cooling_and_ventilation_garment, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_life_support_system
$endgroup$
– Polygnome
8 hours ago
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
This answer immediately sparked the question in my mind of how space suits manage water excretion from the person wearing them. I am aware that the astronauts had to wear diapers since one may need to pee during an hours long EVA. However this only manages the liquids exiting the person.
If during the course of a long and strenuous EVA astronauts lose several pounds of liquid to sweat and breathing, how does the EVA suit manage all this water? They may have a thermal management system to reduce sweating, but that doesn't solve the breathing issue. I can't imaging they let water/water vapor build up inside the suit, it would make the suit environment extremely uncomfortable.
spacesuits health eva spacewalk
$endgroup$
This answer immediately sparked the question in my mind of how space suits manage water excretion from the person wearing them. I am aware that the astronauts had to wear diapers since one may need to pee during an hours long EVA. However this only manages the liquids exiting the person.
If during the course of a long and strenuous EVA astronauts lose several pounds of liquid to sweat and breathing, how does the EVA suit manage all this water? They may have a thermal management system to reduce sweating, but that doesn't solve the breathing issue. I can't imaging they let water/water vapor build up inside the suit, it would make the suit environment extremely uncomfortable.
spacesuits health eva spacewalk
spacesuits health eva spacewalk
asked 8 hours ago
QuietghostQuietghost
1,1754 silver badges17 bronze badges
1,1754 silver badges17 bronze badges
$begingroup$
I’m pretty sure they have a dehumidifier as part of the breathing oxygen loop
$endgroup$
– CourageousPotato
8 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
The LCVG included ventilation ducts: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_cooling_and_ventilation_garment, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_life_support_system
$endgroup$
– Polygnome
8 hours ago
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
I’m pretty sure they have a dehumidifier as part of the breathing oxygen loop
$endgroup$
– CourageousPotato
8 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
The LCVG included ventilation ducts: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_cooling_and_ventilation_garment, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_life_support_system
$endgroup$
– Polygnome
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
I’m pretty sure they have a dehumidifier as part of the breathing oxygen loop
$endgroup$
– CourageousPotato
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
I’m pretty sure they have a dehumidifier as part of the breathing oxygen loop
$endgroup$
– CourageousPotato
8 hours ago
1
1
$begingroup$
The LCVG included ventilation ducts: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_cooling_and_ventilation_garment, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_life_support_system
$endgroup$
– Polygnome
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
The LCVG included ventilation ducts: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_cooling_and_ventilation_garment, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_life_support_system
$endgroup$
– Polygnome
8 hours ago
add a comment
|
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
The shuttle (and ISS) EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) has a condensing heat exchanger as part of its ventilation loop. The condensate is stored, used for cooling, and the excess is drained after each EVA (Extravehicular Activity).
Reference: Shuttle Crew Operations Manual: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/390651main_shuttle_crew_operations_manual.pdf page 2.11-7
The water produced by perspiration and breathing is withdrawn from the oxygen supply by being condensed in the sublimator and is carried by the condensate circuit. The water is then sent to the water - storage tanks of the feedwater circuit and
added to their supply for eventual use in the sublimator. In this manner, the PLSS is able to maintain suit
cooling for a longer period than would be possible
with just the tank’s original water supply.
From Suited for Spacewalking https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/143159main_Suited_for_Spacewalking.pdf
PLSS = Portable Life Support System
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
So sweat will cool you off by evaporating in your suit, AND by sublimating out of it... This is beautiful
$endgroup$
– Antzi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
The EMUs are amazing little spacecraft.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
1 hour ago
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
I'm sure there are different techniques for different space suits, but here's an example of how it is done for the ISS suits:
The key to handling body heat and sweat is the Liquid Ventilation Garment, or LVC. This is essentially what looks like a full body thermal underwear, but it is lined with tubes that pass water through them. If you heat up, cold water is passed through the tubes, cooling you down. The idea is to keep you cool enough that you don't sweat much.
After the water is heated, it passes through a heat exchanger to cool it down again, then it's recirculated. If necessary, the water can be passed into a sublimator, where it passes though small holes into the vacuum of space, where it sublimates away, carrying heat with it.
If a person does still sweat, the LVC has a wicking layer that will absorb the sweat, and through some mechanism the sweat is collected and added back to the cooling water supply. The problem here is that as you work harder, the temperature of the water in the cooling tubes has to be lower to transport enough heat, which can make it feel cold. Add in a damp undergarment, and astronauts can feel very uncomfortable with this system. Also, you are losing a lot of water to space through the sublimator - maybe a kg of water for a four hour EVA. That's not only expensive, but it limits EVA time.
There is a new LVC being developed for the next gen of suits which will have porous micro-tubules stitched into it that can actually absorb the sweat, the transport it back to the cooling system for recycling. That will allow astronauts to use sweating as their natural heat control.
In the future, mechanical counterpressure suits that don't need to be pressurized will have semi-permeable materials that allow sweat to pass through and sublimate away all across the surface of the suit, which would allow for more passive cooling and a more natural feeling environment.
Link to a paper on the new generation of LVC garments being considered:
Multi-Functional Cooling Garment for Spacesuit Environmental Control
And a paper from 1969 describing the old system for cooling:
Regulation of Thermal Sweating in EVA Space Suits
New contributor
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
The sweat with its solved salts is collected and added back to the cooling water supply? But what about the salt in the sublimator and its small holes? These holes should not be blocked by salt crystals.
$endgroup$
– Uwe
5 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
I have added a link to the document describing the concept for a new LVC. Note that the sweat is collected as water vapor, so I am assuming that the salts and other impurities would remain on the skin, in the clothing, the liner of the LVC, etc.
$endgroup$
– Dan Hanson
4 hours ago
add a comment
|
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
The shuttle (and ISS) EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) has a condensing heat exchanger as part of its ventilation loop. The condensate is stored, used for cooling, and the excess is drained after each EVA (Extravehicular Activity).
Reference: Shuttle Crew Operations Manual: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/390651main_shuttle_crew_operations_manual.pdf page 2.11-7
The water produced by perspiration and breathing is withdrawn from the oxygen supply by being condensed in the sublimator and is carried by the condensate circuit. The water is then sent to the water - storage tanks of the feedwater circuit and
added to their supply for eventual use in the sublimator. In this manner, the PLSS is able to maintain suit
cooling for a longer period than would be possible
with just the tank’s original water supply.
From Suited for Spacewalking https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/143159main_Suited_for_Spacewalking.pdf
PLSS = Portable Life Support System
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
So sweat will cool you off by evaporating in your suit, AND by sublimating out of it... This is beautiful
$endgroup$
– Antzi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
The EMUs are amazing little spacecraft.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
1 hour ago
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
The shuttle (and ISS) EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) has a condensing heat exchanger as part of its ventilation loop. The condensate is stored, used for cooling, and the excess is drained after each EVA (Extravehicular Activity).
Reference: Shuttle Crew Operations Manual: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/390651main_shuttle_crew_operations_manual.pdf page 2.11-7
The water produced by perspiration and breathing is withdrawn from the oxygen supply by being condensed in the sublimator and is carried by the condensate circuit. The water is then sent to the water - storage tanks of the feedwater circuit and
added to their supply for eventual use in the sublimator. In this manner, the PLSS is able to maintain suit
cooling for a longer period than would be possible
with just the tank’s original water supply.
From Suited for Spacewalking https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/143159main_Suited_for_Spacewalking.pdf
PLSS = Portable Life Support System
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
So sweat will cool you off by evaporating in your suit, AND by sublimating out of it... This is beautiful
$endgroup$
– Antzi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
The EMUs are amazing little spacecraft.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
1 hour ago
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
The shuttle (and ISS) EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) has a condensing heat exchanger as part of its ventilation loop. The condensate is stored, used for cooling, and the excess is drained after each EVA (Extravehicular Activity).
Reference: Shuttle Crew Operations Manual: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/390651main_shuttle_crew_operations_manual.pdf page 2.11-7
The water produced by perspiration and breathing is withdrawn from the oxygen supply by being condensed in the sublimator and is carried by the condensate circuit. The water is then sent to the water - storage tanks of the feedwater circuit and
added to their supply for eventual use in the sublimator. In this manner, the PLSS is able to maintain suit
cooling for a longer period than would be possible
with just the tank’s original water supply.
From Suited for Spacewalking https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/143159main_Suited_for_Spacewalking.pdf
PLSS = Portable Life Support System
$endgroup$
The shuttle (and ISS) EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) has a condensing heat exchanger as part of its ventilation loop. The condensate is stored, used for cooling, and the excess is drained after each EVA (Extravehicular Activity).
Reference: Shuttle Crew Operations Manual: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/390651main_shuttle_crew_operations_manual.pdf page 2.11-7
The water produced by perspiration and breathing is withdrawn from the oxygen supply by being condensed in the sublimator and is carried by the condensate circuit. The water is then sent to the water - storage tanks of the feedwater circuit and
added to their supply for eventual use in the sublimator. In this manner, the PLSS is able to maintain suit
cooling for a longer period than would be possible
with just the tank’s original water supply.
From Suited for Spacewalking https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/143159main_Suited_for_Spacewalking.pdf
PLSS = Portable Life Support System
edited 8 hours ago
answered 8 hours ago
Organic MarbleOrganic Marble
78k4 gold badges232 silver badges335 bronze badges
78k4 gold badges232 silver badges335 bronze badges
1
$begingroup$
So sweat will cool you off by evaporating in your suit, AND by sublimating out of it... This is beautiful
$endgroup$
– Antzi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
The EMUs are amazing little spacecraft.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
1 hour ago
add a comment
|
1
$begingroup$
So sweat will cool you off by evaporating in your suit, AND by sublimating out of it... This is beautiful
$endgroup$
– Antzi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
The EMUs are amazing little spacecraft.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
1 hour ago
1
1
$begingroup$
So sweat will cool you off by evaporating in your suit, AND by sublimating out of it... This is beautiful
$endgroup$
– Antzi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
So sweat will cool you off by evaporating in your suit, AND by sublimating out of it... This is beautiful
$endgroup$
– Antzi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
The EMUs are amazing little spacecraft.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
The EMUs are amazing little spacecraft.
$endgroup$
– Organic Marble
1 hour ago
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
I'm sure there are different techniques for different space suits, but here's an example of how it is done for the ISS suits:
The key to handling body heat and sweat is the Liquid Ventilation Garment, or LVC. This is essentially what looks like a full body thermal underwear, but it is lined with tubes that pass water through them. If you heat up, cold water is passed through the tubes, cooling you down. The idea is to keep you cool enough that you don't sweat much.
After the water is heated, it passes through a heat exchanger to cool it down again, then it's recirculated. If necessary, the water can be passed into a sublimator, where it passes though small holes into the vacuum of space, where it sublimates away, carrying heat with it.
If a person does still sweat, the LVC has a wicking layer that will absorb the sweat, and through some mechanism the sweat is collected and added back to the cooling water supply. The problem here is that as you work harder, the temperature of the water in the cooling tubes has to be lower to transport enough heat, which can make it feel cold. Add in a damp undergarment, and astronauts can feel very uncomfortable with this system. Also, you are losing a lot of water to space through the sublimator - maybe a kg of water for a four hour EVA. That's not only expensive, but it limits EVA time.
There is a new LVC being developed for the next gen of suits which will have porous micro-tubules stitched into it that can actually absorb the sweat, the transport it back to the cooling system for recycling. That will allow astronauts to use sweating as their natural heat control.
In the future, mechanical counterpressure suits that don't need to be pressurized will have semi-permeable materials that allow sweat to pass through and sublimate away all across the surface of the suit, which would allow for more passive cooling and a more natural feeling environment.
Link to a paper on the new generation of LVC garments being considered:
Multi-Functional Cooling Garment for Spacesuit Environmental Control
And a paper from 1969 describing the old system for cooling:
Regulation of Thermal Sweating in EVA Space Suits
New contributor
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
The sweat with its solved salts is collected and added back to the cooling water supply? But what about the salt in the sublimator and its small holes? These holes should not be blocked by salt crystals.
$endgroup$
– Uwe
5 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
I have added a link to the document describing the concept for a new LVC. Note that the sweat is collected as water vapor, so I am assuming that the salts and other impurities would remain on the skin, in the clothing, the liner of the LVC, etc.
$endgroup$
– Dan Hanson
4 hours ago
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
I'm sure there are different techniques for different space suits, but here's an example of how it is done for the ISS suits:
The key to handling body heat and sweat is the Liquid Ventilation Garment, or LVC. This is essentially what looks like a full body thermal underwear, but it is lined with tubes that pass water through them. If you heat up, cold water is passed through the tubes, cooling you down. The idea is to keep you cool enough that you don't sweat much.
After the water is heated, it passes through a heat exchanger to cool it down again, then it's recirculated. If necessary, the water can be passed into a sublimator, where it passes though small holes into the vacuum of space, where it sublimates away, carrying heat with it.
If a person does still sweat, the LVC has a wicking layer that will absorb the sweat, and through some mechanism the sweat is collected and added back to the cooling water supply. The problem here is that as you work harder, the temperature of the water in the cooling tubes has to be lower to transport enough heat, which can make it feel cold. Add in a damp undergarment, and astronauts can feel very uncomfortable with this system. Also, you are losing a lot of water to space through the sublimator - maybe a kg of water for a four hour EVA. That's not only expensive, but it limits EVA time.
There is a new LVC being developed for the next gen of suits which will have porous micro-tubules stitched into it that can actually absorb the sweat, the transport it back to the cooling system for recycling. That will allow astronauts to use sweating as their natural heat control.
In the future, mechanical counterpressure suits that don't need to be pressurized will have semi-permeable materials that allow sweat to pass through and sublimate away all across the surface of the suit, which would allow for more passive cooling and a more natural feeling environment.
Link to a paper on the new generation of LVC garments being considered:
Multi-Functional Cooling Garment for Spacesuit Environmental Control
And a paper from 1969 describing the old system for cooling:
Regulation of Thermal Sweating in EVA Space Suits
New contributor
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
The sweat with its solved salts is collected and added back to the cooling water supply? But what about the salt in the sublimator and its small holes? These holes should not be blocked by salt crystals.
$endgroup$
– Uwe
5 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
I have added a link to the document describing the concept for a new LVC. Note that the sweat is collected as water vapor, so I am assuming that the salts and other impurities would remain on the skin, in the clothing, the liner of the LVC, etc.
$endgroup$
– Dan Hanson
4 hours ago
add a comment
|
$begingroup$
I'm sure there are different techniques for different space suits, but here's an example of how it is done for the ISS suits:
The key to handling body heat and sweat is the Liquid Ventilation Garment, or LVC. This is essentially what looks like a full body thermal underwear, but it is lined with tubes that pass water through them. If you heat up, cold water is passed through the tubes, cooling you down. The idea is to keep you cool enough that you don't sweat much.
After the water is heated, it passes through a heat exchanger to cool it down again, then it's recirculated. If necessary, the water can be passed into a sublimator, where it passes though small holes into the vacuum of space, where it sublimates away, carrying heat with it.
If a person does still sweat, the LVC has a wicking layer that will absorb the sweat, and through some mechanism the sweat is collected and added back to the cooling water supply. The problem here is that as you work harder, the temperature of the water in the cooling tubes has to be lower to transport enough heat, which can make it feel cold. Add in a damp undergarment, and astronauts can feel very uncomfortable with this system. Also, you are losing a lot of water to space through the sublimator - maybe a kg of water for a four hour EVA. That's not only expensive, but it limits EVA time.
There is a new LVC being developed for the next gen of suits which will have porous micro-tubules stitched into it that can actually absorb the sweat, the transport it back to the cooling system for recycling. That will allow astronauts to use sweating as their natural heat control.
In the future, mechanical counterpressure suits that don't need to be pressurized will have semi-permeable materials that allow sweat to pass through and sublimate away all across the surface of the suit, which would allow for more passive cooling and a more natural feeling environment.
Link to a paper on the new generation of LVC garments being considered:
Multi-Functional Cooling Garment for Spacesuit Environmental Control
And a paper from 1969 describing the old system for cooling:
Regulation of Thermal Sweating in EVA Space Suits
New contributor
$endgroup$
I'm sure there are different techniques for different space suits, but here's an example of how it is done for the ISS suits:
The key to handling body heat and sweat is the Liquid Ventilation Garment, or LVC. This is essentially what looks like a full body thermal underwear, but it is lined with tubes that pass water through them. If you heat up, cold water is passed through the tubes, cooling you down. The idea is to keep you cool enough that you don't sweat much.
After the water is heated, it passes through a heat exchanger to cool it down again, then it's recirculated. If necessary, the water can be passed into a sublimator, where it passes though small holes into the vacuum of space, where it sublimates away, carrying heat with it.
If a person does still sweat, the LVC has a wicking layer that will absorb the sweat, and through some mechanism the sweat is collected and added back to the cooling water supply. The problem here is that as you work harder, the temperature of the water in the cooling tubes has to be lower to transport enough heat, which can make it feel cold. Add in a damp undergarment, and astronauts can feel very uncomfortable with this system. Also, you are losing a lot of water to space through the sublimator - maybe a kg of water for a four hour EVA. That's not only expensive, but it limits EVA time.
There is a new LVC being developed for the next gen of suits which will have porous micro-tubules stitched into it that can actually absorb the sweat, the transport it back to the cooling system for recycling. That will allow astronauts to use sweating as their natural heat control.
In the future, mechanical counterpressure suits that don't need to be pressurized will have semi-permeable materials that allow sweat to pass through and sublimate away all across the surface of the suit, which would allow for more passive cooling and a more natural feeling environment.
Link to a paper on the new generation of LVC garments being considered:
Multi-Functional Cooling Garment for Spacesuit Environmental Control
And a paper from 1969 describing the old system for cooling:
Regulation of Thermal Sweating in EVA Space Suits
New contributor
edited 4 hours ago
New contributor
answered 7 hours ago
Dan HansonDan Hanson
714 bronze badges
714 bronze badges
New contributor
New contributor
1
$begingroup$
The sweat with its solved salts is collected and added back to the cooling water supply? But what about the salt in the sublimator and its small holes? These holes should not be blocked by salt crystals.
$endgroup$
– Uwe
5 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
I have added a link to the document describing the concept for a new LVC. Note that the sweat is collected as water vapor, so I am assuming that the salts and other impurities would remain on the skin, in the clothing, the liner of the LVC, etc.
$endgroup$
– Dan Hanson
4 hours ago
add a comment
|
1
$begingroup$
The sweat with its solved salts is collected and added back to the cooling water supply? But what about the salt in the sublimator and its small holes? These holes should not be blocked by salt crystals.
$endgroup$
– Uwe
5 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
I have added a link to the document describing the concept for a new LVC. Note that the sweat is collected as water vapor, so I am assuming that the salts and other impurities would remain on the skin, in the clothing, the liner of the LVC, etc.
$endgroup$
– Dan Hanson
4 hours ago
1
1
$begingroup$
The sweat with its solved salts is collected and added back to the cooling water supply? But what about the salt in the sublimator and its small holes? These holes should not be blocked by salt crystals.
$endgroup$
– Uwe
5 hours ago
$begingroup$
The sweat with its solved salts is collected and added back to the cooling water supply? But what about the salt in the sublimator and its small holes? These holes should not be blocked by salt crystals.
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– Uwe
5 hours ago
1
1
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I have added a link to the document describing the concept for a new LVC. Note that the sweat is collected as water vapor, so I am assuming that the salts and other impurities would remain on the skin, in the clothing, the liner of the LVC, etc.
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– Dan Hanson
4 hours ago
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I have added a link to the document describing the concept for a new LVC. Note that the sweat is collected as water vapor, so I am assuming that the salts and other impurities would remain on the skin, in the clothing, the liner of the LVC, etc.
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– Dan Hanson
4 hours ago
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$begingroup$
I’m pretty sure they have a dehumidifier as part of the breathing oxygen loop
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– CourageousPotato
8 hours ago
1
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The LCVG included ventilation ducts: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_cooling_and_ventilation_garment, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_life_support_system
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– Polygnome
8 hours ago