STEM与日常科技·英语30篇（2）

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空间站循环水与氧气再生

On the International Space Station, every drop of water is recycled repeatedly to reduce resupply needs.
Urine, sweat, and cabin humidity are collected and purified using multi-stage filtration and catalytic reactors.
The Water Recovery System removes contaminants and kills microbes with iodine and high-temperature catalysis.
Recovered water meets strict NASA standards and is safe enough to drink, though astronauts rarely do so.
Oxygen is regenerated mainly through electrolysis—splitting recycled water into hydrogen and oxygen gases.
The oxygen gas is released into the cabin air, while hydrogen is combined with carbon dioxide to make water and methane.
Carbon dioxide removal uses amine beads that absorb CO₂ from cabin air during normal breathing cycles.
This closed-loop system recovers over 90% of water and about 40% of oxygen onboard.
Without such recycling, the ISS would need hundreds of kilograms of new water and oxygen each month.
These life-support technologies also guide future designs for Moon bases and Mars missions.