Astronaut undies

NASAAs the space shuttle Endeavour prepared to return to Earth yesterday, bringing Wakata home from the International Space Station where he has been since March, he revealed that he had been wearing the same pair of prototype undies for a full month, all in the name of science.

Designed to resist the rigours of long-duration space travel, the anti-static, flame-resistant, odour-eating, bacteria-killing, water-absorbent smalls have been put through their paces as part of a project aimed at ensuring that when it comes to packing for long-duration trips to the Moon and Mars, future space travellers will need only minimal space in their suitcases.

“Eventually we’re going to do exploration, we’re going to go to the Moon, we’re going to go beyond the Moon someday — and little things like this will seem like really, really big things when you’re far away from Mother Earth,” explained Mike Suffredini, Nasa’s space station programme manager.If Wakata’s colleagues noticed that he had been skimping on his laundry, they were polite enough not to let on — and he refrained from bringing it up in conversation. “I haven’t talked about this underwear to my crew members,” he admitted during a space-to-ground press briefing. - Times of London

Read the story and you’ll find there’s nothing special here - essentially the same technology that your ExOfficio undies use (silver-impregnated synthetic fibers). Also google “VisaEndurance” for more info.

From an earlier MSNBC story:

The clothes, developed by Yoshiko Taya and colleagues at the Japan Women’s University in Tokyo, were tested by JAXA astronauts during two previous shuttle missions and won rave reviews. In addition to odor control, the clothes are designed to absorb water, insulate the body and dry quickly. They also are flame-resistant and anti-static — as well as comfortable and attractive.

Takao Doi, who flew with a shuttle crew last year to deliver Japan’s Kibo laboratory to the station, exercised as much as his crewmates, but his clothes stayed dry.

“The other astronauts become very sweaty, but he doesn’t have any sweat. He didn’t need to hang his clothes to dry,” Yanagawa said.

Even more on this scent-illating subject from Just Style:

Each article was finished with a special nanotech fabric developed by Toray that can repel static, wick away water, kill bacteria, neutralise odours, and “prevent fouling, or permanent odour infusion.”

The space underwear also comes without any seams, and has easy fire-retardant hook-and-loop fasteners developed by the Kuraray Fastening Co.

The two companies say they are now working on a commercial product for the Japanese market, though they say they will be sold as comfort clothes rather than threads for astronauts.