Odourless space underwear

 

Koichi Wakata in the International Space Station’s Japanese Kibo laboratory. Onboard the Station from March to July 2009, the astronaut tested underwear made with a fibre that kills bacteria and thus prevents odour, even without washing. Credit: NASA

Faced with hostile conditions in orbit, astronauts have to follow exact protocols to keep themselves in good health such as taking daily physical exercise intended to prevent too big a loss of their bone and muscle masses. Staying in good shape also means keeping scrupulously clean, which is not always easy in a weightless environment: the crews do not take showers, but use damp cloths. Still with hygiene in mind, men and women change their underwear every day; this in itself is a real logistics problem since there is no washing machine on board the International Space Station!
As a solution to this, JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency, and one of the universities in Tokyo have developed a textile which does not need to be washed because it kills bacteria (thus neutralising odour), absorbs water and dries quickly. Two astronauts from the Land of the Rising Sun, Takao Doi and Koichi Wakata, have even tested underwear made from this new fibre; the first during a space shuttle mission and the second during a long stay aboard the International Space Station in 2009. Koichi Wakata’s verdict concerning his boxer short is, as regards this problem, eloquent: “I wore it for about a month and my station crewmembers never complained for that month, so I think the experiment went fine”. With a normal fabric, there is no doubt that the inevitable smell would not have failed to bother everyone in the confined space of a space station...

On its website, the Goldwin textile company promotes the derivation of its underwear from technology tested aboard the International Space Station. Credit: Goldwin Inc.

This fibre which stays clean is currently available on Earth. First of all, the Japan Women’s University of Tokyo (partner of JAXA) is selling a hundred pairs of boxer shorts for 10,500 yens per pair (about 90 euros). Then, for a wider distribution, the Japanese clothing company Goldwin is using the same technology for its MaxiFresh Plus range of vests (starting from 21 euros) and boxer shorts (from 14 euros).

Published on 26 February 2010