Most of us have experienced the dental tools that squirt water during a cleaning or another procedure. But did you know that the water is sterile and contaminant-free thanks to NASA technology? The system is extremely low maintenance, with a cartridge that only needs to be changed yearly. The same technology can also be scaled up for much larger uses such as municipal water treatment.
There is no local source of water in space, so astronauts need to use — and reuse — every precious drop. On the International Space Station, waste water from exhaled breaths, left over after washing, and even urine are cleaned and recycled to be used again. To prevent back contamination of water that has already been purified, NASA helped develop a check valve that kills microbes on contact and leaves a residue that's harmless to humans but continues to hinder microbial growth.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts dental waterline purification cartridge within your city's medical environment!