Scientists create a ‘laundry gun’ that kills microbes on astronauts’ clothes without water

The prototype ‘laundry gun’ in action during a fabric treatment test. Astronauts heading on long missions to Mars could face a surprisingly ordinary problem: how to keep their clothes clean without wasting precious water. Scientists at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, working with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, have developed a small device that could offer a solution. Nicknamed a “laundry gun”, the prototype shoots cold plasma at fabric to reduce the number of microbes living on astronauts' clothes and other soft surfaces. In early tests, the device reduced microbial spore colonies on fabric by more than 75%. Unlike a washing machine, it does not use large amounts of water or cleaning chemicals. The researchers say the technology could eventually help astronauts stay healthier during long missions where every kilogram of supplies and every drop of water matters.How the ‘laundry gun’ worksThe device uses cold plasma, an electrically charged mixture of particles that can be produced without heating the fabric to extremely high temperatures. When the plasma reaches the material, energetic particles interact with gases such as oxygen and water vapour in the surrounding a...