In this conversation, Dr. Todd Votteler, Editor-in-Chief of Texas+Water and the Texas Water Journal, talks with Dr. Jill Williamson, NASA International Space Station (ISS) Water Subsystems Manager and Water Management Co-Task Lead for the Mars Campaign Office Systems Capabilities Leadership Team, about innovative recycling technologies that purify and reuse all water sources, including sweat and urine, to ensure a sustainable, clean water supply for the ISS and astronauts.
Jill has 10 years of unique expertise in water recycling and management for microgravity applications, as found on the ISS. Jill has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Central Missouri and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from The University of Memphis, where she specialized in developing water quality analyzers for an ISS Water Recovery System (WRS) architecture. She now manages the ISS WRS to ensure pristine quality water is available to astronauts for food rehydration and drinks and ISS payloads and oxygen generation. This water recovery system uses a novel and classic water recycling technology that can operate efficiently within a microgravity environment.
Take a deep dive into the world of water with those making waves.