The innovation is a system that will produce a densely compacted, encapsulated form of solid waste that is resistant to biological degradation. Currently, the compaction and storage of solid waste on crewed space missions is based upon the crew manually crushing the mixture of wastes and confining the compacted mass within plastic bags or by wrapping with tape. The innovative system would provide NASA and crewed space missions with an integrated, mechanical processing system that will compact and dehumidify solid wastes for safe storage aboard short-duration missions, or long-duration missions, wherein processing of waste for resource recovery is not planned. POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS If successful, the processing system will meet NASA's immediate need for a practical method of successfully compacting and storing solid waste that is generated on shuttle missions and space stations, while minimizing the involvement of the crew. The system would also have application for long-duration missions or small, isolated communities where storage space is at a premium, environmental control is important, and generated waste cannot be disposed in the local environment
