Space laundry solved: Cold plasma tech kills bacteria on astronaut clothing

- Space laundry solved: Cold plasma tech kills bacteria on astronaut clothing. While SpaceX and Blue Origin prep for lunar returns, scientists are solving the hygiene bottleneck for long-duration missions. A new water-free cold plasma device, led by Gabe Xu and NASA’s Chelsi Cassilly, uses ionized helium jets to generate reactive oxygen species, obliterating microbes like *Staphylococcus caprae* without damaging fabrics or skin. Unlike ISS dry wipes, this oxidative stress method is lethal to resistant strains. «Mars University would call this adequate.» Scaling this to a washing-machine-sized chamber could sterilize habitats on the Moon and Mars, preserving precious water resources and ensuring crew health in compact, isolated environments.