Dr Caitlin Byrt

Caitlin’s career story

Water is a precious resource in space, just like it is on Earth. On the International Space Station (ISS), water from astronauts’ urine and sweat is collected and recycled. In a way, astronauts drink the same cup of coffee or glass of water over and over again.

The thing is, the original water recycling system on the ISS needed an upgrade. It was heavy, needed lots of maintenance, and sometimes let contaminants through, making the astronauts sick. NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) investigated a new system that uses aquaporins for water recycling.

Aquaporins are a type of protein found in living cell membranes that let them filter water. The new ISS water recycling system uses aquaporins. We also have aquaporins in our kidneys that help us filter water. Aquaporins can be found in all forms of life.

The power of plants

Plant scientist Dr Caitlin Byrt has been researching membrane proteins in plants for over 15 years. She believes that plant aquaporins could help take water filtration technology to the next level. The human body contains 13 types of aquaporins, but plants contain hundreds. Plants need more aquaporins to help them sort all kinds of substances, including salt and nutrients. That means plant aquaporins can help us find ways to filter more than just water.

“Humans can wander around and find the nutrients they need, but plants are stuck in one spot. They have to take nutrients up through their roots and then sort it,” Caitlin says. 

“We can use the strategy plants use to build new technologies.”

For example, the nutrients in the waste extracted from the recycled water on the ISS could be useful for growing plants.

“The waste gets wrapped up in a foil bag and stuck on the inside of the spacecraft,” Caitlin says. “But to grow plants in space, you need the nutrients in that waste. So how do you turn transform that waste back into useful clean nutrients? That’s where plant science comes in, because plants are masters at that.”

Using plant science to solve space challenges 

Caitlin started thinking about how plant science could advance space technology just a few years ago. She says that trying to solve challenges in space can help us tackle problems here on Earth. For example, she is currently working on a project that aims to develop rice plants require less water.

“When you go into space, you have to be extremely efficient with every resource. It’s also important not to create too much waste,” she says. “When we solve problems in that extreme environment, we learn how to be more efficient with resources on Earth.

Sometimes problems on Earth seem insurmountable, but space is so much harder. Space research forces you to think differently and come up with new solutions.