NASA Parachute Refurbishment Facility Dragonfly Wastewater Treatment System - Case Study

Part of the NASA Space Shuttle program included the retrieving and refurbishing of components for reuse. One such component was the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) parachutes. The parachutes deployed during descent of the SRB’s and helped the booster land in the ocean off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The boosters and other components were retrieved by Special Ocean-Going Vessels and returned to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) near Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for processing. This effort included the processing of the parachutes, the largest parachutes in the world. The parachutes were transported to a specialized facility that cleaned, inspected/repaired, and repacked the parachutes to support following missions. An important step in the process was the washing of the parachutes to remove salts from the ocean as well as algae and other contaminants.

The Parachute Refurbishment Facility was located within the confines of KSC, in an area rich with wildlife and wetlands. As a result, the water used to wash and rinse the parachutes was not to be discharged to the environment at the facility. United Space Boosters, Inc. (USBI) a division of Pratt and Whitney contracted with Water Energy Technologies, Inc. to research and recommend a method of cleaning or recycling the water. One of the options at the time was to install a long distance connection to the sewage treatment facility; due to time and cost consideration the recycle/reuse option was recommended.