By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

BLOOMSBURG, Penn. — This year’s International Harvester (IH) Red Power Round Up brought visitors from all over the country to check out the beautiful red Farmall machines.

One first-time visitor found the show a great way for kids to learn about technology. Since as many children are not growing up on the farm, Don Rethke thinks they don’t get the chance to learn as much about technology as a farm kid used to.

He speaks from experience. Rethke worked at Hamilton Sundstrand supporting NASA’s manned spaceflight program. After visiting the Red Power Round Up, he reflected on engineering used by IH transferring to the space industry.

He first referred to the hit-and-miss engine heat rejection which “relates to rejecting body metabolic heat from the astronaut’s space suit which they only wear outside the space vehicle.

“This heat rejection is accomplished just like the old ‘one lung hit-and-miss’ engines that had a cast-iron water jacket around the piston cylinder, in which water would be added constantly as the water evaporated away, cooling the engine.”

Other farming developments were used, as well. “Another device used in space is a two-phase rotary separator to generate a localized centrifuge to separate liquid from gas quite similar to the original McCormick-Deering cream separators,” he explained.

“In all present spacecraft, various motor-driven rotary separators are used to remove different liquids, i.e. water, condensate water, urine, and et cetera, from an entrainment gas flow.

“Another very familiar process used on most farms is natural biodegradation (the manure pile in back of the barn). It should be noted that the shuttle and space station have a waterless sit-down Waste Management System (WMS), or a cosmic commode. In these systems, the liquid and solids are collected separately from the body by a process called “air entrainment” (a gentle suction). The solids and associated absorbency materials are collected below a seat with no water or chemicals, compacted slightly and allowed to naturally decompose with proper odor and bacterial control.

Rethke wrapped up his synopsis of IH engineering in space by noting, “Thanks to my early farming days and having two Percherons in the family, (I know) the compost pile works for astronauts as well as gardeners and farmers.”

This farm news was published in the July 25, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.