L'Affaire Siloxane
Summary
A detailed look at the ISS siloxane episode, tracing how dimethylsilanediol (DMSD) contaminated potable water, how siloxanes entered the life-support loop, and why NASA struggled to detect and mitigate it. The piece argues that such mundane–yet stubborn– contaminants reveal the risks of closed-loop systems and the challenges of simulating space conditions on Earth.