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JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, sent a new pair of socks to the international space station. They apparently also sent underwear, shirts, pants, and an astronaut named Wakata. The clothing is designed to be anti-bacterial and apparently somewhat odor free. JAXA claims that Wakata can wear his underwear for more than 7 days without the need to change. Personally, I think he will need to air his dog out before 7 days even if the stink doesn't become overwhelming. But that might be my preference for commando.

While the particular clothing worn by Wakata is only available to JAXA, there is similar clothing on the market. It is created by infusing the clothing fibers with Silver Nanoparticles. Apparently, some clothing does not retain the silver nanoparticles very well when it is washed. Discover.com says out of four brands tested, two lost nearly all their silver nanoparticle treatment after a single wash. The other two brands lost less than 1%.

Losing the silver nanoparticles in the wash has negative consequences for the water system. The particles that leach out of the clothing will also kill beneficial bacteria that is in our waste water treatment plants. Waste water treatment plants have cultures of bacteria that will remove ammonia from the treated water.