I saw a water filter boasting it has NASA technology. What does that mean and do I need it?

NASA-developed technologies have long been used for improving life here on Earth for ordinary citizens. Such technologies are called “spinoffs.” Since the 1960s, NASA has been involved in developing water filtration technologies to use in extended space missions to the International Space Station and for future possible trips to Mars and the moon.

NASA works to improve water filtration techniques because the cost of sending fresh water to astronauts periodically is expensive and impractical, and storing water on a spacecraft is limited due to the heaviness of water. As a result, water on board a space shuttle or station is recycled in everywhere possible, from urine, shower water, sweat, and even respiration from the air astronaut's breathe being collected, purified, and recycled as drinking water. Even with the questionable sounding origins, the water they drink is often cleaner than what is available to most people living here on Earth.

Some of the challenges faced by NASA for water filtration is the need for a small, compact, lightweight system; a system that requires minimal power for operation; a reliable system easily maintained by astronauts; a system that can survive the microgravity environment of space; and the ability to filter out contaminants like bacteria and viruses brought by astronauts to make sure the water is pure enough for drinking.

The short answer is no. The filter does probably use NASA-developed technology as they state, but it was not actually made by NASA and does not appear to be NASA-certified. Certain water filter companies do work with NASA and have certification, but all of those filters are for camping, homes, pools, and natural disaster filtration. The RV water filter company in question does not appear to have NASA certification.

The NASA-developed technology the RV filter is using is a very small micron filter (0.2 microns) with electro-magnetically charged filter media. The charge assists the filter in disrupting bacteria, viruses, and heavy metals, while the smaller micron pores filter out contaminants at a higher level. The technology has been used to help improve water quality issues around the world, including treating heavily contaminated water sources in India and Iraq; in remote areas of Mexico, Central, and South America; water bottle filling stations in Pakistan; and as a first response assistance for disasters, refugee camps, civil emergencies, and remote locations.

Probably not. In the United States and other developed countries, RV trips are taken in camping and RV parks, where the water is already of a fairly decent quality. Filtration beyond removing some silt, hardwater, and mild taste and odor issues is usually unnecessary. Unless you are hooking up your RV to a questionable water source such as a lake or river, the need to filter viruses, which is the technology unique to the NASA technology filter, is not a high priority.

SpiroPure RV filters offer sediment, catalytic carbon, and salt-free descaler technology. This helps in ensuring your RV is supplied with clean and clear water free of chlorine taste and odors, heavy metals like lead and mercury, scale and hardwater buildup, sediment particles, PFAS, and more. In fact, catalytic carbon reduces chlorine, chloramines, lead, fluoride, sulfur odors, and PFAS more effectively than traditional carbon filters. The anti-scale cartridge conditions water to not only prevent hardwater and scale buildup, but also removes previously formed scale from plumbing pipes without the need for messy salts, electricity, or harmful wastewater. SpiroPure RV filters can be purchased as a 3-stage system or an inline cartridge.