 "You gotta pee? Oh man... Can I have a slice of lemon in mine?"
November 15, 2008 10:22 PM
By Urine Drinking Astronauts
CAPE CANAVERAL - As NASA prepares to double the number of astronauts living aboard the International Space Station, nothing may do more for crew bonding than a machine being launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Friday.
It's a water-recycling device that will process the crew's urine for drinking.
"We did blind taste tests of the water," said NASA's Bob Bagdigian, the system's lead engineer and new urine fan. "Nobody had any strong objections. Other than a faint taste of iodine, it is just as refreshing as any other kind of water."
"I've got some (urine) in my fridge," he added. "It tastes fine to me."
Delivery of the $250 million wastewater recycling gear is among the primary goals of NASA's 124th shuttle mission, which is due to launch at 7:55 p.m. EST on Friday (0055 GMT on Saturday) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Meteorologists predicted a 70 per cent chance the weather would be suitable for launch.
With no technical issues, NASA managers told
the launch team on Friday morning to fuel the
shuttle for liftoff, a three-hour operation to pump
500,000 gallons (1.9 million litres) of liquid hydrogen
and liquid oxygen into the spaceship's tank for the
8.5-minute climb into orbit.
If the shuttle lifts off on time, it would arrive at the
space station on Sunday so astronauts could begin
11 to 12 days of home improvements.
In addition to the water recycler, Endeavour
carries two small bedrooms, the station's first
refrigerator, new exercise gear, and perhaps
most important for a growing crew - a second toilet.
"With six people you really do need to have a
two-bathroom house. It's a lot more convenient and
a lot more efficient," said Endeavour astronaut
Sandra Magnus, who will take over as a space station
flight engineer from Greg Chamitoff.
Chamitoff has been aboard the outpost since the
last shuttle flight in June.
NASA wants to make sure the water recycling system
is working well before adding another three
astronauts to the station's crew.
SHUTTLE SUPPLIES DRYING UP
Reusing water will become essential once NASA retires
its space shuttles, which produce water as a byproduct
of their electrical systems. Rather than dumping the
water overboard, NASA has been transferring it to the
space station.
But the shuttle's days are numbered. Only 10 flights
remain, including a final servicing call to the Hubble
Space Telescope. NASA is preparing to end the program
in 2010, after which Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be
the only way to ferry crew to the space station.
"We can't be delivering water all the time for six crew,"
said space station flight director Ron Spencer.
"Recycling is a must."
NASA expects to process about six gallons (23 litres)
of water per day with the new device. The goal is to
recover about 92 per cent of the water from the crew's
urine and moisture in the air.
The wastewater is processed using an extensive
series of purification techniques, including distillation -
which is somewhat tricky in microgravity - filtration,
oxidation, and ionization.
The final step is the addition of iodine to control
microbial growth, Bagdigian said.
The device is intended to process a full day's worth of
wastewater in less than 24 hours.
"Today's drinking water was yesterday's waste,"
Bagdigian said.
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