(Newswise)
250 miles above the Earth puts you a long way from the nearest kitchen tap. And at 15-thousand dollars a pint, the cost of shipping fresh water aboard the space shuttle is, well, astronomical. So astronauts on the International Space Station have to recapture every possible drop. That includes water evaporated from showers, shaving, tooth brushing and hand washing, plus perspiration and water vapor that collects within the astronauts' space suits. They even transfer water from the fuel cells that provide electric power to the space shuttle.
Until now, however, NASA has not attempted to tap one major potential source of water -- urine. That will change with the deployment of the new Water Recovery System. It departs on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center on the Space Shuttle Endeavor. The Water Recovery System can transform ordinary pee into water so pure it rivals the cleanest on Earth.
-You could tell me it rivals the cleanest water on the planet, but it's still the thought of drinking made from my fellow crew & self's urine... the thought is, well "out of this world" (I know bad, bad joke, but it's still damn crazy!)
