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Urine Passes NASA Taste Test

Posted by kdawson on from the not-mine dept.

Ponca City, We love you writes "Astronauts flying aboard space shuttle Endeavour are delivering a device to the International Space Station that may leave you wondering if NASA is taking recycling too far. Among the ship's cargo is a water regeneration system that distills, filters, ionizes, and oxidizes wastewater — including urine — into fresh water for drinking or, as one astronaut puts it, 'will make yesterday's coffee into today's coffee.' The US space agency spent $250M for the water recycling equipment but with the space shuttles due to retire in two years, NASA needed to make sure the station crew would have a good supply of fresh water. The Environmental Control and Life Support Systems uses a purification process called vapor compression distillation: urine is boiled until the water in it turns to steam. In space, there's an additional challenge: steam doesn't rise, so the entire distillation system is spun to create artificial gravity to separate the steam from the brine. The water has been thoroughly tested on Earth, including blind taste tests that pitted recycled urine with similarly treated tap water. 'Some people may think it's downright disgusting, but if it's done correctly, you process water that's purer than what you drink here on Earth,' said Endeavour astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper."

11 of 404 comments (clear)

  1. Neat by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 5, Funny

    However, I don't think anybody wants to drink this warm, so better make that piss frosty.

    --
    Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
    1. Re:Neat by Scutter · · Score: 5, Funny

      Some of us can't throw away $250M on something like this, we're forced to drink ours le naturale.

      Yeah, but here you pay a buck per can and call it "Budweiser".

      --

      "Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
    2. Re:Neat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, pretty disgusting. That's why I never flush my toilet.

    3. Re:Neat by cyn1c77 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Mythbusters looked at the toothbrush / fecal bacteria thing and found bacteria on a toothbrush kept in the kitchen. That stuff gets everywhere.

      That's not from the toilet flushing, that's because you left me alone with your toothbrush for 5 minutes.

      I can't help it, when I have an itch, I HAVE to scratch it!

  2. If you want to impress me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    turn today's brownies into tomorrow's brownies

    1. Re:If you want to impress me by Bicx · · Score: 5, Funny

      McDonald's uses a similar process to create their hamburger patties.

  3. Taking recycling too far by KenMcM · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd be worried if they were attempting this and they didn't take the recycling far enough.

  4. blind taste tests? by JimboFBX · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Here I'll put a blind fold on you and.. there you go, ok now drink this delicious fluid." "Hmmm its water, but it doesnt taste like tap water, it tastes filtered. Aquafina?" "No, pee" *PHHHttt*

  5. Re:Yeah, well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    How do you know it wasn't actually Budweiser?

    Because he only puked for an hour!
     

  6. No, I'm New Here by New+Here · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, I'm New Here

  7. Re:HOWEVER by weber · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Wow, what a dedicated employee! No bathroom breaks, just sitting working endlessly at his computer with at tube from his pants to this mouth."