Urine Passes NASA Taste Test 404
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."
Neat (Score:5, Funny)
In space... (Score:2, Funny)
...no one can hear you steam. Your piss.
Space is a horrible place.
Re:And for this bright idea... (Score:3, Funny)
If you want to impress me (Score:5, Funny)
turn today's brownies into tomorrow's brownies
Re:If you want to impress me (Score:5, Funny)
Taking recycling too far (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Neat (Score:5, Funny)
Some of us can't throw away $250M on something like this, we're forced to drink ours le naturale.
Re:Yeah, well (Score:4, Funny)
How do you know it wasn't actually Budweiser?
Re:Neat (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".
blind taste tests? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Yeah, well (Score:5, Funny)
How do you know it wasn't actually Budweiser?
Because he only puked for an hour!
Re:Woo! (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, the home version is a few miles down the road, typically.
Re:Recycling too far? Heck no (Score:4, Funny)
Try to keep your analysis to something a little more apropriate for a grade 3 class, please. I mean in a story that is about conserving resources, ensuring safety, and pushing humans-in-space technology forward, how are you going to draw attention to your story if you don't pander to bathroom humour and sexual innuendo?
We don't need your kind around here, elitist.
Re:Neat (Score:5, Funny)
in Soviet Russia..... (Score:2, Funny)
well, you drink it as urine.
Re:Neat (Score:3, Funny)
You mean InBev? [inbev.com]
No, I'm New Here (Score:5, Funny)
No, I'm New Here
Re:And for this bright idea... (Score:5, Funny)
Gee whiz, that was a bad joke.
Re:Tell that to the guy (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Tell that to the guy (Score:2, Funny)
Yes it is. It reminds me of a great put down on some forum. "Since you were born after Star Wars I have no interest in your opinion on this matter, or of anything else"
Re:Neat (Score:5, Funny)
They worked just fine on Dune.
Re:And for this bright idea... (Score:3, Funny)
I agree. It was in bad taste.
Re:Neat (Score:3, Funny)
Seeing that ugly brown clump in my wastebasket was enough to ban him from my apartment for a good 2 months before I learned the truth from a few more buddies at home and abroad.
Holy fricken' easter egg surprise batman!... You're very forgiving to only ban him for 2 months.
What's this "truth" you're talking about? Foreigners not following local customs and doing grotesque things, is okay?
When in Rome, do as the Romans do - unless they do it in a basket, then all bets are off.
Re:Neat (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!
Re:Neat (Score:2, Funny)
There are more molecules of water in a cup then there are cups of water on the Earth.
So, statistically speaking, we've all eaten Jesus. Ironic that it doesn't take Christian magic to make that happen. Also makes you wonder about whether you need Catholic Priest for transubstantiation ("No thanks father, I brought my own Jesus to eat").
Re:HOWEVER (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."