Delicious! Converting Urine to Water

December 3, 2008
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Hey, so did you guys know that NASA is working on installing equipment on the International Space Station that would be able to convert urine into drinkable water? The space shuttle Endeavor delivered the $154 million dollar (Do I still have to write “dollar” even though I put the dollar sign? It seems redundant, but it makes more sense while writing it out.) piece of equipment to the station last week. Essentially its just a large centrifuge that spins at incredible speeds to separate the urine from the water. Yum! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not crazy about the idea of drinking water made from urine. But being able to do so increases your chances of having longer manned shuttle missions or even being able set up self-sustaining Lunar or even Martian stations. So I guess the benefits outweigh the grossness factor, but only slightly. Anyway, NASA is very excited about this and while the Astronauts aren’t hesitant about drinking the water, they find the dispensing system, which I’ve posted a picture of after the jump, questionable:

Thanks John!

Comment (87) on this Entry

87 Responses to Delicious! Converting Urine to Water

  1. Michelle M. on December 3, 2008 at 9:10 pm

    Tam, did you know all that Canada space stuff, or did you have to look it up?
    Color me impressed if you knew it offhand.

    All those millions of dollars would be better spent finding a way to keep me form aging.

  2. Mark on December 3, 2008 at 9:17 pm

    Dave S: “shining wit” doesn’t do you justice. I bow down!!

    Craig: I’m having a wisdom tooth pulled tomorrow. I will try to stay off the internet, but I want to apologize in advance for any codeine induced comments I might make tomorrow.

  3. Dave S. on December 3, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    Mark: Narcotics and Puntabulous? C’mon — how do they *not* go together!? Now you *must* post tomorrow. Through the cloud of pain and artificially-induced euphoria, you must post. ;-)

    But in all seriousness, I hope the surgery goes well tomorrow, Mark. That can’t be pleasant. :-(

  4. Mark on December 3, 2008 at 9:25 pm

    Thanks Dave, the hardest part is I can’t eat or drink after 10:00 tonight. :-(

  5. Dave S. on December 3, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    Ack! No breakfast!?! :-(

  6. Tam on December 3, 2008 at 9:33 pm

    Michelle: I didn’t realize that Julie Payette was going up on the shuttle in April and I didn’t remember the name of the guy going to ISS but all the rest I knew. One more shining example of the vast store of useless knowledge in my brain. :-) I dazzled someone just last week with my knowledge of penis enhancement surgery. Who’d have guessed?

    Mark: Good luck tomorrow. Can’t wait to see what you are going to post in your drugged haze. Should be amusing.

  7. Michelle M. on December 3, 2008 at 9:35 pm

    Dave S. Your wit… I need my sunglasses.

    Mark – sorry to hear about your wisdom tooth. I don’t have any. Which means I’m either highly evolved or a mutant.

  8. john on December 3, 2008 at 10:17 pm

    Michelle: Let’s go with highly evolved, unless you also have a really cool mutant ability…

    Mark: Good luck! I had mine out as an adult and it wasn’t too bad. Not fun, mind you, but not horrible.

    Dave S.: You were missed, good to have you back.

  9. Polt on December 3, 2008 at 10:29 pm

    My Lord, Dave S., when you come back, come back with a bang dontcha?

    But I must admit, when I first read “shining wit” somehow I read it as “whining shit”. Wasn’t quite as funny…and then I laughed again, cause it WAS funny….sorta…. geez, and I’m babbling like this and I’ve not even had a tooth pulled and am on narcotics…..

    HUGS….

  10. Bernd on December 3, 2008 at 10:30 pm

    Tam, what is there to know about Penis-Enhancement-surgery except for DON’T DO IT?

    John, Michelle, then I’m 1/4 evolved/mutant. I only have 3 Wisdom-teeth and my ‘cool’ mutant ability is that I can’t smell garlic on somebody else’s breath. Helps a lot in social gatherings and intimate conversations.

    Mark, I hope everything go smoothly tomorrow and you enjoy the drugs.

    Dave S, welcome back, I missed you and am glad to hear the ad worked finally.

  11. Tam on December 3, 2008 at 10:48 pm

    Bernd: The surgery is rather expensive. I believe it was $8500 for the full package, enlarging all dimensions. If I was a guy I’d be scared witless that something would go wrong and it would stop functioning or be mutant or fall off or something.

  12. Michelle M. on December 3, 2008 at 10:56 pm

    Tam: tee hee, full package.

    Polt: whining shit – that is funny : ).

    john: still trying to figure out my ability…

  13. Chris on December 3, 2008 at 11:00 pm

    Welcome back Dave S. (and Craig’s comment count)! ;) Your shining wit was missed on a number of recent posts.

    Mark: Good luck with your surgery and recovery. A dentist once suggested that I might need to have my wisdom teeth removed. That was a few years ago, and he never mentioned it again. I’m not going to remind him. ;)

  14. Craig on December 4, 2008 at 7:54 am

    I’m sick, so you’re not getting a new post this morning.

    Good luck today, Mark!

  15. TwoPi on December 4, 2008 at 9:11 am

    Sorry to hear you aren’t well, Craig.

    Be sure to get plenty of fluids.

  16. Dave S. on December 4, 2008 at 9:23 am

    Woe and despair! Feel better soon, Craig. Get some rest.

  17. Dave S. on December 4, 2008 at 9:24 am

    Now we gotta come up with our own topic of discussion…

  18. Bridget on December 4, 2008 at 9:44 am

    It’s just like the scene in Water World when Kevin Costner is floating on his little raft and pees into that little thing and turns the little crank and then his pee is suddenly water. And he drinks it. Delish. NASA is so Water World.

  19. Tam on December 4, 2008 at 10:07 am

    Awwww, hope you are feeling better soon Craig.

  20. Dave S. on December 4, 2008 at 10:10 am

    Hmm… I come back, Craig gets sick…

    I’m thinking Craig’s sick of me.

    (because, naturally, it’s all about me) ;-)

  21. Dave S. on December 4, 2008 at 10:10 am

    Bridget: That’s pretty damn amazing!

    I mean, I didn’t think *anyone* saw Waterworld. :-)

  22. TwoPi on December 4, 2008 at 10:14 am

    Ξ_Heather and I saw it; it was summer, in Wisconsin, and there were a couple weeks of 90-90 weather (90F, 90% humidity). We saw Waterworld, we saw Titanic, and I think we saw Spawn, all chosen by looking for movies with the longest running time.

    Waterworld was a fantastic 3 hours in a dark air-conditioned room.

  23. Tam on December 4, 2008 at 10:15 am

    We could discuss dental surgery to freak Mark out. Umm, I’ve never had any though so I’m useless. I do have all 4 wisdom teeth in their proper place and am therefore wise beyond all reason unlike mutants Michelle M and Bernd.

  24. Tam on December 4, 2008 at 10:16 am

    Dave: I saw Waterworld, but I don’t remember the pee scene. Must have blocked it out. I think I blocked out the whole movie truth be told.

  25. polt on December 4, 2008 at 10:27 am

    Wow, Dave S. reappears and Craiggers goes absent. Hey, waitaminute….has anyone ver seen Dave S. and Craiggers at the same time together???? Maybe they’re the SAME PERSON! Like Clark Kent and Superman….although since neither of them wears glasses, I’m not sure who would be Clark Kent? I mean, Dave S. has the abs of steel, but Craiggers is pretty super himself, so now I’m all confused……

    HUGS….

  26. Dave S. on December 4, 2008 at 10:37 am

    Speaking of dentistry, I’m getting an implant. :-P Basically a permanent artificial tooth. The root of one of my molars got an infection and the tooth had to be removed. :-( I’m supposed to go in later this month. It won’t be enjoyable. :-/

    But it *is* enjoyable. To type. Very short sentences.

  27. Dave S. on December 4, 2008 at 10:41 am

    Polt: Hey, let’s not start rumors. I mean, really. Me and Craig the same person? Please. Like *that* could even *possibly* be true. Ridiculous. Silly.

    Hey, look over there! Is that a Triceratops peeing?

  28. polt on December 4, 2008 at 12:00 pm

    heheheh, reminds me of a plaque I saw over the weekend: “Some people say I have a short attention s – Oh, is that a squirrel?” Found it in a pet store. My friends say that about me, that I’m easily distracted. Not that I believe them for – a TRICERATOPS peeing!!! Really??????

    HUGS…

  29. Bernd on December 4, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    What’s going on here? I’m in meetings all day and look forward to reading all the scintillating conversation on here when I come home. And were are still on urine? WTF Thursday.

    Oh, well, yes, get better, Craig.

    Waterworld sucked and I can still remember the urine-scene.

  30. Mark on December 4, 2008 at 5:18 pm

    I made it out alive. I chickened out and went for full anesthesia. good thing they decided to go ahead and cut out another molar. I get stitches out in two weeks.
    But I would almost swear, as I was coming out of the anesthesia, that someone was zipping up my pants. I know it must have been the effects of the drugs, but it seemed so real. Maybe it was wishful thinking, the Oral Surgeon was pretty Hot. I’m Loving the Hydrocodone, never been soooo mellow. Thanks for all the good wishes!!!!

    Sorry you’re sick Craigy Baby :-( Hope you feel better soon. If you need some good drugs I’m only 400 miles away.

  31. Tam on December 4, 2008 at 6:56 pm

    Mark: Glad you made it through okay. “Oral” surgeon huh? Maybe it wasn’t your imagination. Enjoy your drugs while they last.

  32. Chris on December 4, 2008 at 8:38 pm

    Mark: Glad you made it out OK. If you were completely unconscious for your surgery then they may have had to catheterize you. That could explain your foggy fly sensation. However that seems like an important enough detail that the doctor would mention it.

  33. Chris on December 4, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    Polt: Craig does wear glasses, sometimes. However they are both pretty super. Actually, I think Craig might be more of a replicant. That would explain why he is always bashing Blade Runner, to avoid drawing too much attention to himself. Let me know if anyone sees him shirtless on a rooftop crying in the rain while holding a dove and reciting a poignant soliloquy. I will have to run a Void Comp Test on him one day. ;)

  34. Dave S. on December 4, 2008 at 9:45 pm

    Mark! Glad you made it out alive! :-) Enjoy the legal drugs!

  35. Michelle M. on December 4, 2008 at 10:56 pm

    Mark – I hope the tooth fairy is good to you.
    Craig – When you feel crappy, I can’t be happy.

  36. john on December 4, 2008 at 11:14 pm

    Craig: Sorry you’re feeling bad. Hope you are better tomorrow (or milk it for a 4 day weekend).

    Mark: Excellent news about your surgery. Hope you aren’t in too much pain. As for the zipper, it would be nice to get some satisfaction with an extraction, but I’m not sure that is the case.

  37. Sven on December 19, 2008 at 7:32 am

    Late to the party but I’ve got 24 more Puntabulous posts to get through thanks to having no internet for nigh-on a month. Anyway, some geek somewhen did some math somewhere which says that all the water on the earth has been through seven living beings already, so really the whole world is just one big pee-recycling machine. Makes the whole argument as redundant as the word ‘dollar’ after you’ve already included the sign ‘$’, no?

    PS: Sven is angry with his drunk boyfriend and has not time to edit for passive aggression.

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