Drinking your own waste water in space - Atlantis crew test Forward Osmosis Bags

[gary]

Do you have the 'right stuff' to travel to Mars?

The Sydney Morning Herald is carrying an article today about how the Atlantis
crew will be testing "forward osmosis bags" that convert waste liquids into
drinkable water.

Originally Posted by Sydney Morning Herald

NASA scientist Howard Levine told Wired: "This could be a first step toward recapturing the humidity from our sweat, from our breath, even from our urine, and recycling it and making it drinkable."

The ISS already contains equipment capable of recycling urine but unlike the new baggies the old equipment sucks power from the station's already limited supply.

The bags work without power by taking advantage of forward osmosis.

Sydney Morning Herald article -
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci...#ixzz1RlZcpbFP

Wired article including pictures of a Forward Osmosis Bag (FOB) -
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...otic-water-bag

NASA Fact sheet on Forward Osmosis Bag -
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/st...ments/FOB.html

Bear Grylls seems to get on fine without needing a Forward Osmosis Bag and if there is any alien life to be found beneath the surface of Mars, I am sure if
sent there, he would be willing to eat it.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Adds a whole new turn of phrase to the meaning of "getting on the p***"

[CraigS]

Originally Posted by gary

Bear Grylls seems to get on fine without needing a Forward Osmosis Bag and if there is any alien life to be found beneath the surface of Mars, I am sure if
sent there, he would be willing to eat it.

Careful Gary … we're talking about the ultimate man's man … Sir Bear !

Sir Bear doesn't need any of that namby-pamby, sugar-filled, bag type nonsense !

Just give him a fresh rattle-snake skin or a water bottle and she'll be right ! (God help Mars !)


Cheers

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by CraigS

Careful Gary … we're talking about the ultimate man's man … Sir Bear !

Sir Bear doesn't need any of that namby-pamby, sugar-filled, bag type nonsense !

Just give him a fresh rattle-snake skin or a water bottle and she'll be right ! (God help Mars !)


Cheers

He won't have to worry too much, he'll just go and eat all the "Mars bars"

[multiweb (Marc)]

All jokes aside it's one giant step towards self sufficiency in space.
... and it's going to save a lot of back ache.

[OICURMT]

Originally Posted by renormalised

Adds a whole new turn of phrase to the meaning of "getting on the p***"

ABSOOOOOOOLUTE GOLD !!!!