NASA is recycling 98 percent of astronaut pee and sweat on the ISS into drinkable water

3 years ago by L4sBot to c/technology

This week, NASA revealed that the International Space Station’s Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) is recycling 98 percent of all water astronauts bring aboard the station..

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sregger 7 points 3 years ago

Hmm... I had one question from the get go. But it was not answered by the article. Namely what happens the remaining 2%? They say there's a chance to recovery it in the future but not what they do with it currently.

Also, nice stillsuit reference.

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deviant 7 points 3 years ago

I think this has to do with the fact that water soluble wastes are harder to remove from water but easier to concentrate. I'm no chemistry expert but I think that's why

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sregger 3 points 3 years ago

But, given that's the case, what do they do with the wastes? Is it shot out into space or brought back to earth?

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VegaLyrae 2 points 3 years ago

You already have good answers here, but it's also important to remember that the ISS isn't a perfect seal.

Small amounts of gasses are lost all the time, which is simply the nature of trying to keep small molecules in one place.

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