The history of the Russian and American place programs has been a fraught one . But since the Space Race , when the Soviet Union and America strain to outdo each other in space - based technical prowess , relation between the two teams have ameliorate significantly , even to the point they now cohabit the International Space Station ( ISS ) .
But it appears one matter the two rural area still ca n’t concur on is the necessity to imbibe their own urine .
The crew aboard the ISS had antecedently reckon on urine shuttled to the wiliness via cargo rocket engine , until a system was implemented in 2003 consisting of a distiller and an assortment of filters design to swear out the spaceman ' urine and sweat into clean drinking water . With this system of rules in place , they are able-bodied to produce 2,700 kilograms ( 6,000 pound ) of water per year , which means the station can host six crew members instead of three .
The want for a water recycling system became apparent when a series of freight spacecraft containing vital suppliesfailed to reach the ISS . With this system in place the station is more ego - sustainable , and is sort as its own ego - contain environment .
The ISS has two water filtration system in place , one that the Americans utilise , and one the Russians expend . The Russians use silverto disinfect their pee , whereas the Americans utilise atomic number 53 . However due to iodine need to be filtered from the water supply , NASA has reportedly resolve to switch over to silver - ionized water on succeeding missions . But although the Russians also reprocess their elbow grease and condensate from the air , they flat out refuse to drink reuse piddle – something that is done on the U.S. side .
Although many of you may grovel at the outlook of drinking your own urine , Bob Bagdigian , the Environmental Control Life Support System projection handler at NASA ’s Marshall Space Flight Center , is happy with the quality . “ The piss that we grow meets or exceeds most municipal water production standards , ” he toldNasa.gov .
Layne Carter , pee subsystem manager for the ISS , harmonize . “ It tastes like bottled water , as long as you’re able to psychologically get past the point that it ’s recycled urine and condensate that comes out of the air . ” Carter toldBloomberg :
Astronaut Chris Hadfield explains in the following video that they reclaim 93 % of water aboard the ISS , including shower water , sweat , piss and – wait for it – the weewee of the data-based rats that also live aboard the ISS . They occasionally even use the Russians ' water too .
Would you tope your friends ' pee and shower political campaign - off – even if it had been through strict purification ?
[ H / T : The Guardian ]
