Astronaut Scott Kelly Will Drink His Recycled Urine In Space
Urine is, by definition, “waste liquid that collects in the bladder before leaving the body.”
But for astronauts aboard the International Space Station, it’s also a source of hydration. (Well, the purified version, anyway.)
Systems on @Space_Station take 8 days to recycle the crew’s urine and sweat for consumption. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/CfHByQYBJg
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) March 27, 2015
The International Space Station tweeted out this factoid today, amid the news that American astronaut Scott Kelly will be spending an entire year in space aboard the ISS.
According to Universe Today, the ISS can recycle over 90 percent of the liquids it receives with a special machine that boils urine in a false gravity chamber. Water is separated from solids in the urine, and then that water is pumped through a filter. While it certainly has a squeamish factor, apparently the water produced from the recycled urine is cleaner than our own drinking water. For more on the process, watch the Canadian Space Agency video on the process above.
What exactly is in urine, anyway? According to the Urine Metabolome Database, more than 3,000 compounds. And contrary to common belief, it’s not sterile — a study presented last year at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology showed that there are bacteria present in urine (with people with overactive bladder having more bacteria types in their urine).
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