As NASA prepares to double the number of astronauts living aboard the International Space Station, nothing may do more for crew bonding than a machine being launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on Friday.
It鈥檚 a water-recycling device that will process the crew鈥檚 urine for communal consumption.
鈥淲e did blind taste tests of the water,鈥� said NASA鈥檚 Bob Bagdigian, the system鈥檚 lead engineer. 鈥淣obody had any strong objections. Other than a faint taste of iodine, it is just as refreshing as any other kind of water.鈥�
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鈥淚鈥檝e got some in my fridge,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t tastes fine to me.鈥�
Delivery of the $250 million wastewater recycling gear is among the primary goals of NASA鈥檚 124th shuttle mission, which is due to launch at 1955 EST on Friday (0055 GMT on Saturday) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Meteorologists predicted a 70% chance the weather would be suitable for launch.
With no technical issues, NASA managers told the launch team on Friday morning to fuel the shuttle for lift-off, a three-hour operation to pump 500,000 gallons (1.9 million litres) of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the spaceship鈥檚 tank for the 8.5-minute climb into orbit.
If the shuttle lifts off on time, it would arrive at the space station on Sunday so astronauts could begin 11 to 12 days of home improvements.
Second toilet
In addition to the water recycler, Endeavour carries two small bedrooms, the station鈥檚 first refrigerator, new exercise gear, and perhaps most important for a growing crew 鈥� a second toilet.
鈥淲ith six people, you really do need to have a two-bathroom house. It鈥檚 a lot more convenient and a lot more efficient,鈥� said Endeavour astronaut Sandra Magnus. She will take over as a space station flight engineer from Greg Chamitoff, who has been aboard the outpost since the last shuttle flight in June.
NASA wants to make sure the water recycling system is working well before adding another three astronauts to the station鈥檚 crew.
Reusing water will become essential once NASA retires its space shuttles, which produce water as a byproduct of their electrical systems. Rather than dumping the water overboard, NASA has been transferring it to the space station.
Yesterday鈥檚 waste
But the shuttle鈥檚 days are numbered. Only 10 flights remain, including a final servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA is preparing to end the programme in 2010, after which Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be the only way to ferry crew to the space station.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 be delivering water all the time for six crew,鈥� said space station flight director Ron Spencer. 鈥淩ecycling is a must.鈥�
NASA expects to process about six gallons (23 litres) of water per day with the new device. The goal is to recover about 92% of the water from the crew鈥檚 urine and moisture in the air.
The wastewater is processed using an extensive series of purification techniques, including distillation 鈥� which is somewhat tricky in microgravity 鈥� filtration, oxidation, and ionisation.
The final step is the addition of iodine to control microbial growth, Bagdigian said.
The device is intended to process a full day鈥檚 worth of wastewater in less than 24 hours. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 drinking water was yesterday鈥檚 waste,鈥� Bagdigian said.
