NASA's Mission Control gave the Expedition 19 astronaut crew aboard the International Space Station a "go" to drink water that the station's new recycling system has purified.This is a really big deal for the ISS. There cannot be a large crew on the ISS if every drop of water has to be lugged out of Earth's gravity well. It is a bigger deal for future long-duration spaceflight, as a mission to Mars would likely be impossible if the crews had to carry enough water for three years.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Well I Love That Dirty Water
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It's a big deal for future space stations, as well. The ISS's capacity is now six people. That's a lot compared to space stations of the past, but it's a long way from that space station in 2001. Without the ability to recycle water, such a thing wouldn't be practical for the foreseeable future, if at all.
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