Astronauts' urine clogs space station water recycler

[eShirl]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Jan. 12, 2010 (Reuters) — NASA is finding it is not just mechanical glitches that make the International Space Station a tough place to operate.

Engineers trouble-shooting a problem with the station's $250 million water recycling system, which processes urine into clean water for drinking, believe the cause is a high concentration of calcium in the astronauts' urine, which clogs the system.

Scientists do not yet know if the high calcium concentration is due to bone loss, a consequence of living in a zero-gravity environment, or other factors.

"We've learned a lot more about urine than we ever needed or wanted to know -- some of us anyway," said station flight director David Korth.

-snip-

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre60b5el-us-space-station-urine/

[kickysnana]

1. Contact Brita. n/t

[juno jones]

2. Well.

I guess we have ascertained the effects of urine on plumbing in the physical conditions of outerspace...

[MineralMan]

3. All right, folks. The toilet's off limits.

Just go outside and pee. Thanks very much.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. I'll bet Howard had something to do with it

(BBT reference)