NASA is looking for urine donors: They are testing a new space toilet
It’s a rather marvellous story that will inspire many a lame dick joke – like:
QUESTION: Is NASA still pissing away our tax dollars? ANSWER: No, they are taking the piss, these days.
Anyway, here’s the scoop:
A call by Nasa for donations of urine so it can create the perfect space lavatory has been leaked, resulting in a flood of offers. The US space programme said it was seeking urine as part of its work on the new Orion space capsule. Designers of the Orion have to solve a pressing issue of getting rid of stored urine, said John Lewis, Nasa’s head of life support systems for Orion. To design, build and test the systems, Nasa needs nearly 8 gallons of urine every day - about the total daily output of 30 people.
It’s a fun idea though: Donating your urine to NATO. It may not be as classy as having your ashes launched into space by a special delivery rocket but it’s still quite something: to have the remnants of last night’s beer leave your earthly vessel, and then to be delivered to the Heavens.
‘As above, so below,’ the old alchemists already knew – though they probably hadn’t reckoned that the piss that once went down the sewers might make it all the way up to the stars one day.
If you enjoyed this post, subscribe today to get free updates by email or RSS.
