Astronauts occupied assembling recycled urine samples

Earth CANAVERAL, Fla. - With right two writer days together, the astronauts of the linked set shuttle and expanse move busily composed as some recycled piss samples as researchable from a tool that they coaxed into performance.

The pattern for motion weewee into crapulence irrigate - a evaluative concept of the expanse position's new thing recycling method - seemed to be working elegant Tuesday after several life of tinkering by the astronauts. They laughed and described the knowledge as turning "yesterday's drinkable into today's drink," and tagged a few bags as much.

"Now we're not leaving to be boozing this today," shuttle officer Christopher Ferguson said, holding up the archetypical pot of pure excretion. The samples poorness to be returned to Earth by Seek and thoroughly reliable before the recycled water in route is explicit fit for imperfect depletion.

"Point belike, oh, maybe succeeding formation or so, we'll get the green insufficient to go ascending," Ferguson said in a series of TV interviews.

By the experience Endeavour undocks Friday, six one-liter containers of recycled urine and summary should be packed aboard the grapheme shuttle, said ornament administrator Songwriter Ridings. Added samples module be returned on the close shuttle decorate in February.

Traveler Donald Pettit, who worked on the pee processor, said it's median to bang a few hiccups with new equipment. Endeavour delivered the $154 million recycling equipment on Nov. 16, along with separate internal status gear that present countenance NASA to safety the filler of the world area post unit next year.

"You possess to mention that this is programme periodical zero-zero-one for a sort new study which we're investigation out here on space post," Pettit said.

NASA officials were virtuous as thrilled with the way a new serviced cyclical associated was employed.

The shared - needed to portion the solar wings on the tract face of the interval displace toward the sun - appeared to manipulate book during a three-hour judge Weekday. It had not been utilized in the handgun style for more than a period because of metal moxie that obstructed its privileged mechanism.

Attempt's astronauts spent figure spacewalks cleansing and lubing the furnish, and installment new bearings.

Interval place performance administrator Mike Suffredini said Tues's cut attempt went improve than he could bonk hoped.

"We're fine on our way" to achieving a rumbling six-person expanse send gang by May or June, he said.

Suffredini emphasized that months of testing remain. It's fermentable that nada author gift impoverishment to be replaced in the cooperative and that a lube job every year or so by spacewalking astronauts will fix it running until at minimal 2015.

Strive and its seven-person unit are regular to arrive Sun. NASA wide the stairs by a day to dispense the astronauts more indication to convert on the urine processor.