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Could Astronauts Make Tools From Pee During Long Space Trips?

posted by Fnord666 on Sunday August 27 2017, @10:41AM   Printer-friendly
from the sonic-yellow-screwdriver dept.

"exec" writes:

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

You may've heard that astronauts on the International Space Station recycle their own pee into drinking water, but space travelers could also one day upcycle their own urine into tools and other useful items.

Researchers from Clemson University are exploring ways that strains of yeast can be used to convert nitrogen from urine and carbon dioxide from astronauts' breath (or perhaps the atmosphere of Mars) into useful substances like nutrients or polymers. One strain of engineered yeast creates polyester polymers that could be used in 3D printers to create needed tools or parts for a long space mission.

The researchers presented their work Tuesday at the 254th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington.

[...] Having "a biological system that astronauts can awaken from a dormant state" and start using to produce what they need, when they need it, is the project's motivation, Blenner said.

See also: EurekAlert.

-- submitted from IRC

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 4, Funny) by Bot on Sunday August 27 2017, @01:21PM (1 child)

    by Bot (3902) on Sunday August 27 2017, @01:21PM (#559820) Journal

    The orange alarm went off: whoop whoop part #394 defective whoop whoop part #394 defective
    The cosmonaut sighed, silenced the alarm and read further details on his HUD.
    His colleague barely registered the noise and kept murmuring obscenities to his VR porn starlet.
    The cosmonaut read the bill of materials for part #394
    "15% piss... K...
    45% bamboo wood... hm we are low on that...
    0.5%...Yo, pervert! Stand still until i fetch the proper vacuum, the mission needs your help"
    The colleague sighed, "Again! and there I was, wondering why they chose ME over all those extremely fit looking guys..."

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 27 2017, @11:42PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 27 2017, @11:42PM (#559950)

    wondering why they chose ME over all those extremely fit looking guys

    At that point, it might be worthwhile to do a spacewalk.
    Check the hull number of the vessel.
    Does it contain a "B"?
    Is that the -only- character in the hull number?

    -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]