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March 21, 2005
NASA Technology to Help with Potable Water Shortages
As reported by the Associated Press, and published by the San Jose Mercury News, NASA has been looking at how do you quench someone's thirst when there is plenty of water, but not a drop of it is drinkable, for a long time. It appears now, villagers in Iraq and tsunami victims in Asia will get a taste of their answer as early as this fall - before any astronaut in space does.
The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has been testing a device intended for the space station that would recycle astronauts' sweat, respiration and even urine into drinking water purer than any found in a tap.
"They just breathe and exercise, urinate into the urinal and our system handles the rest," said Robyn Carrasquillo, chief of the environmental control and life support division at Marshall.
Reno, Nev.-based investment firm Crestridge and the charity Concern for Kids are developing the systems for humanitarian purposes in nations lacking a reliable water supply, starting with Iraq and countries in southeast Asia.
Rocket scientists trying to sustain life in space and humanitarians trying to increase the quality of life in third world countries kept running into the same problem - a lack of clean but affordable drinking water.
Sounds like NASA have come up with a high tech solution.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at March 21, 2005 05:30 PM
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