Astronauts fix Pee-purifier and Solar-wing-turner

William Atkins
Tuesday, 25 November 2008 21:37

Science - Space

The shuttle and space station astronauts were getting quite PEEved off with the new urine processor but in the end they yelled “YipPEE” when it finally ran ok. Plus, the repairs they made to the broken mechanism that turns the electrical-generating solar array seems to have done the trick after its first test run.


After their successes on Tuesday morning (November 25, 2008), International Space Station commander Mike Fincke exclaimed to controllers at the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, “Not to spoil anything, but I think up here the appropriate words are 'Yippee!'”. [The Associated Press: “Finally, urine recycler passes astronauts' test”]

A controller at Mission Control responded, "There will be dancing later.” [AP]

NASA launched the STS-126 mission to the International Space Station, including the astronaut crew and the space shuttle Endeavour, on Friday night, November 14, 2008.

After five days of trying to get the newly installed urine processor to work, the machine finally took off and completed its first complete four-hour cycle early Tuesday morning. The machine will allow much more water, and much less expensive water, to be available on the Space Station.

It is one of the critical pieces of equipment necessary to allow the crew size to increase from three to six members. The doubling of the crew size is expected to happen in the early part of 2009.

Another test of the 'pee purifying processsor' is scheduled later on Tuesday.

The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour, now scheduled to depart the Space Station on Sunday, November 30, will return samples of the recycled water to make sure it is purified to the degree necessary for the astronauts to drink.

A video of the urine processor is found at Space.com’s “Video - Drinking Water From Urine and Other Unmentionables.”

And, the astronauts seem to have spacewalked with way with another success. The broken joint on the solar array seems to be fixed. Please read page two more additional details.