1 00:00:01,046 --> 00:00:01,586 >> Hi. Welcome 2 00:00:01,796 --> 00:00:03,866 to the International Space Station Flight Control Room. 3 00:00:03,866 --> 00:00:05,016 It's been a busy day today. 4 00:00:05,316 --> 00:00:09,416 And we're very, very happy to be here for talking to some 5 00:00:09,416 --> 00:00:11,686 of our students that are actually out here 6 00:00:11,686 --> 00:00:13,466 at NASA Johnson's Space Center. 7 00:00:13,566 --> 00:00:15,716 They are the high school aerospace scholars 8 00:00:15,716 --> 00:00:17,446 and also the pre-service teachers. 9 00:00:17,446 --> 00:00:18,376 Today we're going to be talking 10 00:00:18,376 --> 00:00:20,786 about a very, very popular topic. 11 00:00:21,356 --> 00:00:23,886 It's one of the letters of the alphabet; L, M, N, O, 12 00:00:23,886 --> 00:00:28,796 P. So today I have our guest, Julie Mitchell. 13 00:00:28,796 --> 00:00:32,116 She is the Project Engineer of the Water Recovery System. 14 00:00:32,386 --> 00:00:32,996 Welcome, Julie. 15 00:00:32,996 --> 00:00:33,826 And thank you for coming. 16 00:00:34,006 --> 00:00:35,456 >> Thank you very much for having me. 17 00:00:35,456 --> 00:00:35,836 >> All right. 18 00:00:35,836 --> 00:00:38,506 With that, let's get going. 19 00:00:38,686 --> 00:00:39,906 We have our first question. 20 00:00:39,906 --> 00:00:42,476 >> Hi. My name is Samantha. 21 00:00:42,476 --> 00:00:43,756 And I'm with PSTI. 22 00:00:43,756 --> 00:00:47,506 I was wondering if astronauts need antibiotics in space? 23 00:00:47,506 --> 00:00:48,906 How would they be administered? 24 00:00:49,446 --> 00:00:50,466 >> Hi, Samantha. 25 00:00:51,176 --> 00:00:55,216 In terms of any kind medicine that the astronauts need 26 00:00:55,216 --> 00:00:58,706 when they're in space they actually have a medical kit 27 00:00:58,706 --> 00:00:59,766 that they bring up with them, 28 00:00:59,766 --> 00:01:02,486 and they actually have medicines stored on the space station. 29 00:01:02,536 --> 00:01:07,416 So if they ever get sick, they can actually use that stockpile 30 00:01:07,416 --> 00:01:09,076 of medicine that they have on orbit. 31 00:01:09,426 --> 00:01:10,346 Now if something we're to come 32 00:01:10,346 --> 00:01:13,706 up where the astronauts were very, very sick and the medicine 33 00:01:13,706 --> 00:01:16,366 that they had on orbit wouldn't work, there is the option 34 00:01:16,366 --> 00:01:18,416 of bringing the crew members down for them 35 00:01:18,486 --> 00:01:20,116 to receive medical treatment on earth. 36 00:01:20,116 --> 00:01:24,856 But they do have quite a bit of medicine on orbit to help them 37 00:01:24,856 --> 00:01:27,096 if they ever get sick. 38 00:01:27,096 --> 00:01:27,716 >> [inaudible] question. 39 00:01:27,716 --> 00:01:27,976 >> Thank you. 40 00:01:28,516 --> 00:01:33,556 [ Pause ] 41 00:01:34,056 --> 00:01:34,986 >> Hi. My name is Moran. 42 00:01:34,986 --> 00:01:38,196 And I was wondering how does an astronaut keep safe 43 00:01:38,196 --> 00:01:41,786 from pathogens and bacteria while in space? 44 00:01:41,866 --> 00:01:43,076 >> That's a really good question. 45 00:01:43,746 --> 00:01:46,776 Before the astronauts go up into space they actually are 46 00:01:46,776 --> 00:01:48,536 quarantined for a certain period of time. 47 00:01:48,786 --> 00:01:50,716 I believe it's a week or two weeks, 48 00:01:51,186 --> 00:01:52,776 and that way before they even go 49 00:01:52,776 --> 00:01:55,446 into space they've already been isolated from a lot 50 00:01:55,446 --> 00:01:57,276 of the bacteria and a lot of the pathogens 51 00:01:57,586 --> 00:01:59,606 that might make them sick when they're here on earth, 52 00:01:59,656 --> 00:02:01,336 so that way they don't carry those bugs 53 00:02:01,336 --> 00:02:02,956 up with them into space. 54 00:02:02,956 --> 00:02:07,536 Now once they're in space the space station is actually kept 55 00:02:07,536 --> 00:02:08,236 very clean. 56 00:02:08,846 --> 00:02:10,976 They actually do a lot of disinfection 57 00:02:11,106 --> 00:02:12,906 of different surfaces on orbit. 58 00:02:12,906 --> 00:02:14,606 They have filters that filter the air, 59 00:02:15,016 --> 00:02:17,496 and just to make sure they actually have different 60 00:02:17,496 --> 00:02:20,426 microbial monitoring kits that they use to check 61 00:02:20,426 --> 00:02:22,536 for any bacteria, any pathogens 62 00:02:22,536 --> 00:02:24,146 that might be floating around in the air. 63 00:02:24,476 --> 00:02:27,016 They check different surfaces to see if they have any growth 64 00:02:27,016 --> 00:02:31,526 on those surfaces, and they also check all the different hardware 65 00:02:31,526 --> 00:02:34,926 where they might get water or where their food might touch 66 00:02:34,926 --> 00:02:37,566 to make sure that they don't have any harmful bacteria 67 00:02:37,656 --> 00:02:39,986 or any pathogens growing on those surfaces as well. 68 00:02:39,986 --> 00:02:42,146 And so far there haven't been any issues in that regard. 69 00:02:42,246 --> 00:02:43,356 So it's a good thing. 70 00:02:44,346 --> 00:02:45,286 >> Very good question. 71 00:02:45,286 --> 00:02:45,896 Do we have another one? 72 00:02:46,516 --> 00:02:50,546 [ Pause ] 73 00:02:51,046 --> 00:02:53,516 >> Hi. My name is Alexandra Daglio from PSTI. 74 00:02:53,516 --> 00:02:56,596 I was wondering what's the most complicated project you've ever 75 00:02:56,596 --> 00:02:59,256 worked on? 76 00:02:59,646 --> 00:03:01,646 >> We do a lot of complicated projects. 77 00:03:01,856 --> 00:03:03,086 So the area I work 78 00:03:03,086 --> 00:03:05,986 in is actually Advanced Watery Recovery Systems, 79 00:03:06,016 --> 00:03:07,136 technology development. 80 00:03:07,136 --> 00:03:10,236 And so we actually do the next-generation 81 00:03:10,236 --> 00:03:12,826 of water recycling technologies for space flight. 82 00:03:12,886 --> 00:03:15,926 So right now we have the distillation system that we use 83 00:03:15,926 --> 00:03:19,546 on the space station, but the work that I do actually looks 84 00:03:19,546 --> 00:03:20,796 at what we're going to do next 85 00:03:20,796 --> 00:03:22,126 and if there are other technologies 86 00:03:22,126 --> 00:03:23,956 that might work better once we're 87 00:03:23,956 --> 00:03:25,696 on a planetary surface, for instance. 88 00:03:26,166 --> 00:03:28,926 So the most complicated project, I would say, is actually one 89 00:03:28,926 --> 00:03:30,216 that I'm working on right now 90 00:03:30,216 --> 00:03:32,546 and it's called the Alternative Water Processor. 91 00:03:32,996 --> 00:03:37,146 And what it does is it actually combines biological water 92 00:03:37,146 --> 00:03:40,776 processor in a membrane system to get the water 93 00:03:40,776 --> 00:03:42,826 from wastewater to potable. 94 00:03:43,226 --> 00:03:46,006 And so the way that biological water processor works is we 95 00:03:46,006 --> 00:03:49,326 actually have specific species of bacteria 96 00:03:49,326 --> 00:03:51,656 that actually feed off of the contaminants 97 00:03:51,656 --> 00:03:52,726 that you find in wastewater. 98 00:03:52,726 --> 00:03:55,516 So they feed off of the urea that you find in urine. 99 00:03:55,896 --> 00:03:57,986 They feed off of the surfactants that you find 100 00:03:57,986 --> 00:03:59,396 in soap and gray water. 101 00:03:59,866 --> 00:04:03,836 And so those bacteria are specially selected 102 00:04:04,166 --> 00:04:07,186 so that they can actually convert those contaminants 103 00:04:07,236 --> 00:04:09,826 into nitrogen gas, carbon dioxide and water, 104 00:04:09,826 --> 00:04:12,826 which is like excellent for space flight. 105 00:04:13,216 --> 00:04:16,526 Downstream of that we have a membrane system that deals 106 00:04:16,526 --> 00:04:18,646 with all the inorganic, so all the salts that you have 107 00:04:18,646 --> 00:04:22,046 in your urine, like calcium, sodium, sulfates, phosphates. 108 00:04:22,046 --> 00:04:22,776 That kind of thing. 109 00:04:23,066 --> 00:04:25,196 Those things get removed by the membrane system. 110 00:04:25,196 --> 00:04:28,466 And so what comes out of that system, we're expecting, 111 00:04:28,876 --> 00:04:30,976 will be water that's nearly potable. 112 00:04:30,976 --> 00:04:34,246 And so that's an incredibly large complex piece of hardware. 113 00:04:34,246 --> 00:04:36,226 Our entire team is working on it. 114 00:04:36,226 --> 00:04:39,956 And so it's very complex but it's also very exciting as well. 115 00:04:40,876 --> 00:04:41,596 >> A very good one. 116 00:04:41,596 --> 00:04:41,776 >> All right. 117 00:04:41,776 --> 00:04:41,976 Thank you. 118 00:04:42,516 --> 00:04:47,556 [ Pause ] 119 00:04:48,056 --> 00:04:49,776 >> Hi. My name is Stephanie Carol. 120 00:04:49,776 --> 00:04:51,056 And I'm from PSTI program. 121 00:04:51,186 --> 00:04:54,336 And my question is what is the process of pre-treating urine? 122 00:04:55,676 --> 00:04:56,886 >> That's a really good question. 123 00:04:58,266 --> 00:05:00,916 So when -- let me step back a little bit 124 00:05:00,916 --> 00:05:02,606 and explain why we pre-treat urine. 125 00:05:03,196 --> 00:05:10,246 So when an astronaut urinates in space, we don't necessarily get 126 00:05:10,246 --> 00:05:12,486 to recycle the water from that urine immediately. 127 00:05:12,856 --> 00:05:16,026 And so sometimes that urine can sit around for a couple of days 128 00:05:16,026 --> 00:05:17,336 up to a couple of weeks. 129 00:05:17,706 --> 00:05:20,516 And so what we want to do is we want to make sure that, 130 00:05:20,556 --> 00:05:23,556 that urine doesn't break down chemically because, 131 00:05:23,726 --> 00:05:26,766 when it breaks down, it can produce toxic gases, 132 00:05:26,766 --> 00:05:28,616 like ammonia gas, that you don't want building 133 00:05:28,616 --> 00:05:30,016 up on your spacecraft. 134 00:05:30,496 --> 00:05:34,156 Also we don't want microbial growth on the spacecraft. 135 00:05:34,156 --> 00:05:36,866 So if you've ever put a piece of pizza or something 136 00:05:37,176 --> 00:05:39,646 in your fridge and you let it sit there for a long time, 137 00:05:39,646 --> 00:05:40,856 and you get a piece of, you know, 138 00:05:40,856 --> 00:05:43,386 a big mold growing on the surface of it. 139 00:05:43,386 --> 00:05:46,116 That's the kind of thing we want to avoid on the space station. 140 00:05:46,116 --> 00:05:49,346 If you imagine a big fungal mat or piece of mold 141 00:05:49,346 --> 00:05:51,956 in a tube that's about this big around, 142 00:05:51,996 --> 00:05:54,316 it can get clogged very quickly. 143 00:05:54,316 --> 00:05:57,166 And so that can actually damage the hardware to the point 144 00:05:57,166 --> 00:05:58,466 where we can't recycle water. 145 00:05:59,046 --> 00:06:02,496 So we pre-treat the urine to prevent the chemical breakdown 146 00:06:02,496 --> 00:06:05,476 of the urine and to inhibit microbial growth. 147 00:06:05,986 --> 00:06:09,306 So the pretreatment process is actually pretty straightforward. 148 00:06:09,306 --> 00:06:11,866 We have a tank that's filled with the pretreatment fluid, 149 00:06:12,306 --> 00:06:14,196 which is about the most -- 150 00:06:14,356 --> 00:06:18,606 one of the most powerful disinfectants that you can have. 151 00:06:18,606 --> 00:06:21,646 It's a mixture of sulfuric acid and chromic acid. 152 00:06:21,696 --> 00:06:23,496 So you don't want to get this on your skin. 153 00:06:23,496 --> 00:06:24,536 You don't want to drink it. 154 00:06:24,836 --> 00:06:25,956 The astronauts don't drink it. 155 00:06:26,306 --> 00:06:29,656 But we put it in the urine to prevent microbial growth 156 00:06:29,656 --> 00:06:32,066 until we can extract the water from that urine. 157 00:06:32,096 --> 00:06:33,906 And so we have a tank full of that fluid. 158 00:06:34,076 --> 00:06:36,966 And whenever an astronaut urinates a certain amount 159 00:06:36,966 --> 00:06:39,276 of that fluid is injected into the urine each time 160 00:06:39,276 --> 00:06:40,946 and then it goes into the storage tank 161 00:06:41,566 --> 00:06:43,306 to wait until it's processed. 162 00:06:43,676 --> 00:06:44,756 >> A very good question. 163 00:06:44,756 --> 00:06:46,206 And that was a fascinating answer. 164 00:06:46,206 --> 00:06:48,966 And I bet none of you have ever seen the molded pizza 165 00:06:48,966 --> 00:06:49,556 in your fridge. 166 00:06:50,606 --> 00:06:51,766 Next question. 167 00:06:53,156 --> 00:06:54,676 >> Hi. My name is Whitney. 168 00:06:54,676 --> 00:06:57,006 And my question is how is the urine contained 169 00:06:57,006 --> 00:06:59,646 until it's processed from the time it leaves the astronaut 170 00:06:59,646 --> 00:07:00,686 to when it is processed? 171 00:07:01,916 --> 00:07:03,696 >> That's a good question actually. 172 00:07:04,876 --> 00:07:08,466 So when the astronaut urinates, there is a fan 173 00:07:08,466 --> 00:07:11,256 that actually sucks the urine down through the tube 174 00:07:11,746 --> 00:07:14,116 where the astronaut urinates, and that goes 175 00:07:14,196 --> 00:07:17,376 through a separator that removes the gas from the urine 176 00:07:17,376 --> 00:07:20,256 and then it goes into a storage tank. 177 00:07:20,556 --> 00:07:24,386 And depending on how much urine we've collected 178 00:07:24,836 --> 00:07:28,716 that tank will actually feed urine 179 00:07:28,766 --> 00:07:30,826 into our water processing hardware. 180 00:07:31,216 --> 00:07:35,786 And so like I mentioned before, that tank, that water, 181 00:07:36,016 --> 00:07:39,446 the urine that's in the tank can sit for a few days 182 00:07:39,446 --> 00:07:41,676 up to a few weeks before it's processed. 183 00:07:41,676 --> 00:07:43,836 And so you know, 184 00:07:43,836 --> 00:07:46,716 the pretreatment does this work really in that tank, 185 00:07:46,716 --> 00:07:49,736 and then from there it feeds into our distiller 186 00:07:49,736 --> 00:07:51,836 that actually removes the water from the urine. 187 00:07:53,736 --> 00:07:53,976 >> Thank you. 188 00:07:54,516 --> 00:07:58,546 [ Pause ] 189 00:07:59,046 --> 00:08:00,026 >> Hello there. 190 00:08:00,026 --> 00:08:01,366 I'm Jerry George. 191 00:08:01,366 --> 00:08:03,636 I'm -- we're from the HOSS Program. 192 00:08:03,636 --> 00:08:06,216 And I would like to know what happens 193 00:08:06,216 --> 00:08:09,026 if someone has an infection that goes through our urine? 194 00:08:09,236 --> 00:08:10,476 Is it safe to drink? 195 00:08:10,756 --> 00:08:13,056 And more specifically, how did they figure 196 00:08:13,056 --> 00:08:14,306 out how to drink urine? 197 00:08:15,686 --> 00:08:16,626 >> That's a good question. 198 00:08:16,836 --> 00:08:20,666 So like I mentioned before, 199 00:08:20,666 --> 00:08:22,566 the pretreatment does an excellent job 200 00:08:22,566 --> 00:08:24,576 of preventing any microbial growth. 201 00:08:24,656 --> 00:08:27,626 And so it pretty much kills everything that's in the urine. 202 00:08:28,316 --> 00:08:30,636 We haven't had any issues in terms 203 00:08:30,636 --> 00:08:32,366 of pathogens making their way 204 00:08:32,366 --> 00:08:34,036 through the water recovery system. 205 00:08:34,036 --> 00:08:36,896 So that chromic acid and that sulfuric acid does a really good 206 00:08:36,896 --> 00:08:39,006 job of killing any pathogens. 207 00:08:39,546 --> 00:08:41,856 If you've ever seen Erin Brockovich, 208 00:08:42,246 --> 00:08:44,146 the people in that movie who gets sick, 209 00:08:44,866 --> 00:08:47,286 they actually have hexavalent chromium in their water. 210 00:08:47,536 --> 00:08:51,346 That's the stuff that we put in the urine to kill everything 211 00:08:51,346 --> 00:08:52,716 that could grow in that urine. 212 00:08:53,286 --> 00:08:58,266 So as soon as it gets dosed with that pretreatment any pathogens 213 00:08:58,266 --> 00:08:59,466 or any infections that might have been 214 00:08:59,466 --> 00:09:01,776 in there are essentially eliminated. 215 00:09:02,146 --> 00:09:06,786 And so from that wastewater tank it goes into a distiller, 216 00:09:06,786 --> 00:09:10,026 and that distiller actually heats the urine slightly 217 00:09:10,346 --> 00:09:13,146 to the point where you have water vapor that's produced, 218 00:09:13,146 --> 00:09:16,556 and that vapor is actually what's extracted from the urine 219 00:09:16,556 --> 00:09:19,236 and condensed in a separate container and then 220 00:09:19,236 --> 00:09:21,116 from there it's not completely potable. 221 00:09:21,116 --> 00:09:23,236 We still have a few more steps that are followed. 222 00:09:23,606 --> 00:09:27,036 There are ion-exchange beds that, that water goes through 223 00:09:27,346 --> 00:09:29,616 and then we add a biocide just to make sure 224 00:09:29,616 --> 00:09:32,776 that once it is potable we still don't have any downstream 225 00:09:32,776 --> 00:09:34,296 contamination of that water. 226 00:09:34,716 --> 00:09:40,936 And so that's the full series of events, to remove any pathogens 227 00:09:40,936 --> 00:09:44,296 from the urine and to get it from wastewater to potable. 228 00:09:45,556 --> 00:09:45,906 >> Very good. 229 00:09:45,946 --> 00:09:46,476 >> Thank you. 230 00:09:46,476 --> 00:09:51,486 >> Hi. I'm Colin and I'm from the HOSS Program. 231 00:09:51,486 --> 00:09:53,096 And [inaudible] for a second. 232 00:09:53,096 --> 00:09:55,066 If there's an emergency situation 233 00:09:55,066 --> 00:09:58,936 that requires astronauts to evacuate on the ISS, 234 00:09:58,936 --> 00:10:02,106 what are the procedures for them to follow? 235 00:10:02,106 --> 00:10:03,436 >> That's a really good question. 236 00:10:03,436 --> 00:10:05,716 As part of their training actually here 237 00:10:05,716 --> 00:10:10,146 at JFC they do a lot of emergency evacuation procedures, 238 00:10:10,146 --> 00:10:12,776 and they have different procedures they follow depending 239 00:10:12,776 --> 00:10:13,996 on the type of emergency. 240 00:10:13,996 --> 00:10:17,626 You have to have a fire, if they have a cabin leak. 241 00:10:18,116 --> 00:10:19,056 Things like that. 242 00:10:19,336 --> 00:10:21,626 They practice that quite a bit here on the ground. 243 00:10:22,026 --> 00:10:23,496 Now the first thing they're going to try 244 00:10:23,496 --> 00:10:26,006 to do is recover the space station in the case 245 00:10:26,006 --> 00:10:28,436 of an emergency so that they don't have to evacuate. 246 00:10:28,806 --> 00:10:30,246 But in the instance they do have 247 00:10:30,306 --> 00:10:33,966 to evacuate they do always have a lifeboat. 248 00:10:34,376 --> 00:10:37,456 We call it a Soyuz spacecraft that's docked 249 00:10:37,606 --> 00:10:40,436 to the space station for them to get into and return to Earth 250 00:10:40,436 --> 00:10:41,516 in case of an emergency. 251 00:10:42,506 --> 00:10:42,916 >> Very good. 252 00:10:42,916 --> 00:10:46,686 And also they do periodically, while they're on board, 253 00:10:46,856 --> 00:10:50,076 they also participate in on-board training 254 00:10:50,076 --> 00:10:53,846 so they can maintain that proficiency and their skills 255 00:10:54,036 --> 00:10:57,506 and be ready for, if an emergency were to occur. 256 00:10:57,506 --> 00:10:58,076 Good question. 257 00:10:58,626 --> 00:11:01,336 >> Hi. My name is Deanna. 258 00:11:01,336 --> 00:11:03,156 And I'm with the HOSS Program. 259 00:11:03,156 --> 00:11:05,776 And my question is what are you currently doing 260 00:11:05,776 --> 00:11:09,566 to improve the efficiency rate of the urine recycling system? 261 00:11:10,506 --> 00:11:12,036 >> That's a really good question too. 262 00:11:13,226 --> 00:11:16,846 We actually had a project going on right now 263 00:11:16,846 --> 00:11:19,036 to help increase the water recovery rate 264 00:11:19,036 --> 00:11:21,756 on the space station up to 85 percent. 265 00:11:22,056 --> 00:11:24,816 Originally we were planning to start out with 85 percent. 266 00:11:24,816 --> 00:11:28,096 But what actually happened was the astronaut's urine had a lot 267 00:11:28,096 --> 00:11:29,636 more calcium than we expected. 268 00:11:30,086 --> 00:11:33,496 And so that calcium combined with the sulfate 269 00:11:33,496 --> 00:11:35,406 from our sulfuric acid pretreatment 270 00:11:35,576 --> 00:11:38,036 and actually precipitated out in our distiller. 271 00:11:38,446 --> 00:11:41,476 And that precipitate is called gypsum. 272 00:11:42,126 --> 00:11:45,476 And it's the same stuff you have in like drywall, for instance. 273 00:11:45,946 --> 00:11:47,286 So everybody seen gypsum. 274 00:11:47,716 --> 00:11:51,226 And so one of the technologies -- 275 00:11:51,226 --> 00:11:52,916 actually several of the technologies we're looking 276 00:11:52,916 --> 00:11:57,726 at now are to either remove the calcium or replace 277 00:11:57,726 --> 00:12:00,296 that sulfuric acid with a different pretreatment 278 00:12:00,366 --> 00:12:02,886 so that we don't have that precipitation problem. 279 00:12:03,226 --> 00:12:05,296 We actually have two technologies. 280 00:12:05,296 --> 00:12:08,586 One for calcium, and one to kind of mitigate the sulfate 281 00:12:08,926 --> 00:12:11,896 that have both been demonstrated to work very well and allow us 282 00:12:11,896 --> 00:12:13,296 to get up to 85 percent. 283 00:12:13,746 --> 00:12:17,726 The space station program is leaning towards the alternative 284 00:12:17,726 --> 00:12:18,596 to the sulfate. 285 00:12:18,886 --> 00:12:20,936 And so we're actually in the process of pursuing 286 00:12:20,936 --> 00:12:22,136 that for flight right now. 287 00:12:22,136 --> 00:12:23,866 So we're hoping that within the next year 288 00:12:23,866 --> 00:12:27,046 or two we can get the space station from 75 percent 289 00:12:27,046 --> 00:12:28,696 up to 85 percent water recovery. 290 00:12:29,286 --> 00:12:30,136 >> [inaudible] thank you. 291 00:12:30,346 --> 00:12:37,026 >> Hello. My name is [inaudible] from the HOSS Program. 292 00:12:37,376 --> 00:12:40,106 And you said that after filtration 293 00:12:40,106 --> 00:12:43,626 of urine it was just 85 percent recycled. 294 00:12:43,916 --> 00:12:46,606 What are they using to find 20 percent? 295 00:12:47,056 --> 00:12:47,356 Or? 296 00:12:47,806 --> 00:12:49,556 >> That's a good question. 297 00:12:49,716 --> 00:12:53,166 So the remainder of what doesn't get removed 298 00:12:53,166 --> 00:12:54,816 from the urine is called a brine. 299 00:12:55,406 --> 00:12:58,446 And right now that brine gets put 300 00:12:58,496 --> 00:13:01,096 into brine storage containers 301 00:13:01,436 --> 00:13:03,816 and those are thrown in the trash. 302 00:13:03,866 --> 00:13:04,756 We get rid of those. 303 00:13:05,136 --> 00:13:08,156 But if you think about it, there's a lot of water 304 00:13:08,156 --> 00:13:09,506 in that brine that we could get. 305 00:13:09,736 --> 00:13:11,916 And so one of the active areas of research 306 00:13:12,116 --> 00:13:16,006 in my group is called Brine Water Recovery, which is looking 307 00:13:16,006 --> 00:13:18,846 at different ways to extract water from the brine. 308 00:13:19,266 --> 00:13:23,966 And the reason that is a unique challenge is 309 00:13:23,966 --> 00:13:27,126 because once you go past, you know, 80, 310 00:13:27,126 --> 00:13:32,156 85 percent water recovery you start precipitating solids out. 311 00:13:32,256 --> 00:13:34,276 Even with some of these new technologies, 312 00:13:34,276 --> 00:13:36,226 like I just mentioned, you still are going 313 00:13:36,226 --> 00:13:37,466 to precipitate at some point. 314 00:13:37,876 --> 00:13:41,456 And so with this brine water recovery technology we have 315 00:13:41,456 --> 00:13:44,676 to specifically design it to be tolerant to solids formation. 316 00:13:44,976 --> 00:13:49,006 And so we're hoping that we can extract the remaining water 317 00:13:49,006 --> 00:13:51,426 from that to continue to close the water loop 318 00:13:51,426 --> 00:13:55,036 and hopefully get to, you know, in the 90's or even higher, 319 00:13:55,736 --> 00:14:00,476 you know, full loop closure for future spacecrafts beyond ISS. 320 00:14:00,476 --> 00:14:01,626 >> Okay. Thank you. 321 00:14:02,686 --> 00:14:05,316 >> Very good question. 322 00:14:05,316 --> 00:14:05,866 Do we have some more? 323 00:14:05,866 --> 00:14:10,776 >> Hi. My name is Katie from the HOSS Program. 324 00:14:10,776 --> 00:14:14,006 And we were wondering what's done with the waste 325 00:14:14,006 --> 00:14:15,296 that cannot be recycled? 326 00:14:15,526 --> 00:14:17,136 And how is it transported back to earth? 327 00:14:18,556 --> 00:14:22,906 >> So a lot of the brine that actually gets generated, 328 00:14:22,906 --> 00:14:25,536 like I said before, gets thrown in the trash. 329 00:14:25,536 --> 00:14:28,836 And so a lot of that gets burned up in the atmosphere. 330 00:14:29,496 --> 00:14:33,216 We do bring back samples of that brine to actually analyze 331 00:14:33,216 --> 00:14:36,316 to see what is left over after we've removed water 332 00:14:36,726 --> 00:14:37,896 from the urine. 333 00:14:38,716 --> 00:14:41,916 And so one thing we've done as engineers is look at some 334 00:14:41,916 --> 00:14:45,046 of the chemical data of that brine and use 335 00:14:45,046 --> 00:14:46,436 that to design our hardware. 336 00:14:46,836 --> 00:14:50,676 So astronaut urine is a lot more concentrated, in general, 337 00:14:50,816 --> 00:14:53,376 than the urine that we have here on the ground. 338 00:14:53,836 --> 00:14:56,386 And so we'll actually collect urine for our testing 339 00:14:56,386 --> 00:15:00,946 and we'll add chemicals to it to make it mimic the concentrations 340 00:15:00,946 --> 00:15:02,416 that you would see on orbit. 341 00:15:02,476 --> 00:15:06,006 And so those brine samples really help us with that, 342 00:15:06,006 --> 00:15:08,336 and they also help us especially with testing 343 00:15:08,626 --> 00:15:11,036 that brine water recovery hardware I talked about. 344 00:15:11,276 --> 00:15:12,976 So hopefully we'll get to the point 345 00:15:12,976 --> 00:15:16,486 where we can actually recycle the water 346 00:15:16,486 --> 00:15:17,536 from the brine as well. 347 00:15:17,536 --> 00:15:20,206 But right now we throw it in the trash, so. 348 00:15:21,916 --> 00:15:23,496 >> Thank you. 349 00:15:25,676 --> 00:15:29,286 >> Hi. My name is [inaudible] from the PSDI Program. 350 00:15:29,596 --> 00:15:31,736 And I wanted to know are there any major differences 351 00:15:31,736 --> 00:15:34,716 to urine in space? 352 00:15:35,486 --> 00:15:37,396 >> There are some differences. 353 00:15:37,456 --> 00:15:40,726 Like I mentioned before, the urine that's 354 00:15:40,796 --> 00:15:42,936 in space we notice is more concentrated 355 00:15:42,936 --> 00:15:44,476 than what we have here on the ground. 356 00:15:44,926 --> 00:15:48,786 And the reason for that is when you go into space the fluids 357 00:15:48,786 --> 00:15:51,616 in your body get redistributed, because here 358 00:15:51,616 --> 00:15:53,556 on earth the fluids are kind of drawn 359 00:15:53,556 --> 00:15:55,046 to your feet because of gravity. 360 00:15:55,406 --> 00:15:56,826 In space we don't have that. 361 00:15:57,156 --> 00:15:59,586 And so the fluids kind of go up into your head. 362 00:15:59,586 --> 00:16:02,346 And so when astronauts first get on orbit, you can actually see 363 00:16:02,346 --> 00:16:03,696 that their faces are very puffy. 364 00:16:04,206 --> 00:16:07,286 And so what happens in that case is their brain interprets 365 00:16:07,286 --> 00:16:10,176 that as no, I have way too much fluid altogether. 366 00:16:10,516 --> 00:16:11,656 I need to get rid of it. 367 00:16:12,066 --> 00:16:15,616 So that causes the astronauts to urinate a lot more. 368 00:16:16,266 --> 00:16:18,646 Well, that can actually cause the astronauts 369 00:16:18,646 --> 00:16:19,666 to get dehydrated. 370 00:16:19,996 --> 00:16:22,856 And so, you know, they're very careful in terms 371 00:16:22,856 --> 00:16:24,126 of how much water they drink, 372 00:16:24,126 --> 00:16:26,786 but we still see higher concentrations 373 00:16:26,786 --> 00:16:29,056 across the board of, you know, calcium. 374 00:16:29,056 --> 00:16:33,866 Like I mentioned before, all the different minerals 375 00:16:33,866 --> 00:16:35,106 and all the compounds you find 376 00:16:35,106 --> 00:16:36,856 in urine are higher concentration. 377 00:16:37,286 --> 00:16:39,676 And so when we test hardware here on the ground, 378 00:16:39,676 --> 00:16:41,976 we have to take that into account to make sure that, 379 00:16:42,016 --> 00:16:43,766 you know, for things like calcium, for instance, 380 00:16:44,076 --> 00:16:45,156 we have the right amount 381 00:16:45,346 --> 00:16:47,556 to appropriately challenge our hardware. 382 00:16:48,166 --> 00:16:49,076 >> Thank you. 383 00:16:49,256 --> 00:16:53,286 >> I think we have time for a few more questions. 384 00:16:53,326 --> 00:16:57,466 Do we have another one? 385 00:16:57,466 --> 00:16:59,166 >> Hello. My name is Eric Williams and I'm here 386 00:16:59,166 --> 00:16:59,966 with the HOSS Program. 387 00:17:00,576 --> 00:17:02,186 And my question was what are some 388 00:17:02,186 --> 00:17:04,076 of the challenges you've encountered in working 389 00:17:04,076 --> 00:17:09,226 with other nations for systems and stuff like this on the ISS? 390 00:17:09,336 --> 00:17:11,536 >> That's actually -- that's a really good question too. 391 00:17:11,806 --> 00:17:17,886 Our team personally doesn't work with international partners 392 00:17:17,886 --> 00:17:21,486 as much, but we do work with the space station program a lot. 393 00:17:21,486 --> 00:17:23,146 And the program kind of coordinates 394 00:17:23,216 --> 00:17:25,526 between all the different international partners. 395 00:17:25,976 --> 00:17:28,386 And so the project that I mentioned 396 00:17:28,416 --> 00:17:32,006 with the precipitation issue and the water recycling system 397 00:17:32,006 --> 00:17:35,006 on ISS is something that has to be worked 398 00:17:35,006 --> 00:17:37,656 between the US and Russia. 399 00:17:38,296 --> 00:17:42,146 And if we do end up replacing that sulfuric acid pretreatment 400 00:17:42,146 --> 00:17:45,706 with something else, we have to work that with the Russians 401 00:17:45,706 --> 00:17:48,556 to make sure that when it gets installed in their system 402 00:17:49,146 --> 00:17:51,846 that their hardware is compatible with that, 403 00:17:52,006 --> 00:17:53,356 that their hardware, you know, 404 00:17:53,356 --> 00:17:55,246 is appropriately sized and so on. 405 00:17:55,556 --> 00:17:58,286 And so we have to work very closely with them. 406 00:17:58,286 --> 00:18:01,576 And we have individuals on our team who have traveled 407 00:18:01,576 --> 00:18:02,696 to Russia several times. 408 00:18:02,696 --> 00:18:05,286 And we have a lot of telecoms and a lot of meetings to talk 409 00:18:05,286 --> 00:18:08,796 to them to make sure that we're on the same page, 410 00:18:08,796 --> 00:18:12,296 so that when we fly this to ISS we don't have any issues. 411 00:18:12,406 --> 00:18:14,166 So it can be a challenge. 412 00:18:14,206 --> 00:18:16,076 But you know, we all want 413 00:18:16,076 --> 00:18:17,946 to recycle more water on the space station. 414 00:18:17,946 --> 00:18:19,336 So we're all happy to work together. 415 00:18:19,916 --> 00:18:21,076 >> Thank you. 416 00:18:21,226 --> 00:18:26,806 >> Hi. My name is Thomas [inaudible]. 417 00:18:26,806 --> 00:18:28,006 I'm here with PSCI. 418 00:18:28,006 --> 00:18:31,826 And my question is does microgravity have an impact 419 00:18:31,826 --> 00:18:35,876 on pH levels and urine? 420 00:18:36,826 --> 00:18:40,656 >> The pH level, specifically, we don't see a major difference 421 00:18:40,716 --> 00:18:45,056 between what's on orbit and what we see on the ground. 422 00:18:45,056 --> 00:18:46,516 There's a pretty wide range. 423 00:18:46,516 --> 00:18:48,346 That really depends on your diet, 424 00:18:48,346 --> 00:18:49,806 depends on how much water you drink. 425 00:18:49,866 --> 00:18:50,766 That kind of thing. 426 00:18:51,186 --> 00:18:55,216 And so we have some people with fairly acidic urine, 427 00:18:55,216 --> 00:18:59,336 like pH in the fives, and then some people with higher pH, 428 00:18:59,336 --> 00:19:03,946 you know, into the mid-six, you know, 6.5 or so pH. 429 00:19:03,946 --> 00:19:06,856 And so really what we've seen on orbit are pH's 430 00:19:06,856 --> 00:19:08,506 that fall into that range. 431 00:19:08,546 --> 00:19:10,156 So it's nothing outside of the norm. 432 00:19:12,386 --> 00:19:12,686 >> Thank you. 433 00:19:13,516 --> 00:19:17,546 [ Pause ] 434 00:19:18,046 --> 00:19:19,406 >> Hi. My name is Chelsea Weber and I'm here 435 00:19:19,406 --> 00:19:20,536 with the PSTI Program. 436 00:19:20,536 --> 00:19:22,786 And I have more of a general question. 437 00:19:23,016 --> 00:19:26,056 Is going to the restroom in space a complicated process? 438 00:19:26,696 --> 00:19:31,156 >> That's a really good question too. 439 00:19:31,526 --> 00:19:35,616 I've personally never used the ISS toilet; 440 00:19:35,616 --> 00:19:36,996 so I can't speak firsthand. 441 00:19:37,276 --> 00:19:42,026 But I have seen a footage, and I've heard from crew members 442 00:19:42,336 --> 00:19:45,356 that it can be a challenge. 443 00:19:45,386 --> 00:19:50,086 The funnel that they use on orbit to do their number one, 444 00:19:50,366 --> 00:19:56,026 it's, you know, maybe this, about this big diameter 445 00:19:56,436 --> 00:19:58,186 and so you have to have good aim. 446 00:19:58,326 --> 00:20:03,796 There's a fan in there to kind of help suction it in but, 447 00:20:03,796 --> 00:20:05,766 you know, I've heard that it can be messy. 448 00:20:05,766 --> 00:20:09,866 And so right next to the toilet they have actually a series of, 449 00:20:09,926 --> 00:20:13,276 you know, baby wipes, gloves that you can put 450 00:20:13,276 --> 00:20:16,176 on in case you don't have such good aim, 451 00:20:16,696 --> 00:20:20,616 lots of several different kinds of toilet paper. 452 00:20:20,616 --> 00:20:21,396 That kind of thing. 453 00:20:21,826 --> 00:20:24,066 And so it can be a challenge. 454 00:20:24,066 --> 00:20:26,576 But I've heard that once you get to -- once you get used to it 455 00:20:26,576 --> 00:20:28,586 and once you get the technique down it's not too bad. 456 00:20:28,586 --> 00:20:29,476 >> Okay. Thank you. 457 00:20:30,016 --> 00:20:33,176 >> I want to know about the L, M, N, O, P? 458 00:20:33,316 --> 00:20:34,906 >> Good question. 459 00:20:34,906 --> 00:20:37,846 Do we have another one? 460 00:20:37,846 --> 00:20:39,936 >> Yes. I'm Katie Snyder with HOSS. 461 00:20:39,936 --> 00:20:41,896 And I'd like to know how much education 462 00:20:41,896 --> 00:20:45,926 and training did you go through to get your position? 463 00:20:45,976 --> 00:20:49,096 >> So I actually have two degrees. 464 00:20:49,096 --> 00:20:51,006 I have one in aerospace engineering 465 00:20:51,006 --> 00:20:52,576 and another degree in geology. 466 00:20:52,576 --> 00:20:56,676 Those aren't directly applicable to what I do, 467 00:20:56,806 --> 00:20:59,606 but it's really the problem-solving mindset 468 00:21:00,056 --> 00:21:03,876 and the background knowledge and engineering principles 469 00:21:03,936 --> 00:21:05,406 in chemistry and physics 470 00:21:05,796 --> 00:21:07,646 that have really helped me with my job. 471 00:21:07,856 --> 00:21:11,556 So if you look at the entire water recovery system's team, 472 00:21:12,036 --> 00:21:13,616 we have civil engineers. 473 00:21:13,676 --> 00:21:16,776 We have mechanical engineers, electrical engineers. 474 00:21:17,036 --> 00:21:20,486 We also have several chemists that work in the lab with us. 475 00:21:20,486 --> 00:21:24,286 We have a micro biologist who helps us, for instance, 476 00:21:24,486 --> 00:21:28,636 when we're evaluating whether pretreatment is working or not. 477 00:21:28,636 --> 00:21:30,296 They're able to actually plate those samples 478 00:21:30,296 --> 00:21:33,536 out on petri dishes and see what's growing and how much. 479 00:21:33,936 --> 00:21:37,386 And so you know, pretty much any kind of engineering 480 00:21:37,386 --> 00:21:42,156 or science discipline would get someone to this position 481 00:21:43,286 --> 00:21:44,676 to be able to do this kind of work. 482 00:21:44,676 --> 00:21:45,716 But for me personally, 483 00:21:45,716 --> 00:21:47,696 I did aerospace engineering and geology. 484 00:21:49,716 --> 00:21:50,316 >> Thank you very much. 485 00:21:50,316 --> 00:21:54,516 >> Hi. My name is Catrina Cotrone. 486 00:21:54,516 --> 00:21:55,606 So much of that. 487 00:21:55,816 --> 00:21:57,946 How did you get into this profession? 488 00:21:57,946 --> 00:22:00,136 Because I know maybe at like five years old you didn't know 489 00:22:00,136 --> 00:22:01,586 you're going to be a urine specialist. 490 00:22:01,586 --> 00:22:06,276 So how did you -- how is the practice of that? 491 00:22:07,236 --> 00:22:08,156 >> That's a good question. 492 00:22:08,346 --> 00:22:11,856 I've always been interested in space since I was a kid. 493 00:22:11,856 --> 00:22:14,436 Space travel has always been fascinating to me. 494 00:22:14,916 --> 00:22:20,016 As I got older though it became more of a question of survival 495 00:22:20,466 --> 00:22:25,556 and what can we do to make sure our species is around long-term. 496 00:22:26,116 --> 00:22:29,096 And so going through school I started thinking 497 00:22:29,096 --> 00:22:33,736 about human space flight and the fact that we have to set 498 00:22:33,736 --> 00:22:36,296 up habitats on the moon and on Mars. 499 00:22:36,296 --> 00:22:39,056 And like, we have on the space station right now, 500 00:22:39,056 --> 00:22:43,896 we need permanent habitats in space if we're going 501 00:22:43,896 --> 00:22:45,366 to continue as a species. 502 00:22:45,926 --> 00:22:51,246 And so that actually drove me towards spacecraft engineering. 503 00:22:51,246 --> 00:22:54,276 So I did aerospace engineering initially 504 00:22:54,276 --> 00:22:56,246 and I added geology after that. 505 00:22:56,646 --> 00:23:01,126 I found out about a program called the Cooperative Education 506 00:23:01,126 --> 00:23:04,086 Program, at least that's what it was called at the time. 507 00:23:04,516 --> 00:23:07,996 And that actually allows students who are in college 508 00:23:07,996 --> 00:23:12,116 to come and work full-time at a NASA center. 509 00:23:12,466 --> 00:23:15,866 And so I had the opportunity to come to JFC. 510 00:23:16,696 --> 00:23:19,626 And I learned about a group called the Crew 511 00:23:19,626 --> 00:23:21,116 and Thermal Systems Division. 512 00:23:21,516 --> 00:23:24,846 And this is a group within engineering that just focuses 513 00:23:24,846 --> 00:23:28,266 on -- they have thermals, you know, thermal control as well, 514 00:23:28,266 --> 00:23:31,046 which is cool, but I really like the crew side. 515 00:23:31,086 --> 00:23:33,086 And how do we keep people alive in space? 516 00:23:33,086 --> 00:23:36,026 Because to me that comes back to that survival question of, 517 00:23:36,426 --> 00:23:38,936 you know, how do we continue species? 518 00:23:38,936 --> 00:23:41,196 And how do we keep ourselves around for a long time? 519 00:23:41,516 --> 00:23:44,756 And so within that crew aspect there are a number 520 00:23:44,756 --> 00:23:47,526 of different groups, people that work 521 00:23:47,646 --> 00:23:50,926 on atmosphere revitalization; so recycling the air 522 00:23:50,926 --> 00:23:54,526 on the spacecraft, people who work on habitability; 523 00:23:54,526 --> 00:23:56,696 so the people who actually design the toilet. 524 00:23:57,256 --> 00:24:00,156 They design the galley and so on, on the space station 525 00:24:00,536 --> 00:24:03,376 and then also the water recycling team. 526 00:24:03,576 --> 00:24:06,616 And so I able to kind of work my way in there. 527 00:24:06,926 --> 00:24:09,736 And they had an opening on the water team and so I was able 528 00:24:09,796 --> 00:24:11,486 to come on board and start with them. 529 00:24:11,576 --> 00:24:17,096 So that working full-time at JFC as a student really helped me 530 00:24:17,096 --> 00:24:19,536 to kind of pinpoint what area I wanted to go in. 531 00:24:20,416 --> 00:24:21,476 >> Excellent. 532 00:24:21,736 --> 00:24:23,596 [multiple speakers] question and excellent answer. 533 00:24:23,596 --> 00:24:25,816 Thank you very much for coming out and talk. 534 00:24:25,816 --> 00:24:28,936 I think that's all the time that we have. 535 00:24:29,156 --> 00:24:31,676 Guys, thank you for coming in. 536 00:24:31,676 --> 00:24:33,436 And thanks for the excellent questions. 537 00:24:34,136 --> 00:24:35,156 >> Thank you for having me.