If your job were on the international Space Station, you could look forward after a hard day of space walks to enjoying a nice refreshing glass of your own recycled urine.  That’s the theory anyway, and NASA is working hard to get the technology right. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times details the astronauts’ attempts to get the system running properly. According to the Times, the urine processor makes up a section of the $154 million water recycling system that was delivered to the space station by Endeavour, and is crucial to providing drinking water for the space station’s crew. And you thought you had problems – imagine if your personal drinking water supply was hanging in the balance as you tinker with the mechanics of a device still in the experimental stage.

With a large contingent of Georgia Tech engineers onboard the Space Station – the largest number ever from one university, I’m told – the problem will no doubt be fixed. And beyond the obvious benefits to the thirsty astronauts, the technology could go a long way toward inching people of Earth toward another source of clean drinking water. The “yuck” factor still prevents a great deal of technology that could stretch our water resources, but as NASA has proven in the past, when the astronauts are doing it the rest of us are not far behind. Many of the technologies we use every day were first developed for space travel, including of course Tang (real proof that we’ll drink anything).

So at the Thanksgiving dinner table if conversation lags or Uncle Frank starts talking politics, consider the Space Station “urine to tap water” topic as a diversionary tactic. And if it works, sign off in authentic NASA style – mission accomplished.