Ambrosia Software Web Board: Peeing in space. - Ambrosia Software Web Board

Rain is recycled through the water cycle. New water that generally stays is not created at high rates since old water is evaporated, forms clouds, and that then forms the new ocean water. The rain that fell into your backyard, could be the same water that fell into your great-grandmothers backyard. Here's my question.

If we pee during space travel, it gets ejected into space. Doesn't it seem like it's possible that in trillions of years from now we could pee away all of our water?

This post has been edited by G-Spark: 27 December 2007 - 10:38 PM

What do you think they drink in space?

-Pufer

Get out and take your stupid with you.

Take your pick of answers:

1) Water is created all the time. Take a chemistry class.
2) It may be the only way to stop flooding if global warming actually happens.
3) The Earth is always picking up more mass, some of that is probably hydrogen and oxygen.
4) Except possibly for the Apollo program, I would expect most of that pee never actually gets an escape velocity out of the Earth's gravitational field. That rain falling on your backyard? Space pee.
5) A comet will collide with the planet first because we aren't looking at enough of the sky to see it coming, and it will deliver not only more water in the form of ice, but also horrible burning death for everyone on the planet (especially astronauts).
6) We will spread our population out among several planets, and several solar systems, each with its own plentiful sources of water, natural or manufactured. This is the primary benefit of space travel, and the reason astronauts are in space to begin with besides peeing. Being a multi-system species, we don't have to worry so much about running out of stuff or one major planetary crisis wiping us out.
7) Trillions of years from now, the sun will have absorbed the Earth hundreds of billions of years ago as a red giant, became a white dwarf, and faded into the darkness of the universe in the Big Freeze, or crushed in the Big Bounce only to form a new star in a new universe for new creatures to pee in space. Those creatures will not be troubled about peeing too much in space, because they know that such concerns are silly. If we end up with the Big Freeze instead of the Big Bounce, I assure you that entropy will be more of a concern to our distant star-faring descendants than how much they pee in space.

I would like to see them recycle their waste though, if only for making it easier to get to Mars or other places without easy resupply.

Ok, fine. I asked a stupid question. I also forgot about 7.

The only stupid question is one I don't have fun answering in a comical but truthful way.

I still think this is the best urine topic (and probably only) since I asked the B&B to time how long it took them to do it.

While we're at it, where's the bathroom on the starship Enterprise?

Now this is a topic worthy of ATT.
See? They can be taught!

mrxak, on Dec 21 2007, 04:45 PM, said:

Dude, you forgot about PMCS!

If you're peeing in space, make sure you're not peeing into the wind. The gravitational pull of the sun could pull the pee right back in your face!

This post has been edited by Mispeled: 21 December 2007 - 09:53 PM

SoItBegins, on Dec 21 2007, 05:56 PM, said:

Which Enterprise? Also, it's called waste reclamation. See? Starfleet knows how to recycle their pee.

Mispeled, on Dec 21 2007, 09:52 PM, said:

Oh yeah, PMCS.

And I think you mean that the high energy electrons and protons will push the pee into your face, not the gravitation.

hahahahahahaha.

Oh god this is the sort of thing that keeps me up terrified at night. Screw comets, gama ray bursts, supervolcanoes, and the magnetic field calling it quits. What if we pee away our friggin oceans. Yeah, I'm entirely serious.

I thought this topic would be about the difficulties of using a urinal in zero gravity.

mrxak, on Dec 22 2007, 12:49 AM, said:

Let's just say NCC-1701. The original.

This topic =

Also, there are no stupid questions. There's just a lot of curious idiots.

It's, "There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots."

Anyway, speaking of toilets, I've been using my Toto Drake for about three months now and can honestly say that it works better than my old 6 gallon-per-flush 1960's vintage American Standard (much less any other low flow toilet). If we're worried about what to do with waste in space, we should just give the problem over to the Toto Company off in Kitakyushu, Japan. I have no doubt that they'll solve it without breaking a sweat.

-Pufer

Pufer, on Dec 22 2007, 09:09 PM, said:

Sweat and urine are the same substance. No urine, no problem. Easy.

Astronauts need to follow the example of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and hold it as long as possible.

lemonyscapegoat, on Dec 22 2007, 11:36 AM, said:

Oh yeah!

zurdo, on Dec 22 2007, 12:51 PM, said:

Nope. Seems like that would be a problem too though.

Cosmic_Nusiance, on Dec 23 2007, 12:58 AM, said:

Yay Cosmic!

This post has been edited by G-Spark: 23 December 2007 - 02:31 PM

zurdo, on Dec 23 2007, 01:05 AM, said:

You could just eject the pee forcefully into space to add momentum in the required direction.

LNSU, on Dec 23 2007, 02:00 PM, said:

Sounds like the space equivalent of throwing a bottle of it out the car window.

LNSU, on Dec 23 2007, 06:00 PM, said:

Hahaha.

G-Spark, on Dec 24 2007, 12:25 PM, said:

Guys, this is a serious topic! What if all the oceans disappeared because some redneck astronaut had to take a piss?

Are we off topic yet?

Destroyer E, on Dec 25 2007, 01:21 PM, said:

This topic is far too important to be off of. Alert Al Gore and Michael Moore; we need a documentary.

Cosmic_Nusiance, on Dec 25 2007, 08:27 AM, said:

Because only rednecks pee?