• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Stranded NASA astronauts are surviving on soup made from their own urine

Home> News> World News

Updated 18:56 26 Nov 2024 GMTPublished 18:55 26 Nov 2024 GMT

Stranded NASA astronauts are surviving on soup made from their own urine

Sunita Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore have been up on the International Space Station for over five months

Lucy Devine

Lucy Devine

The two NASA astronauts stuck in space are having to make do with what they can to eat while aboard the International Space Station (ISS) - including 'soup made with their own urine'.

Sunita Williams, 59 and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore, 61, have been up on the ISS for over five months after their aircraft, the Boeing Starliner, experienced some technical difficulties.

The capsule originally took off for an eight-day trip, but after suffering with thruster failures and helium leaks, the team were left stranded on the ISS after the aircraft returned back to Earth empty.

It was deemed too dangerous for the team to return on the Starliner, so Williams and Wilmore will instead be getting a ride home on SpaceX's Dragon capsule, which departs in February.

Advert

Since the pair have been stranded in space, many people have been concerned over their welfare and specifically, how and what the astronauts are surviving on.

The pair will remain on the ISS until February (NASA)
The pair will remain on the ISS until February (NASA)

According to the New York Post, a specialist connected with the mission explained that Williams and Wilmore are eating a variety of foods including pizza, shrimp cocktails, chicken and breakfast cereals with powdered milk.

“There’s fresh fruit at first,” they said. "But as the three months continues that goes away — and their fruits and vegetables are packaged or freeze-dried.”

Advert

Much of the food onboard the ISS is freeze-dried and can be reheated using the station's food warmer.

Any meat is cooked down on Earth before being reheated on the ISS, meanwhile liquid-based foods such as soup have to be made with water from the station's tank.

Incredibly, the ISS recycles the urine and sweat from the astronauts and turns it into fresh water.

As for how this works, NASA explain: "This system collects wastewater and sends it to the Water Processor Assembly (WPA), which produces drinkable water. One specialized component uses advanced dehumidifiers to capture moisture released into the cabin air from crew breath and sweat.

Advert

The pair were supposed to be in space for eight days (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
The pair were supposed to be in space for eight days (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

"Another subsystem, the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), recovers water from urine using vacuum distillation. Distillation produces water and a urine brine that still contains some reclaimable water.

"A Brine Processor Assembly (BPA) developed to extract this remaining wastewater has been on the space station as a demonstration of its operation in microgravity. Recent assessments found that the BPA helped the system achieve the 98% water recovery goal."

Despite recent concern over Williams' health after photos emerged online, the astronaut has emphasised that she hasn't lost any weight.

Advert

Speaking with the New England Sports Network Clubhouse on November 12, she said: “There’s a lot of changes that go on up here. But it’s funny, I think there’s some rumours around out there that I’m losing weight and stuff. I’m actually right at the same amount."

She added that 'things shift around quite a bit', adding that people tend to 'look little bigger' because 'the fluid evens out along the body'.

Featured Image Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty/NASA

Topics: Space, Health, NASA, Food and Drink

Lucy Devine
Lucy Devine

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Someone who invested $7,793 into Bitcoin 14 years ago and only just accessed it is now worth a staggering amount

    After 14 years of lying dormant, two bitcoin wallets holding 10,000 bitcoin each were activated this week

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Elon Musk reveals 'two-part plan' to take control of US Congress with 'America Party'

    The Tesla boss has a new idea to shake up politics in the US

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Expert issues urgent warning for anyone thinking about travelling whilst on Ozempic or Mounjaro

    Those on Ozempic or Mounjaro may face problems abroad if they don't declare it

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    YouTuber Nikocado Avocado shares shocking results of plastic surgery after 250lb weight loss

    Nikocado explained that following his weight loss, he sought the help of a plastic surgeon

    News
  • Stranded NASA astronauts could face serious impacts on their bodies as SpaceX announces official date of return
  • New photos of NASA astronauts who are stranded in space until 2025 spark concerns about their health
  • SpaceX aborts rocket launch to retrieve stranded NASA astronauts who are still stranded in space
  • Why stranded NASA astronauts could have returned to Earth taller than they were before