Before you flush that toilet, it's important to understand you could be disposing of a valuable source of rocket fuel. I am not making this up. It is an actual story. I know money is tight in this economy, but scientists have spent time developing a method to turn human waste into rocket fuel. (Sarcasm alert) I think this will give an entirely new meaning to the song “Rockman.” Could this lead to loyal American citizens around the country doing their part for NASA with participation in a program called “Crap For NASA?” Would Elton John hold a concert that charged a donation of poop for NASA before people could get inside?
Below are excerpts from the story in bold. My valuable insights are in italics.
During a spaceflight, any human waste generated by astronauts is stored in containers and loaded into capsules that burn up as they pass through the Earth's atmosphere. But in a new study - published in the journal Advances in Space Research - researchers from the University of Florida say they have found a way to put this waste to use; they can convert it into a biogas that fuels rockets.
Can you imagine the conversations in this University's lounge?
“I left my position with the National Institutes of Health to come here and work on a special project for NASA.”
“Are you studying how spending extended periods of time in space affects the human body?”
“Don't be silly. I'm not doing anything trivial like that kind of research.”
“Then what are you working on?”
“I'm figuring out a way to turn human waste into rocket fuel.”
“Oh.”
For short spaceflights, the unloading and burning up of human waste is not too much of a problem. But it is when it comes to long-term missions, such as NASA's plan to set up an inhabitable unit on the moon for 5 years from 2019.
Of course, the human waste generated during that time cannot be left on the moon, but bringing it back to Earth would significantly increase the weight of the shuttle. NASA approached University of Florida researchers Abhishek Dhoble and Pratap
Can't leave human waste on the moon? (Sarcasm alert) I guess we must take into consideration the fact that moon beings might give in to the temptation to put a bunch of human waste in a paper bag right outside an American space ship and light it on fire. I guess leaving poop outside would be a problem in a place where there is no gravity. Astronauts could just be walking around doing astronaut stuff when a pile of flying poop goes splat against their space suit. I guess floating poop in an environment with no gravity would also be a real safety concern.
Dhoble and Pullammanappallil set out to see how much methane they could generate from such waste. Space shuttles are usually powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, but in recent years, scientists have looked to methane as a source of rocket fuel.
Okay, I have a question. Would the amount of methane produced in human waste be determined by what was consumed by the human? I know from personal experience that after a night of drinking beer and having excessive amounts of Mexican food, I can produce enough methane to power a rocket to the next galaxy. Does this mean that astronauts will have to have a diet rich in methane-producing food? I always thought being an astronaut would really be a great experience. If I were ever on a space mission fellow astronauts would soon realize they could depend on me to eat all the gas producing food and drink all the beer necessary to bring our spaceship back to Earth. I think NASA needs to put a man with my natural skills and abilities in space.
The team developed an anaerobic digester process. This process destroys pathogens in human waste before breaking down organic matter and producing a combination of methane and carbon dioxide. Using this process, the team found they could produce 290 liters of methane for each crew member every day over 1 week. Enough methane can be produced to come back from the moon.
Who says being an astronaut is a young man's game? Older guys like me are virtual rocket fuel machines. We may not be able to do the scientific stuff like the other astronauts. Maybe we'll need our naps and to spend some time in the morning with coffee complaining about our aches and pains, but we'd be important. I say we could let the young guys do all the scientific, astronaut type stuff and leave providing the rocket fuel to us.
What is more, the newly created technique may also be useful here on Earth. The researchers say the fuel it produces could be used to generate electricity and heating. It could be used on campus or around town, or anywhere, to convert waste into fuel.
This is could change the way we look at the obesity epidemic in the United States. I think this is a good way to end American's dependence on foreign governments for fuel. Our country leads the rest of the world by quite a bit when it comes to having obese people. No other country even comes close. This could make the obese people in the United States heroes. If all the obese people in America got together to provide waste to turn into fuel, we could probably produce so much, we would be able to export it to countries populated by skinny people. We'd be the human waste producing leaders of the world. When you factor in our politicians, we'd probably have enough fuel left over to sell to visitors from other planets.
Here is a link to the story
Human Waste Into RocketFuel Story
