Space Drink of Choice: Recycled Urine

Down here on Earth, one of our biggest looming problems is water. While we argue about oil, lack of fresh water could just as urgent problem in coming decades, scientists say. Yes, there is plenty of water on this planet, it's just that two-thirds of it is either too salty to drink and much of the rest is located too far from the people who need it.

In space, astronauts have taken one small step toward, well, they too a step. They drank recycled urine today. Apparently it was fine.

The International Space Station's new water recycling system cost about $250 million and will be used daily to recycle urine and wastewater back into potable water suitable for drinking, food preparation, bathing and oxygen generation.

The concept could come back to Earth. The California Department of Water Resources is pondering mobile desalination units to use in droughts and emergencies. Desalination is costly, however, which is why you don't hear too much about it. Yet.