Source The European Space Agency said Friday that human urine could one day become a useful ingredient in making concrete to build on the moon. The agency said researchers in a recent study it sponsored found that urea, the main organic compound in urine, would make the mixture for a “lunar concrete” more malleable before it hardens into its sturdy final form.
It noted that using only materials available on site for a moon base or other construction would reduce the need to launch supplies from Earth. The main ingredient in “lunar concrete” would be a powdery soil found on the moon’s surface known as lunar regolith. ESA said urea, which can break hydrogen bonds and reduce the viscosity of fluid mixtures, would limit the amount of water necessary in the recipe.
“Thanks to future lunar inhabitants, the 1.5 liters (3.2 pints) of liquid waste a person generates each day could become a promising by-product for space exploration,” it said in a statement. On Earth, urea is used as an industrial fertilizer and a raw material by chemical and medical companies.
“The hope is that astronaut urine could be essentially used as it is on a future lunar base, with minor adjustments to the water content,” study co-author Marlies Arnhof said in the ESA statement. “This is very practical, and avoids the need to further complicate the sophisticated water recycling systems in space.”
Do you hear that sound? What is it? It sounds like… like applause! Yes, that’s exactly what it is ladies and gentlemen! I can hear it so clearly now!!! Oh my goodness it seems people all over the world are excitedly rising to their feet to celebrate the joyous news!!! URINE can proably be used to help make concrete on THE MOON!
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I don’t know about you, but learning that the fluid waste that you and I unthinkingly excrete each day could actually be used to building structures on the moon makes me feel important AF! I’m already excited each day because I wake up and pissed excellence, but now I find out that I’m also pissing out moon construction materials too!?!?!? It’s freaking amazing! All this time my body (and yours) has basically been a Home Depot (or Lowe’s for those of you who prefer to requisition your building supplies elsewhere) just cranking out useful building materials and I didn’t even know it!
Shoutout to The European Space Agency (ESA) for leading the way on this one. This is the type of next level thinking I want the world’s geniuses focused on. Don’t worry about finding a vaccine for coronavirus. The global pandemic can wait. Nope, I want all eyes squarely pointed down watching urine flow out of your nerd urethras and dreaming up secondary uses for the stuff. That is the highest and best use of your superior IQ’s.
PS: Hey ESA, mad props for the way you guys stunted hard on NASA with this one. Those NASA guys have never given us any useful information about urine. Ever. Not even once. Franky, it’s unacceptable. America is falling behind in the space race and this is a clear example why.
PSS: Not at all surprising that The European (Ur-A-Peein’) Space Agency was first to this finding. You guys were built for this ish, errr, piss.
PSSS: I cannot wait until the ESA starts looking into secondary uses for poop! I believe in you fellas so put your thinking caps on, plug your noses to keep out the stench, and plop down on the commode to start acquiring “test materials”. Let us know what you come up with!