The Ultimate LEO-Home Makeover?

Most of us carry fond memories of our first apartment, or of living in the dorm at college. Regardless of its condition, the sheer freedom that first "home away from home" represented more than made up for any shortcomings in available room, or amenities... though likewise, most of us also happily remember the day we moved into better digs. Crews onboard the International Space Station will soon experience some of those feelings, too.

For the past six years, ISS Expeditions have lived in the low-earth-orbital equivalent of a cramped three-bedroom dorm -- with a small kitchenette, and somewhat problematic plumbing and waste collection services. Crews onboard the station couldn't complain, of course -- in addition to the out-of-this-world view, the ISS is already much larger than any previous US or Russian space station.

That was just the beginning, however. Following this month's visit by the space shuttle Endeavour, the ISS will be expanded into a five-bedroom, two-bath residence with all the latest gizmos NASA could think of.

The Associated Press reports astronauts onboard STS-126, set to liftoff Friday night, will install an extra toilet, as well as additional sleep compartments with, among other niceties, individual thermostats and laptop computer ports. A new kitchenette will be added as well, to supplement the existing equipment; astronauts will also receive a new exercise machine.

Those are wonderful enhancements, to be sure... but they pale in importance when compared with other new equipment to be installed.

The station will also receive a water recycling filter and recovery system, capable of turning urine and condensation into potable drinking water. STS-126 commander Christopher Ferguson says the new recycling system is the single most important piece of equipment the mission will carry.

"This is really it, and it has no parallel," he said. "I would challenge you to find any other system on the Earth that recycles urine into drinkable water. It's such a repulsive concept that nobody would even broach it... But that day will come on this planet, too, where we're going to need to have these technologies in place, and this is just a great way to get started."

That said, Ferguson admits he hasn't yet tried any 'recycled' drinking water. "Are you crazy? I would never try that," Ferguson joked. "No, no, no, no, actually, you know what? If they offered me a sample, I would do it."

Former ISS crewmember Donald Pettit is returning to help connect the new equipment... and he took a philosophical tack to his mission. "It's going to take yesterday's coffee and make it into today's coffee," Pettit said. The new system is expected to be up and running by Spring 2009.

Another piece of equipment will be vital to crew morale: a refrigerator. The lone icebox onboard the station now is reserved for experiments; the new one will finally allow crews to enjoy cold beverages.

"It seems kind of trivial, but six months of lukewarm orange juice can kind of bum you out," said Expedition 18 crewmember Sandra Magnus, who will fly to the station on Endeavour for her 3 1/2 month stay.

All the enhancements are aimed towards expanding the station's typical crew complement from three, to six. The first six-person crew is scheduled to be onboard the station by June, and will ultimately include specialists from Canada, Europe, and Japan.

"Imagine for a moment that we have an international space station in orbit that we've invested in and we don't have any US crews on board. That's what the partners live with today," said ISS program manager Mike Suffredini.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/station