Just because the space shuttle Atlantis is on its final mission, that doesn’t mean NASA’s run out of cool experiments. Its latest example? A shiny silver bag — consciously inspired by the “stillsuits” from Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic, Dune — that turns astronaut urine into potable drinking water. It’s been done, you say? Sure, but the earlier tech relied on electricity: a precious commodity aboard the International Space Station. The Forward Osmosis Bag requires no outside power source, relying on, you guessed it, forward osmosis to produce clean, [...]

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The apple tree that thumped Sir Isaac Newton on his genius little head and kicked off his theory of gravitation is finally getting its due, as a piece of it is going to enjoy a free ride up to orbit. It even gets to bring a picture of ol’ Isaac with it! The Royal Society in London is supplying the four-inch-long chunk and picture to British astronaut Piers Sellers, who is scheduled to head up to the International Space Station on May 14th aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. The gift of astro-wood will also commemorate 350th anniversary of the society. “We’re delighted to take this [...]

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