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[labelwench]

Does anyone on this forum have personal knowledge of how plumbing works in zero gravity?

My thoughts are that it cannot be too pleasant performing the most basic and rudimentary functions in such an environment, and the serious aspects of having one of the sanitation facilities dysfunctional will be more than a usual inconvenience, with thirteen people in such close quarters.

The timing seems appropriate to mention the one item that most people buy at a retail grocery store, no matter their dietary preference.

We have an aisle 72 feet in length that is stocked 8 feet high, and we are hard pressed to maintain same. Everyone uses it, but we seldom chat about it....

Toilet tissue.

And what do you suppose that product is made from? The three ply, pillowy-soft versions are the greatest offenders...

Wonder what they use on the space station?

[SB_UK]

Wonder what they use on the space station?

out of this world toilet paper

[labelwench]

out of this world toilet paper

Sorry, Sherlock, you aren't even close with that guess.



http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast03apr_2.htm

And you thought that doing the cooking and washing up was onerous......

Regards,

Labelwench

[labelwench]

And while the astronauts are dealing with logistics in space, here are some statistics that are down to earth:

How many trees would it take to make 4000 rolls of toilet paper?

Answer

About 384 trees. This is how many trees are used to make the toilet paper rolls that one American uses within his or her lifetime.

Here is the math:


"It takes 48 full grown trees to make roughly 500 rolls of toilet paper. So using that number it takes about 1/10th of an adult grown paper tree to produce 10 rolls of toilet paper. Every American in the United States, roughly 300+ million, uses at the very least 49 rolls of toilet paper a year. That is 5 trees a person."

Based on an increasing population density, the growth rate, even for soft woods, will not be able to keep pace.

And then there is the problem of where all that used TP goes.

The scale of our consumption is quite horrifying. Waste management is the greater concern,one would surmise.

[SteveA]

Does anyone on this forum have personal knowledge of how plumbing works in zero gravity?

My thoughts are that it cannot be too pleasant performing the most basic and rudimentary functions in such an environment, and the serious aspects of having one of the sanitation facilities dysfunctional will be more than a usual inconvenience, with thirteen people in such close quarters.

The timing seems appropriate to mention the one item that most people buy at a retail grocery store, no matter their dietary preference.

We have an aisle 72 feet in length that is stocked 8 feet high, and we are hard pressed to maintain same. Everyone uses it, but we seldom chat about it....

Toilet tissue.

And what do you suppose that product is made from? The three ply, pillowy-soft versions are the greatest offenders...

Wonder what they use on the space station?

The plumbing "sucks" in zero G and I mean that in all senses of the word

Any decent intergalactic colony ship should include a few discrete bushes and trees for such needs (and that'd help with the recycling issues too).

[Unreal Zelta]

And while the astronauts are dealing with logistics in space, here are some statistics that are down to earth:

How many trees would it take to make 4000 rolls of toilet paper?

Answer

About 384 trees. This is how many trees are used to make the toilet paper rolls that one American uses within his or her lifetime.

Here is the math:


"It takes 48 full grown trees to make roughly 500 rolls of toilet paper. So using that number it takes about 1/10th of an adult grown paper tree to produce 10 rolls of toilet paper. Every American in the United States, roughly 300+ million, uses at the very least 49 rolls of toilet paper a year. That is 5 trees a person."

Based on an increasing population density, the growth rate, even for soft woods, will not be able to keep pace.

And then there is the problem of where all that used TP goes.

The scale of our consumption is quite horrifying. Waste management is the greater concern,one would surmise.

Here in New Zealand, we have strict laws on logging and sustainability to ensure the at minimum, the same number of trees will be replanted as those that were logged. However, this is becoming more difficult where illegal logging is becoming more prevalent.

regards

Zelta

[labelwench]

The second most important requirement for life, after air, is water, and increasingly people are buying bottled water for it's convenience and portability.

Once, during a boil water advisory in a southern city, the grocery manager advised those ordering for the store of the need to stock up on bottled water to see the situation through. Two container trucks of water were ordered.

When the doors were thrown wide, the supervisor stared in disbelief and then went looking for the individual who had placed the order, dragging him out to view 50 pallet drops of bottled water.

"Great job on the quantity", he advised," but tell me, do you cook with, bath in and brush your teeth with Perrier?"

As told to me by my grocery supervisor. This actually happened to him in B.C.

Regards,

Labelwench

[SB_UK]

The second most important requirement for life, after air, is water, and increasingly people are buying bottled water for it's convenience and portability.

Once, during a boil water advisory in a southern city, the grocery manager advised those ordering for the store of the need to stock up on bottled water to see the situation through. Two container trucks of water were ordered.

When the doors were thrown wide, the supervisor stared in disbelief and then went looking for the individual who had placed the order, dragging him out to view 50 pallet drops of bottled water.

"Great job on the quantity", he advised," but tell me, do you cook with, bath in and brush your teeth with Perrier?"

As told to me by my grocery supervisor. This actually happened to him in B.C.

Regards,

Labelwench

great point -
boil + filter represents a (thoroughly sustainable) mechanism for generating clean water for all.

Would be nice if a natural filter could be used -
however, I believe that filters of chemical components are heavily re-useable with little requirement for maintenance.

Perhaps some very sensitive litmus-like colour change test would be needed to assess filter failure?

- though doesn't boiling eliminate all biological contamination?

Ahhh! [<- link]

filtration through sand and then boiling the water
- and air and water are no longer concerns.

In terms of waste management -
I think it's important that we switch our attitude to human waste
- to human waste which plants simply suck up.

Harvesting solar power into the new style of battery which retains and doesn't leak charge (the eneloop) -
and we've enough electricity to fuel night-time lights and a low power consumption wireless laptop -
this new product [<- link] -
in terms of its size, low price, potentially free worldwide wireless capability and efficient data compression and energy usage (courtesy of CPU and OS) is very interesting indeed.

air --- tick
water --- tick
waste collection and re-use --- tick
->- food --- tick
power generation and storage --- tick
communication --- tick

Problems
---------
Fixing the computer when it goes wrong.

Access to diagnostic software and the capacity to fix the motherboard?
- kinda' like the kiddy boards in electronic shops where we can unplug and re-arrange electronic components.

General point
-----------------
We live in a software world where we can change our virtual environment in an instant -

our screensaver -
the game we're playing
- the music we're listening to

- though are held up by the need for hardware upon which to load the software

- hardware which breaks and becomes obsolete.
Would be lovely if a trajectory for upgrade-ability, repair-ability
and finally user disassembly for complete recycling of each and every component part
was built into the laptop
- to permit a generational shift in technology.

Alternatively -
- older (relatively) simpler technologies make for the perfect kiddy toy.

As ~boots~ writes
- pass one's battery-disabled Nokia N95 onto your kids (and learn your lesson).

[labelwench]

What? Nobody does any shopping in the summer?

Actually, I am quite aware of what everyone purchases for their summertime fun and one product actually impressed me.

During our short but sweet summer, we experienced just over a week of near record high temperatures, hot enough that one does not feel like cooking, eating or even drinking any sweet or alcoholic beverage, water being what the body most needs.

Still, a few calories are required.....

Discovered "Near Beer"! There are several brands sold in national grocery chains and such are beer from which all but
.05% of the alcohol has been removed. Excellent flavour, and served chilled, a couple beverages was an adequate meal replacement during the heat.

Great taste. No hang-over. Considerably fewer calories.

And, best of all.......only $10.99 for a two-four!
That's less expensive than brand named soda pop!

http://www.truveo.com/Mungo-Jerry-In...-/id/781826284

[labelwench]

Ah, the shopping experience, enjoyed by many, despised by others. Interesting to my mind, that shopping has somewhat taken the place of hunting and gathering, therefore similar strategies can be applied.

Before setting out to hunt or gather, one needs have a plan of what they are seeking, and knowledge of the terrain, in order to remain safe and conserve energy.

Knowledge of the 'quarry', be it animate, or inanimate, is also helpful. One will be hard pressed to find an ordinary garden rake in mid-winter, no matter that you have an alternate use for the tool. The conventional retail model follows the seasons, therefore out of season items will be a challenge. (A small local building supply was able to supply the required rake, unlike our corporate giants. )

Then one must know their competitors. Other people have similar needs and will likewise be attending to them. This poses several questions.

-Is there a scarcity of a resource? (Early season cherries, PlayStation 3 when it launched.)

-What are the busiest times of day, week, season? Are you a social shopper, combining human interaction with this activity, or are you a loner, just 'get 'er done sort?

-Are you shopping for proficiency (best quality/value), efficiency (least time/value), or consistency (balance of quality/value/time).

Do you hunt for just one or for a larger number, such as a family, group or organization?

What resources are available to you, and how do you make the most of your options?

The hunt shall continue another day, as I divert to my night employment at one of the 'hunting grounds.'

Today's mission. Start a re-line in the cereal aisle, repositioning and adding another row of shelving.

Did you know that we have 64 feet long by 6 feet high of breakfast, ready to eat cold cereals, the heat-extruded variety. My other employment venue, has an additional 8 feet of length in their cereal aisle.

And you thought choosing a cereal would be simple, lol....

More to follow....