98% of all water NASA astronauts release including pee and sweat is being recycled and drank

Space is barren of resources, which means recycling is extremely important and that nothing should go to waste if it can be reused again.

NASA is aiming for 100% recyclability of its space stations, and while that number is extremely difficult to get to, the space agency has reached a score of 98% of all water astronauts bring aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is recycled by the International Space Station's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). NASA's technological achievement means all sweat and urine are being converted back into water used in the space station's life support systems.

How is all this water captured? One aspect of the system is an "advanced dehumidifiers" that capture any moisture that is expelled by astronauts, whether that be through breathing or sweat that is left floating in the air. As for the urine, the space station is equipped with a filtration system that distills the urine and converts it back into drinkable water.

"This is a very important step forward in the evolution of life support systems. Let's say you collect 100 pounds of water on the station. You lose two pounds of that and the other 98 percent just keeps going around and around. Keeping that running is a pretty awesome achievement," said NASA's Christopher Brown, a team member working on the life support systems on the ISS.

"The processing is fundamentally similar to some terrestrial water distribution systems, just done in microgravity. The crew is not drinking urine; they are drinking water that has been reclaimed, filtered, and cleaned such that it is cleaner than what we drink here on Earth," said Jill Williamson, NASA's ECLSS water subsystems manager.