"Discovery brought back four to five liters of recycled water that had
been the astronauts' urine and sweat. The water was produced after
Discovery delivered a new processor that fixed the recycling machine.

NASA officials said a future mission will include making edible
Salisbury steak from astronauts' feces, another step toward sustaining
people on flights to Mars and beyond."

----------------------------
"Discovery Makes Safe Return"

"Space Station Gets Final Solar Wings, Is Up to Full Power"

Associated Press
Sunday, March 29, 2009; A06


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 28 -- The space shuttle Discovery and its
crew of seven returned to Earth on Saturday, successfully wrapping up
a construction mission at the international space station.

Discovery's 13-day flight -- which ended just as a new Russian-
launched crew was settling into the space station -- was highlighted
by the installation and unfurling of the station's last pair of solar
wings. The $300 million addition brought the orbiting outpost up to
full power, a vital part of NASA's plan to double the space station
population and boost the amount of science research in a few months.

NASA conducted a heat shield test during Discovery's reentry. A new
type of tile with a slight bump was attached beneath the shuttle's
left wing to disrupt the hypersonic airflow. Engineers measured the
extra heat generated on downstream tiles, and the area looked to be
fairly clean afterward, officials said.

Discovery brought back four to five liters of recycled water that had
been the astronauts' urine and sweat. The water was produced after
Discovery delivered a new processor that fixed the recycling machine.

NASA hopes to have the water samples tested within a month. If the
toxicology results are good, the three space station residents will
start drinking the recycled water.

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