Had the pleasure of attending this month’s Ask a Scientist lecture down at Axis Cafe in San Francisco where they were talking about surviving in space, and more specifically the tribulations of water reclaimation.
What impressed me the most about this discussion, was the simple terrestrial uses taken from current space technologies. Using the water reclamation membranes that astronauts rely upon (pee to gatorade conversion!), to repurpose water back here on Earth; Sherwin Gormly–this month’s guest lecturer and Water Process Research and Development Engineer at NASA Ames Research Center—presented win-win waste treatment plant opportunities. Such ideas were standard osmosis techniques which not only cleaned waste water, but also generated megawatts of power in the process.
It was a fantastic talk, in an equally fantastic setting. And if you ever have had burning desires to learn about science, Ask a Scientist lecture series is definately for you. Upcoming lectures include How computers look at art, and BIGFOOT!
Axis Cafe is located at 1201 8th Street (btw. 16th & Irwin) San Francisco.
You can find more information on the series at askascientistsf.com.
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