According to NASA,this Urine Processor Assembly managed to get through three rigorous testing sessions, and apparently was good enough for officials to leave it in orbit; but no one takes the first sip - $154 million water recycling system which is designed to convert sweat, moisture and urine into digestible fluid .
Space Debris U.S. scientists are looking for a way to clear the clutter in space, which some say is becoming troublesome on the heavenly highways. So far, ideas have fallen into two buckets -- limiting new debris and eliminating existing debris. The space junk problem is increasing, in part because of collisions between materials in space, rocket stage failures and activities such as anti-satellite testing. "Even though recent efforts have been successful in minimizing the amount of new debris, the number of debris pieces continues to increase, if space-faring nations continue to ignore this growing space access challenge, we will reach a gridlock situation in which launching satellites is too risky.” According to space.com .
A "polar dipole" has been observed at Venus' north pole. A polar dipole is a vast vortex that rotates around the pole and is bounded by a "polar collar"
Extreme cold temperatures and heavy glaciation occur at both of Earth's poles. Polar ice caps made of water ice rest on land at the south pole (continent of Antarctica) and on ocean at the north pole (Arctic Circle). Extreme variations in daylight hours occur, with 24 hours of daylight in mid-summer and permanent darkness in mid-winter.
Mars has polar ice caps consisting of both water ice and carbon dioxide ice. Both caps contain a permanent, year-round ice cap made of water ice and a seasonal cap of carbon dioxide ice that forms in winter and disappears in summer. In the northern polar region, the permanent cap is made of water ice, while the southern permanent cap is mostly carbon dioxide ice mixed with some water ice.
Jupiter's polar regions have auroras, similar to the Northern Lights on Earth. In addition, a "Great Dark Spot" swirls near Jupiter's north pole, which scientists believe is a curious side effect of Jupiter's powerful auroras.
Saturn is a large, gas planet that spins very fast on its axis. Because of the centrifugal force associated with the rapid spinning, Saturn's equator bulges and its poles are "flattened."
Uranus is so tilted on its axis that it rotates on its side. Because of this, its poles are sometimes pointed directly at the Sun. For part if its orbit, one pole faces the sun continuously, while the other pole faces away. Scientists are uncertain which of Uranus' poles is south and which is north.
Because Neptune's axis is tilted 30 degrees, its poles remain in constant sunlight for 41 years during the summer season. Bright regions have been observed at the poles, which are thought to be produced by a haze of ice crystals.
Pluto's polar regions are made of frozen methane and nitrogen. During orbit phases when Pluto is closer to the Sun, the methane and nitrogen thaw, rise, and form a temporary atmosphere.
