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Repost - Clayton C. Anderson DYK... NASA can now recycle 98% of liquids on International Space Station (including urine and sweat) which will be a must for deeper space missions and the problems presented by distances and capability of our current resupply ships. But the water on Station isn't just for drinking, it helps keep everyone breathing fresh air too. We use electrolysis (splitting water (H2O) molecules into oxygen and hydrogen) to produce fresh oxygen for astronauts to breathe (we typically discard the hydrogen overboard). The Space Station does still receive regular shipments of oxygen from visiting vehicles that are stored in pressurized tanks mounted outside of the airlock. Called "doghouses," the tanks still don't store enough to fully supply the station. So..., the closer we get to self-sustainability and fully recyclable systems, the further we will be able to explore!