ISS's $23 Million Toilet Finally Closes the Water Loop

NASA’s Universal Waste Management System on the ISS recycles about 98% of urine, sweat, and humidity into drinkable water via a centrifuge-driven distillation and filtration loop. The two-unit upgrade, costing $23 million (one for the ISS and one for Artemis II), reflects four decades of development to enable closed-loop life support for long-duration missions, though it has faced in-flight issues; the system reduces resupply needs and could be adapted for future Moon and Mars missions.