Relief!
Good news from the BBC: Space station crew repair toilet
Crew members have fixed a toilet at the International Space Station with a pump delivered by the shuttle Discovery.
After three tests, the toilet appeared to be working, according to an update from US space agency Nasa.
The toilet’s urine collection unit had been broken, meaning that astronauts had to operate a pump manually.
Astronauts also opened a Japanese laboratory Kibo, which will be used for the study of biomedicine and material sciences at the station.
The gazillion dollar lab module is all very well and good, but nothing gets done when the loo’s busted.
11 comments
Yay! I was feeling pretty bad for them. But not nearly as badly as they were feeling about it, I’m sure.
😀
OT! 😀
I remembered a nice summer recipe for qa simple, but tasty dish that my Grandmother taught me years ago. 🙂
Mediterranean Chilled Stuffed Tomatoes (Serves 4)
Fresh tomatoes are often prepared simply to bring out their natural flavor around the Mediterranean. To make this, use the reddest, juiciest, freshest tomatoes you can find (organic fresh picked have the best flavor). This is an excellent side dish, or snack, on a hot day.
Ingredients:
4 medium or large tomatoes
3 cloves fresh garlic
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp. ground rock or sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups fresh parsley and/or basil, shredded or chopped (the proportions are up to the individual).
Preparation:
1. Cut the tops off tomatoes and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and pulp inside. Be careful not to break through the tomato skins.
2. Using a large mortar and pestle, or a medium bowl and the back of a spoon, mash the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper together. Add parsley and/or basil and mash to combine well.
3. Fill tomatoes with garlic and herb mixture. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours and serve cold.
Bon apetit! 😀
Oh! Here is a pure self-indulgence food favorite of mine I found lurking on my PC! LOL (Ain’t it amazing what you find in the cracks). 😉
Here’s a real favorite (that I can no longer enjoy unfortunately), also from my paternal Grandmother. 🙂
Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti
These crunchy hard cookies are used all over Italy and are perfect for dunking in coffee, tea, or hot chocolate! BTW, biscotti means “twice cooked” – the secret of their crunchy goodness! 😀
Ingredients:
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened pure cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
(NOTE: Here & Europe, 1 cup = 240 milliliters).
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs
and beat until well combined. Stir in flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.
4. On prepared baking sheet, and with floured hands, form dough into two slightly flattened logs, each 12in long and 2in wide.
5. Bake logs 35 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool on baking sheet 15 minutes.
6. Transfer logs to a cutting board. Cut logs diagonally into 3/4in slices.
7. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool biscotti on a
rack.
Makes about 30 biscotti. They will keep in air-tight containers for a week. 🙂
Ehjoy! *sigh* Now I want some! :'( Life sux…
Mr. Kryten42, anything that sounds that good will not last a week, covered container or not.
Give me a break, 30 biscotti is about two cups of coffee. That’s breakfast.
You are an evil person, Kryten, out to expand our waist lines.
Yup! LOL My waist is shrinking (and I have a dietitian that could terrify a Stormtrooper), plus being diabetic now… So I pass on the pain! LOL
Heh… enjoy! 🙂 I’ll post some more of my family recipes as I find them. 🙂
Cheers!
I’m moving them to the front so more people can gain weight.
Errrrr…. before anyone get’s the *WRONG* impression… it wasn’t the space toilet that prompted my posts! LOL
I promised hipparchia some time ago to post some family recipe’s when I found them, and so I did. 🙂
And thanks Bryan! 😀
😆
so now you’re calling me a space cadet?
Given your current situation, I don’t think anyone would accuse you of having space.