Remember that inspirational introduction from the classic TV show, Star Trek? It kicked off with “Space, the final frontier” and ended with “To boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Well, space indeed remains the final frontier when it comes to boldly going – in October, NASA sent into orbit radical new technology costing a cool $23 Million to be installed in the International Space Station:

The Space Toilet.

We have indeed come a long way since 1961, when after a 5-hour delay for his historic 15-minute flight, astronaut Alan Shepard radioed Mission Control:

“Man, I got to pee!”

This wasn’t in the plan, and engineers worried that the medical sensors built into Shepard’s spacesuit might malfunction, but in the end, he was given the go-ahead to “go ahead.”

Dealing with numbers 1 and 2 in space have consistently challenged engineers. There are many challenges involved with dealing with urine and feces in a zero-gravity environment – especially now that missions have gone co-ed.

The official name for the new loo is “Universal Waste Management System” (UWMS). It’s smaller than the previous model released in the 1990s and designed to be more comfortable and user-friendly for both men and women.

One key upgrade is increasing the amount of usable water that can be recovered. We’ve had technology to recycle astronauts’ urine since 2008 through chemical treatment and processing. Since hauling bottled water into orbit is incredibly expensive, turning yesterday’s coffee into tomorrow’s coffee just makes good sense.

I’m wagering most of us here on good old terra firma would rather find other ways to invest those millions. Regardless of your worldly portfolio size, we can help you take it boldly into the future. Give me a ring at 513-563-PLAN (7526) or book online for a free 15-minute call on how you can rocket towards retirement.

Regards,
Nikki Earley, CFP®