Скачать или смотреть From a pirate's pot to the ISS: A survival technology 2000 years old

#Distiller #Survival #ISS

The narrative centers on the critical problem of survival at sea—the threat of death from dehydration while surrounded by salt water. The story debunks popular myths about rescue through rum or rainwater, explaining their dangers. Consuming alcohol only accelerates dehydration, while seawater causes a fatal disruption of cellular balance, leading to madness and death.

The key element of the narrative is an ingeniously simple device—a solar still, which can be assembled from readily available materials: a pot, a dark cloth, and a stone. The events describe the physical principle behind its operation, which replicates the Earth's natural water cycle. Under the sun's heat, water evaporates, leaving the salt behind, and then condenses into pure, fresh liquid suitable for drinking.

The story traces this technology through the ages, from its mention by Aristotle to modern desalination plants. The culmination is the demonstration of how this same fundamental principle of distillation is used in the life support systems on the International Space Station. Thus, the ancient survival method is presented as the foundation for advanced space technologies.