The astronauts will not wash their hands by sticking them under a faucet and letting the water run. Instead, they will dampen a cloth and carefully wipe their hands clean. In the world today, many people are washing their hands in and using an unclean supply of water. The same technology that is being used in space can be modified for life on Earth. NASA spinoffs can keep people safe from becoming sick from contaminated water.
Water has a big impact on our lives.
Seventy percent of our bodies are water. Without water, we can only live for 72 hours. Every eight seconds a child dies because of water contamination. With our need for water comes an unseen threat of disease. About one billion people throughout the world are without a safe water supply.