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The Supreme Court showed extreme and troubling deference to the views of the military, deciding to lift two restrictions on the Navy’s use of sonar in training exercises off the California coast.

The sonar is used to detect extremely quiet diesel-electric submarines that might threaten a fleet. But the noise is earsplitting — as loud as 2,000 jet engines, according to environmental groups — to acoustically sensitive whales and other marine mammals.

Most disturbing was the majority’s strong statements of deference to the professional judgments of military officers. A district court and appeals court in California had shown much more willingness to probe behind the military’s claims.

They had concluded that the Navy could effectively train its strike groups even under the two restrictions it most vigorously opposed: that sonar be shut down if marine mammals were spotted within 2,200 yards and powered down during certain rare sea conditions.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion, chastised the lower courts for failing to defer to the judgment of senior Navy officers who claimed that the restrictions would impair realistic training that is of the “utmost importance to the Navy and the nation.” Chief Justice Roberts downplayed the likely harm to marine life and said the public interest in military readiness tipped the scales “strongly in favor of the Navy.”

Read more @ NYtimes.com

But as the NASA rocket thingy shot up to the skies last night for another interesting mission, the only thing on my mind was the water they will drink.

Because it appears that they will be sipping their own recycled urine.

I know, I know. There are many cities in the world where the tap water is undrinkable. And I had hoped that this was merely a cost-cutting move in our tight times. But the fact is that this wastewater recycling gizmoid cost $250 million and is one of the featured experiments on this trip. Two more nuggets of information that make my natural ease turn to quease.

"We did blind taste tests of the water. Nobody had any strong objections. Other than a faint taste of iodine, it is just as refreshing as any other kind of water," NASA’s lead urinary engineer Bob Bagdigian told the Daily Telegraph.

I understand that it’s not easy keeping astronauts hydrated out there in the black beyond. And I know that there have even been Prime Ministers who swore by drinking their own entirely unrecycled piddle.

But some small part of me wishes there was, as Tony Blair always used to waffle, a third way.

This will be one of the last ten flights of the Space Shuttle. It is being retired and after 2010 the only flights will be Soyuzes.

But the current aim is for 92% of all the water drunk on board to be produced by the crew’s urinary tracts and the moisture in the air- some of which might be created, one supposes, by sweating crew members.

And when you listen to the chemistry of the process, Lord, it might turn your tummy. They distill, filtrate and oxidate.

The final gourmet touch is the addition of that little smidgen of iodine to control microbial growth. Which I’m assuming is something to do with little mites feeding on your waste and having babies half way down your throat.

I am sorry. As Heidi Klum always says on Project Runway: "one day urine and the next day urout." I’m out.

Source: Cnet.com