space pants: a success

This is gross: Astronaut Koichi Wakata didn't change underwear for a month. Wakata returned home to Earth after a stint on the International Space Station, where he has been wearing the same pair of prototype pants for a month... all in the name of science.

Space pants, designed to resist the rigors of lengthy space travel -- anti-static, flame-resistant, odor-eating, bacteria-killing and water-absorbent. They're part of a project aimed at ensuring that future space travelers will will need only minimal space in their suitcases.

Those are some special pants (though still probably not worth $54 million). Since Wakata's fellow crew didn't complain, the pants are being judged a success. Meanwhile, Wakata is looking forward to fresh sushi, a hot shower and some clean clothes when he gets back home.