WELCOME TO THE BATHROOM OUTER SPACE

NASA has finally found the secret to space exploration, regardless of whether it is #1 or #2.

Space travel presents many challenges. Not least, how will they go to the toilet?

The U-2 program, the military’s long-distance reconnaissance plane, faced this problem even before the space age. These long-distance reconnaissance airplanes fly at 70,000ft (21,336m). In-flight peeing was, in the early days, managed by an in-suit catheter, inserted into the then-exclusively-male pilots’ penises and threaded into their bladders. The urine was collected from the bladder and put in a bag. The pilots did not think this was the right solution. NASA eventually found a better solution to space flight, but it was difficult to perfect.

MAN! I GOTTA PEE

NASA did not have a plan for peeing when it launched the first American satellite into space in 1961. They didn’t believe they would need one for the fifteen minute flight. The launch was delayed by a number of small problems. After three hours in the Freedom 7 rocket’s rigged up, Alan Shepard, a solo crew member, gave command with a very simple message: “Man I need to pee.”

Shepard inquired if he could temporarily get up from his suit in order to take a sip of the OJ and coffee that he had with breakfast. Command answered with a clear “No.” They did however temporarily shut off his electrical suit to allow him to pee in his pants and not risk of getting burned. NASA has made one mistake, Alan Shepard got one great pee.

NASA had a better idea for spaceflights that were longer and more complicated. NASA describes an arrangement that astronauts used to urinate via a rubber cuff and flexible collection bag.

Defecation was a bit more complicated. Here’s NASA description of Apollo’s pooping procedures:

The device used a plastic bag that was taped on the buttocks to catch feces. After defecation, crewmembers had to seal the bag and then knead it to mix liquid bactericide. This would provide the desired level of feces stability. This task was unpleasant and took an excessive amount of time. Laxatives and foods with low residue were usually used prior to launch.

LITTLE BOGS OF POOP

Today, spacewalkers use what is basically a high tech diaper called a maximum absorption garment. It is simpler than the previous and does not require you to knead feces or take drugs.

However, space shuttles and International Space Stations have enough room for a toilet. Crew members can pee in what is basically a vacuum tube, which sucks all of the urine in to ensure it doesn’t drift around the space station. The urine is collected and processed. Or, as Jessica Meir, astronaut, stated, “When you think about our urine on the International Space Station, today’s beans are tomorrow’s coffee!”

To defecate they line a canister with plastic bags, then put the canister on top and place the deposit in the bag. This device also has a vacuum to ensure that the deposit goes exactly where it needs to. The tiny bags of poop are loaded onto a special cargo vessel that ignites when it enters Earth’s atmosphere.

DIVERSITY IN TOILET DESIGN

This system works well for male crew personnel, but it isn’t ideal for women who have difficulty separating the processes of peeing or pooping. NASA finally announced in 2013 that it would install a new toilet on its space station. This is also known as a Universal Waste Management System.

The UWMS’s toilet section has been modified to accommodate female anatomy. You can use both the seat and the urine funnel simultaneously.

However, not only can the output float in zero-gravity environments but so can other things. Astronauts, too, can do the same. To make it easier for astronauts to keep track of everything, the toilets now have hand-holds as well as foot restraints. While it might not be easy to conduct your business from space, it is much simpler than it used to.