The most common motion for astronauts aboard the International Space Station ( ISS ) is n’t about the exciting experimentation they behave up there , harmonise to Commander Chris Cassidy , nor the wonder they experience as they gaze down upon the Earth , but how they take a poop . Imagine being able-bodied to tell somebody what it feels like to leave the Earth ’s atmosphere , and even the safety of the ISS to perform a spacewalk , and they ask you " how do you take a poo though ? "
Nevertheless , there ’s an interesting history and indeed downhearted history to pooping and peeing in space that ’s deserving talk about . In a new video recording , Commander Chris Cassidy has given a enlistment of the ISS toilet and excuse in item how to use it , but first a small account .
During the early days of the Apollo missions , NASA did n’t think about peeing and pooping too much . When the first American human being go into blank , they made no plan at all for if he require the lavatory . The trip was only supposed to be myopic , so they figure he ’d be able to hold it . However , due to delays prior to launch , he end up having to await on the launch pad for minute and ended uphaving to pee himself .
For longer infinite trip , NASA had to figure out a good arrangement . Before Apollo 12 , the main way astronaut went to the toilet wasinto solicitation bags . For pee , this involved stick in your phallus into a thermionic vacuum tube with a rubber , condom - like end . This had its own problems in that the sheath would often fly off in space , largely due to a sizing problem .
For pooping , astronauts would take a faecal base and practice a " fingerbreadth crib " to position it over the anus .
For outing outside of the spacecraft , astronauts would have to use the faecal containment system ( FCS ) , which is a"pair of underpants of absorbent material worn under the liquid chill garment . " This is a fancy way of tell that when human beings first walk on the Moon he was wearing a diaper .
Thankfully , the lav situation has moved on pretty since the other days – at least inside spacecraft – not least because they had to accommodate in edict to accommodate distaff astronauts , for whom a cocktail dress would be somewhat impractical . Now they have an advanced bathroom deftness on the ISS . The recent infinite throne applied science costs awhopping $ 23 million , in fact .
Commander Chris Cassidy explains in this unexampled video how the systems work . You fundamentally get a vacancy hosepipe for your pee and , well , we ’ll get you see for yourself but it involve a prominent stick for poking a poop bag .
Oh the glamor of space flight .
