13 Astronauts, One functional bathroom

[babylonsister]

Testy Toilet on Space Station
While the Crew Works to Fix Unit, 'Hold' Times Will Increase for Astronauts
By GINA SUNSERI
HOUSTON, July 19, 2009


Houston, we have a problem.

One of the two bathrooms on the International Space Station is broken. Engineers at the Johnson Space Center are working around the clock to troubleshoot the problem, but it could take days to fix.

Astronaut Hal Getzelman radioed up the bad news to the crew on the space station. "When you get a second, if you could put an out-of-service note on the WHC and advise the crew members that station crew members will have to use the Russian toilet and shuttle crew members on the shuttle until further notice."

European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne is the guy tasked with putting his plumbing skills to work on short notice. He asked if engineers had an estimate on how long it might take to get the toilet back in operation.

"No, we don't have a good estimate," Getzelman said. "What happened, the pre-treat (chemical), we think, flooded the pump separator and we may have got some fluid where we didn't want it and it'll take us a while to work through a procedure to recover."

There are 13 people on the space station right now – a record. The crew represents the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe. NASA has spent years getting ready for a crowd in space – adding additional sleeping quarters, learning how to recycle liquid waste into drinking water, and installing a second bathroom last year.

more...

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8122374&page=1

[bbinacan]

1. There's another one

on the Shuttle.

[BlooInBloo]

2. For boys, anywhere is a bathroom. troofact.

[Silent3]

4. That attitude might not serve you well...

...in zero-g. Stuff gets loose and floats all over the place. :(

[pipi_k]

8. Grab the baseball bats and tennis racquets!

All that floating stuff could make for some interesting space sport


:7

[baldguy]

11. I wonder what the specific impulse of a stream of piss is?

[CRF450]

22. Point and shoot baby!!

Thats all it takes for us dudes.

[Silent3]

3. I wonder if they have any spacesuits or uniforms...

...designed to show ass crack when you bend over to check the plumbing?

At any rate, now I've got even more reason to feel a bit over indulgent about our new house -- 2 people, 5 bathrooms.

[cherokeeprogressive]

5. On the NASA Channel at this moment, there's a computer on the right side of the screen

that's running Windows. LOL take THAT Macfanatics!

[Silent3]

7. Yeah, it's probably what regulates the toilet.

:P

[cherokeeprogressive]

12. LOL I'm surprised it took so long for a reply like that.

If those working in the marketing dept. at MS don't use that as a selling point, someone's asleep at the wheel.

I've worked with both Macs and PCs, and frankly, I don't see much of a difference in speed, reliability, or much else other than price.

[spanone]

10. it's probably upgraded to windows 95...i've read where the shuttle is 70's technology

[cherokeeprogressive]

13. XP - When I first turned to the channel, the laptop was in screensaver. n/t

[pscot]

6. Slum housing in space

Nice.

[spanone]

9. i just saw that on the news.....they'll be lined up.

[givemebackmycountry]

14. So, I'm guessing (or hoping)

That there is no such things as "Space Chili" or Beef and Bean Burritos on the space station.
What happens when someone "Al Bundy's" the only working toilet?
13 people and one toilet.
In space.
And they can't keep the shuttle up there indefinitely to act as the worlds most expensive Port-O-John.
This will go well.

[MADem]

16. What happens when someone "Al Bundy's" the only working toilet?

Remember that crazy astronaut in the diapers who was going to kill off her rival for another astronaut's affections?

Remember how she used industrial diapers so she wouldn't have to stop on her bizarre ride?

I'm betting that's Plan B.

[givemebackmycountry]

19. I love your little bear thingy that takes the red X away...

I swear, I stare at it sometimes for several minutes, thinking it's going to do something different.
It's some kind of mind control right?

I'm so dumb, I'm like a dog watching a treat waved from one hand to the other...

[MADem]

21. It's actually a himalayan cat!! Looks just like my old buddy that went

everywhere with me, all over the world (along with dogs, another cat and a bird) for nearly twenty years.

[Kali]

15. eh, they should be alright

as long as my sister isn't up there, and no teenagers on the crew:rofl:

[Mind_your_head]

17. Depends (those adult diaper thingies) could be one answer temporarily....

I was just reading about this last night, ran across it serendipitously. Apparently, they might have these things on board already b/c they wear the diaper things when they are in their spacesuits, as referenced here:

16 The shuttle commode requires that astronauts align themselves precisely in the dead center of the seat. A mock-up of the shuttle toilet, complete with built-in camera, is used to train them how to position themselves.

17 NASA tried building a bathroom into its space suits—a fitted condom attached to a bladder for men, a molded gynecological insert for women—but gave up and passed out diapers to all.

Source: http://discovermagazine.com/2007/nov/20-things-you-didn2019t-know-about-living-in-space

[Confusious]

20. Har!

16 The shuttle commode requires that astronauts align themselves precisely in the dead center of the seat. A mock-up of the shuttle toilet, complete with built-in camera, is used to train them how to position themselves.

Huston, the eagle has landed!

HAR HAR

[madamesilverspurs]

18. Suggest they confiscate

all reading matter until this is fixed. . .

[Cetacea]

23. If you could pee out of a window of the shuttle, which way would it go?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

24. Probably...right back in at ya!

:rofl:

[Confusious]

25. Its all Howard Wolowitzs' fault n/t