William Atkins
Wednesday, 28 May 2008 20:07
Science -
Space
Page 1 of 2
The toilet on the Zvezda module isn’t working, which forced the three crewmembers of the International Space Station to use the toilet on the Soyuz and, then, a bag collection system. Luckily, help is on the way!
On Tuesday, May 27, 2008, the
Expedition 17 crew—Russian cosmonauts Sergey Volkov and Oleg Kononenko and U.S. astronaut Garrett Reisman—reported having problems earlier in the week with the primary toilet on the International Space Station (ISS).
Some of the problems with the toilet include a motor fan that has stopped working and a liquid waste gathering device that is only working part of the time.
The space inhabitants were forced to use the much smaller toilet that is aboard the
Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft, which is docked on the Pirs module. However, the use of that tiny toilet was ended due to its limited volume to store waste materials.
The three crew members are now using a system involving bags, similar to what was used by the Apollo astronauts of the 1960s and 1970s. The bags are hooked up to the broken toilet.
However, the NASA STS-124 mission, which is scheduled to lift-off on Saturday, May 31, 2008, will be bringing spare parts for the ailing toilet. NASA officials are currently deciding what materials will be left behind to accommodate the replacement toilet parts.
After the STS-124 crew members arrive at the Station, repairs will be carried out on the defective toilet. While repairs are being made, the ten people (seven members of the space shuttle Discovery and three on the ISS) can use the toilet onboard Discovery.
Although the crew onboard the ISS will be inconvenienced for a few days, permanent help is on its way.
A sophisticated $19 million toilet system is set to be installed on the International Space Station later in 2008. The system is similar in function to a municipal treatment plant commonly used on Earth.
Learn more about the new toilet system for the ISS on the next page, along with additional information on the STS-124 mission.
