NASA is currently testing their first new space toilet in decades, or to be more specific a $23-million titanium device that’s set to blast off late Thursday from Wallops Island, Virginia, to the ISS. Weighing just 100-pounds and measuring 28-inches tall, it’s approximately half as large as the two Russian-built toilets at the space station now. It’s more compact to fit into the NASA Orion capsules that will carry astronauts to the moon in a few years.
Similar to its predecessors, air suction, instead of water and gravity, removes the waste, while the urine collected by the new toilet will be routed into NASA’s recycling system to generate water for drinking and cooking. Titanium metal was chosen, along with other tough alloys, to withstand all the acid in the urine pre-treatment.
- LEGO Creator space playset - Let kids’ imaginations and creativity blast off on an outer space adventure with the LEGO Creator Space Play Pack for...
- 2 space toy sets in 1 - This fun space-themed bundle includes 2 different building sets: LEGO Creator Space Shuttle (31134) and LEGO Creator Space...
- Endless building possibilities - This space gift set features 6 exciting builds, including 2 different astronauts, a space shuttle, a spaceship model...
Cleaning up a mess is a big deal. We don’t want any misses or escapes. Trust me, I’ve got going to the bathroom in space down, because that is a vital, vital thing to know how to do,” said Melissa McKinley, Project Manager at Johnson Space Center.
