Waste Exploration: How Space Toilets Work

When you gotta go, you gotta go - even when you're a hundred miles away from earth. But, the absence of gravity makes it difficult to use the bathroom: you can't flush with water, you can't clean up the usual way, and you can't even sit down on a toilet properly. There's no down in outer space!  

Thankfully, aerospace engineers have come up with a solution that helps astronauts answer the call of nature: the zero-gravity toilet. Learn more about it by reading on.

How Do Toilets in Spacecraft Work?
The orbital outhouse looks very much like its earthbound counterparts. You can take a tour of a space shuttle and recognize it right away. However, aerospace engineers designed this multi-million dollar toilet a bit differently since it's used in a weightless environment. They equipped it with high bars and fasteners to prevent the astronauts from floating away while relieving themselves. And, to make sure waste doesn't hover too close when it exits the body, a vacuum cleaner-like mechanism collects the organic matter.

So that people can use the facility correctly, NASA takes potty training to the next level. They have an entire room dedicated to simulating the process of eliminating metabolic waste in space. Aside from knowing how to operate the equipment, astronauts have to learn to position themselves correctly against the commode so the "classified materials" don't miss the toilet.

What Happens When the Toilet's Broken?
If you're in the peach state, it's easy to call commercial plumbing services in Gainesville, GA to fix broken toilets. But, when you're an astronaut who's 220 miles from earth, that's a different story. You'll have to wait until aerospace engineers come to the rescue. Since everything works differently in zero gravity, anything that escapes will float indefinitely in space.

Fixing spacecraft plumbing is no DIY job. One wrong move can destroy the entire mechanism because water behaves differently in space - it doesn't flow. A complex system of fans and pumps keeps it running. And, since liquids are recycled throughout the mission, all equipment has to be kept spotless to lower the risk of contamination.

Where Does Human Waste Go?
Astronauts on the International Space Station used to dispose of their waste by ejecting it out of the spacecraft. They ended up like shooting stars anyway - burning up in the earth's atmosphere, traveling at several miles per second - or so they thought. The trouble was that some organic matter crashed into the station's solar panels, damaging them enough for them to lose nearly half of their output.

That dilemma prompted NASA to take action. They created a liquid recycling system that turned urine, sweat, and gray water into potable H₂0. This was cleaner than most bottled water on the planet, thanks to the state-of-the-art purification equipment.

Human refuse isn't recycled as of now, but researchers are already working on it. There are talks about using it as spacecraft lining to protect the shuttle from dangerous levels of radiation. Astronauts today still send their solid waste into the atmosphere, but, this time, it gets specially treated to prevent bacterial growth. 

Luckily, back here on earth, you don't have to worry about releasing "shooting stars." The only time you have to think about your toilet is when it starts acting out of this world. And, when it does, you only have to contact professionals offering commercial plumbing services in Gainesville, GA.

About This Author

Jammy Smith Joined: June 20th, 2018