Space Station Toilet Broken
Problems with the International Space Station toilet first surfaced in May 2008, when reports said the orbiting outpost's master bathroom for the astronauts had been out of order for nearly a week. In October 2008, it was reported that the Station's toilet was once again malfunctioning. NASA said crews were working to fix what it called a "gas separator issue."1
Fast Facts
- Toilet uses air jets to separate waste1
- Liquid waste fan has stopped working; solid waste collection system was still functioning normally
- Crew has used the toilet on the Soyuz lifeboat capsule as a backup1
- Also used liquid waste collection bags1
- NASA ordered new toilet for the Space Station at a cost of about $19 million; toilet expected to be delivered to the orbiter in November 20081
May 2008 Problems
The toilet on the International Space Station uses jets of air to separate liquid and solid waste for transport into different storage containers. The crew reported in May 2008 that one of the fans had stopped working, rendering the liquid waste collection system inoperable. Astronauts used the toilet on the Soyuz lifeboat capsule, as well as a bag collection system, until the Space Shuttle arrived on June 2, 2008, with a replacement pump for the broken toilet.1
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