At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers are getting ready for a new toilet system. The Russian-designed system will be installed next year, well in time for the expansion of the International Space Station in 2009.
NASA has signed a contract to purchase a toilet system designed in Russia for the International Space Station's planned expansion.
The new system features privacy enclosure and is similar to one already in use at the International Space Station in the Zvezda Service Module.
Experts say designing a bathroom for use in space is a lot more complicated than most people think.
Jim Broyan, NASA habitability hardware manager, said, "Designing and building a toilet in space is very difficult. It's been sometimes referred to, it's easy to do here on the ground, maybe the equivalent of putting your toilet on the ceiling and seeing how easy it was to use because you're working against gravity in space in the absence of gravity."
The most fundamental difference between a bathroom on earth and one in space is that in space, both men and women use a funnel for urine collection. The funnel is attached to a flexible hose, which can be emptied into a waste collection system.
The funnel, moreover, can be used in a standing position, or be attached to a commode by a pivoting mounting bracket for use in a sitting position.
Two foot restraints are employed in the current model on board each space shuttle. They will also be used for the new Russian model.
As with the current system, the new toilet will separate urine into various components and, through a series of filters, collect water for re-use.
Since there's no plunger in space, astronauts will be given rudimentary lessons in the plumbing structure, in case the system is clogged up.
