Astronauts will soon pick up trash in the toilet, costing $ 23 million. Science, Baby.
NASA will begin delivery of nearly ,000 8,000 on Tuesday from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to the International Space Station … and the cargo will include the Universal Waste Management System.
The toilet – about 28 inches long – is 65% smaller and 40% lighter than the current John on the ISS, but capable of supporting larger staff. It will be installed next to the existing toilet and the astronauts will test how the new cropper works in a microgravity environment.
Some features of the toilet – a urinal funnel and a seat made to accommodate more female staff. It also features a 3D-printed titanium dual-fan separator … which creates a strong airflow that helps to draw astronauts’ urine and waste into the toilet.
Remember, there is no gravity so they take all the help they can get.
The new toilet will improve the pretreatment system used for collecting and treating urine before recycling for urination and reclaimed water. If the new toilet is successful … it will one day be useful to the moon and even to Mars.
The return mission also includes food, science experiments and skin care from the Estee Lauder.
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