My, How things have changed!
Posted on 07/19/2009 11:52:10 AM PDT by TaxPayer2000
LOL!
They need to start eating some of that NASA space cheese.
Brings a new meaning to ‘raw footage’.
That is disgusting.
Yes, I’ve known a few astronauts, and they are brave.
The exploration of space in our age is akin to the voyages of the Vikings to the New World, Columbus, and our own Lewis & Clarke expedition.
As the technology improves and the cost comes down Americans WILL move to the new frontier, settle, and exploit the resources.
Did you know that just one near-Earth asteroid has more nickel than known reserves on Earth?
Its the New World without the pesky natives. Note that the Vikings visited the New World but lacked the technology for sustained voyages like the explorers who returned 500 years later.
I am all for the advancement of science and space exploration, as long as it is done by the private sector. Every government program is doomed to failure.
They need to increase their cheese rations, STAT!
I have a very easy remedy. I can’t believe no one hasn’t thought of this one already.
Remember when guys used to “moon” passing vehicles in days gone by? Figure out a way to make an opening with a flap or something and then just squeeze the butt out of it and then you’re never have to worry about disposing of it either. Just plenty of space junk, just add space **** to the list.
Of course, I am trying to be funny here and lots of people won’t take it that way.
Oh my God, when environmentalists here on Earth are as anal as they are, what will the space environmentalists be like?? Disposing of feces in space just might cause universal warming.
Maybe so but on their voyages they just threw the crap overboard.....no problem.
. . .Where it will dessicate and freeze, and eventually re-enter the atmosphere.
After which, NASA will be castigated for launching Icy BMs. . . .
“and eventually re-enter the atmosphere”
And burn up, poof!
One of my friends at Rockwell was the Program Manager of the team that designed the Shuttle Toilet. There are lots of challenges to handling human wastes in zero gravity (don’t want to breath in those pathogens).
The Shuttle DOES dump liquid overboard. It just cannot do that close to the ISS.
In Apollo days, they used a plastic bag that had adhesive to stick it to their butt and a finger cott in the bag to wipe. There was nothing wrong with that system. I sometimes think we just need to recruit hardier astronauts who can handle a bit of unpleasantness in regard to hygiene.
My, How things have changed!
What's the first rule of plumbing? [Sewage] flows downhill, right? Well, in free fall, there's no downhill; the stuff just... floats there. And not just the stuff in the can -- the fresh-squeezed stuff as well. If you take a dump in free fall, it doesn't just plop into the toilet. It hovers. And to get it moving away from you, you either have to push it (by bagging it up and throwing it away) or pull it (using air pressure, i.e. suction).
The NASA space toilets use suction. When you "sit" on the seat (you can't sit, either -- you have to strap yourself to it) a powerful turbopump comes on and sucks you onto the fixture, forming an airtight seal between your ass and the seat. You do your business; then, when you unstrap, the sudden burst of air pressure blows your dookey onto a rotating gadget called a "slinger" that slings it onto the walls of a donut-shaped holding tank. Yes, in space the crap literally does hit the fan.
The trouble is, they've never been able to get the damned thing to work reliably. And so in many cases astronauts have to use the fecal bag system, which is like a plastic grocery bag with a gummed seal around the top of the bag. You stick this Baggie to your ass, then do your thing (#2 only), using your hands to "guide" the poopy away from your butt and into the bottom of the bag as you go. (The bag has reverse-glove fingers in it for this purpose. God help you if you have diarrhea.) The poo-filled bag is then stowed away for later "anal"ysis.
You can see why a lot of 'stros choose to "hold it" while the mission is underway. This works OK for one-week Moon jaunts or three-day test flights, but for long missions it's obviously a non-starter. I suspect that the problem will remain unsolved until we have full-on artificial gravity aboard ship, like the rotating centrifuge bathrooms in 2001.
Incidentally, the lack of good bathroom facilities aboard ship is the reason astronauts traditionally eat a steak and eggs breakfast before launch. Lotta protein in a meal like that, and not much fiber...
"ISS, prepare for emergency docking maneuvers..."
“We don’t yet know the extent of the problem,” he said.
It sounds like they have nothing to go on.
Pennies from heaven. (Or maybe rubles)
Paging Joe the Plumber, Paging Joe the Plumber...call on Line 2 from NASA
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