On Apollo, using the bathroom was ‘messy.’ America’s next moonshot will be radically different

Pressfrom ^ | 23 June 2019

[DUMBGRUNT]

The three Apollo 10 astronauts are zipping through the desolate expanse of space, the Earth a small blue marble behind them, on a mission poised to set the stage for one of humanity’s seminal achievements, when, suddenly, astronaut Tom Stafford called out from inside the cramped spacecraft: “Oh — who did it?”

After some confusion, he repeated himself: “Who did it?”

He was laughing.

Then astronaut Gene Cernan spotted the source of the commotion: “Where did that come from?”

“Give me a napkin quick,” Stafford said, horrified. “There’s a turd floating through the air.”

Ah, the glamour of space travel.

...Taking lessons from the International Space Station, which required astronauts to stay in space for months at a time, Orion has a built-in toilet system with a privacy curtain that collects solid waste without risking fly aways because it gets compacted and stored in canisters that don’t tear like the Apollo bags sometimes did. (Urine collection, though, will be similar as on Apollo, with urine kept in a tank and then released to space.)

[Calvin Locke]

In the movie, The Right Stuff, Alan Shepard, planning to be the first American in space, did go right before he was buttoned up, but sat on the pad so long, that his last cup of coffee’s rental time was up, and after consulting the engineers, he was cleared to void in the suit.

Something that wasn’t taken into consideration.

Growing up in the 1960s, there was a NASA facility close by, and a classmate’s father showed up to do a rah-rah presentation, including bringing John Glenn’s pressure suit from the Friendship 7 flight. Don’t remember any urine smell, so they must have made changes for #1 by that launch.

[boop]

I've read about how before launch, astronauts ate the "traditional breakfast of steak and eggs"

I thought, how nice, they wanted to treat the astronauts to a good meal.

Before they were eating powdered liquids, and freeze-dried provisions on board.

Now I realize they were trying to plug up the guys systems, so they wouldn't *need* to poop too often.

[jmcenanly]

You should read the instructions before you use it.

[DUMBGRUNT]

VINTAGE SPACE
The Trouble With Fecal Containment Systems

https://www.popsci.com/blog-network/vintage-space/trouble-fecal-containment-systems/

[x]

Yeah, I guess Buzz was a real slob ...

[hinckley buzzard]

I remember watching early space flights, once with an LPN, off duty. Her first question was, how they eliminated waste. Practical— you bet.

[HonkyTonkMan]

Bill Anders did not want to use the system while on Apollo 8. He had a nutritionist prepare a !ow fiber diet prior fo the 3-day flight. When the Yorktown picked them up Anders really bad to go. President Johnson called the ship to congratulate Lovell, Borman, & Anders. Bill was still relieving himself and a savvy sailor slipped a phone into the stall for the call.

Apparently it was a time consuming process.

[golux]

Of course not. Just missed supper with my family.

[Calvin Locke]

I forgot about that. Didn’t know it was the result of his specific diet.

I think I have Martha Mitchell’s [installed] phone-in-the-bathroom theatrics imprinted as the first bathroom phone use.

[Carriage Hill]

Wasn’t me...

[damper99]

Watch out for the floaters!

[DUMBGRUNT]

Watch out for the floaters!

That was very bad!
But funny.