By B Jayakishore
I Often wonder how Astronauts deal with 'Natures call' in space? While in the earth urine or solid excrets moves out of the body due to gravitational force. But in the space, where gravity is absent, I really wonder how they manage?!
How Asronauts shit?: According to NASA information, It has developed a distinctive kind of toilet system for the use in space. Generally space station toilets resembles those used in earth. But the way the user sits above the 'Basin' is different to tackle weightlessness.
The toilets in the space station have special type of 'Holding Systems' which holds thighs and legs of astronaut to keep him in required position and prevent him from floating in the atmosphere. Compleate system operates on a vaccum. Hence tight seal is the must. Toilets are also equipped with 'Sucking system' to carry waste away from the body.
After sitting in position with the help of holding devices, they switch ON the sucking fans. When solid excret starts coming out of the body, sucking systems suck them to move it away from the body. For sucking purpose compressed air/fan system is used.
In space, air is very precious. So, the air which is used priorly to 'Suck' is filtered once again to remove odour and bacteria from it and then returned to the cabin/compressor for next days use! The human waste which is collected is stored on board in tight sealed Alluminium bags and disposed only after landing.
The urinal system has a flexible hose with attachable funnels. On board each astronaut has been given seperate funnels, which has different shapes for men and women. Here also compressed air or sucking fans are used to suck urine to carry it away from the body and collected in 20litre cans.
Interestingly, collected urine is distilled to create purified water! Such water is pure enough to drink also! But very few astronauts use it for drinking purpose. So, most of the recovered water is used to extract the oxygen out of it to add it to space atmosphere.
Present International space station has Russian built toilet system, cost of which is mommoth 19 million dollors! i.e., Rs.78 crores approximately..!!
Look how astronauts bath in space. They wash their body with wet wash clothes. This is called 'Sponge bath'. This is identical to the bath which we do it for the people in earth who're seriously ill.
In weightlessness condition astronauts cannot even brush as we do in earth. So, instead they use
'Swallowing type of tooth paste' to clean their mouth. If can't able to swallow it they spit it to the towel as it is not even possible to spit in space!
Ooops!
Sunitha, you are really great!!
I Often wonder how Astronauts deal with 'Natures call' in space? While in the earth urine or solid excrets moves out of the body due to gravitational force. But in the space, where gravity is absent, I really wonder how they manage?!
How Asronauts shit?: According to NASA information, It has developed a distinctive kind of toilet system for the use in space. Generally space station toilets resembles those used in earth. But the way the user sits above the 'Basin' is different to tackle weightlessness.
The toilets in the space station have special type of 'Holding Systems' which holds thighs and legs of astronaut to keep him in required position and prevent him from floating in the atmosphere. Compleate system operates on a vaccum. Hence tight seal is the must. Toilets are also equipped with 'Sucking system' to carry waste away from the body.
After sitting in position with the help of holding devices, they switch ON the sucking fans. When solid excret starts coming out of the body, sucking systems suck them to move it away from the body. For sucking purpose compressed air/fan system is used.
In space, air is very precious. So, the air which is used priorly to 'Suck' is filtered once again to remove odour and bacteria from it and then returned to the cabin/compressor for next days use! The human waste which is collected is stored on board in tight sealed Alluminium bags and disposed only after landing.
The urinal system has a flexible hose with attachable funnels. On board each astronaut has been given seperate funnels, which has different shapes for men and women. Here also compressed air or sucking fans are used to suck urine to carry it away from the body and collected in 20litre cans.
Interestingly, collected urine is distilled to create purified water! Such water is pure enough to drink also! But very few astronauts use it for drinking purpose. So, most of the recovered water is used to extract the oxygen out of it to add it to space atmosphere.
Present International space station has Russian built toilet system, cost of which is mommoth 19 million dollors! i.e., Rs.78 crores approximately..!!
Look how astronauts bath in space. They wash their body with wet wash clothes. This is called 'Sponge bath'. This is identical to the bath which we do it for the people in earth who're seriously ill.
In weightlessness condition astronauts cannot even brush as we do in earth. So, instead they use
'Swallowing type of tooth paste' to clean their mouth. If can't able to swallow it they spit it to the towel as it is not even possible to spit in space!
Ooops!
Sunitha, you are really great!!
2 comments:
Dear Jayakishore,
NIce Information. Put more such interesting science informations in your blog. Good effort. Keep it up.....
Good Piece
Vish
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