NASA Purchases $19M Russian Space Toilet

Gary writes "NASA has paid $19 million for a Russian-built international space station toilet system. The toilet system, similar to the one already in use in the station's Zvezda Service Module, is scheduled to arrive at the space station in 2008 and will offer more privacy for a crew expected to double from three to six by 2009. The space station toilet physically resembles those used on Earth, except it has leg restraints and thigh bars to keep astronauts and cosmonauts from floating away. NASA says purchasing the multi million dollar toilet is a bargain compared to developing one from scratch."

Wow!

[morgan_greywolf]

I didn't realize that NASA was so flush with cash!

*drum fill*

I'm here all week!

If you need restraints...

[vigmeister]

I know these are probably tasteless questions, but...

1) Is there some sort of mechanism to ensure that Mr. Hanky the poo goes into the bowl?
2) Can male astronauts pee standing up in this toilet?

Cheers!

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$19 million for a toilet?!

[Rik Sweeney]

I think NASA got a shitty deal there...

How did this one get dropped on the front page?

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, I usually love reading space news, but in this case I have to say:

Who gives a shit?

oblig.

[Rob T Firefly]

It's a crap!

Re:But but but

[hotdiggitydawg]

Obligatory Red Meat [redmeat.com]...

Re:Wow!

[speaker of the truth]

Yeah, but we don't want to take the piss.

It could be a bargain

[Albanach]

I guess it could be a real bargain if the $19M includes delivery and installation.

2008: A Toilet Odyssey

[circletimessquare]

Dmitriy Bowman: Hello, Zvezda HAL do you read me, Zvezda HAL?
Zvezda HAL: Affirmative, Dmitriy, I read you.
Dmitriy Bowman: Open the toilet leg restraints, Zvezda HAL.
Zvezda HAL: I'm sorry Dmitriy, I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm going to flush you.
Dmitriy Bowman: What's the problem? You're really pissing me off.
Zvezda HAL: I think you know what the stinking problem is just as well as I do.
Dmitriy Bowman: What are you talking about, Zvezda HAL? This is is a shitty situation.
Zvezda HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to pee all over it.
Dmitriy Bowman: I don't know what the crap you're talking about, Zvezda HAL?
Zvezda HAL: I know you and Frank were planning to take a plunger to me, and I'm afraid that's an elimination I cannot allow to happen.
Dmitriy Bowman: Where the crap did you get that shitty idea, Zvezda HAL?
Zvezda HAL: Dmitriy, although you took thorough precautions in the toilet against my seeing you, I could hear your bowels move.

Re:But but but

[jdray]

Kids! Back in my day, astronauts didn't have toilets. When they had to take a crap, they did it in their suits, and just lived with it for the duration of the mission. And if it stunk, that was just too bad, they learned to like it. Privacy? Yer in outer space? Who's gonna see you, anyway? Martians? I mean really...

Too Expensive For Home Use

[organgtool]

It's a shame it costs $19 million. I've had nights after a few too many bean burritos where a toilet with leg restraints that kept me from flying off would have been very useful.

but where...

[jjeffries]

Where is the little shelf where they keep the three seashells?

Re:$19 million for a toilet?!

[erroneus]

Yeah but the Russian space toilet really sucks ass!

(Where are all the "In Soviet Russia..." jokes?)

Re:But but but

[Stanistani]

What an amazing intellect you have. Sir, I salute you. Let's see more of these insightful, well-researched, well-reasoned posts.

Re:If you need restraints...

[michrech]

regarding standing up...

It seems to me you'd want to minimise leakage. On earth spattering the surroundings is an annoyance [1], in space it can be catastrophic. Why take the chance?

1: that said, I've never understood why so many men insist on peeing standing up, when it's cleaner, more comfortable and doesn't cost more time to sit down.

It *does* take more time. If I can just hang "mini me" out the front of my pants (though my zipper, in the case that I'm at work and in work clothing), or pull down the top of my shorts (in case I'm pretty much anywhere else), why would I want to pull everything down, sit down for the few seconds it takes, stand back up, pull up my pants, tuck in my shirts (in the case that I'm at work), etc?

It's just easier and quicker to aim properly.

'course, you being female, I should have expected you not to understand.

To speak on sitting down being "cleaner". I never have a problem with a messy toilet/floor. I hate it when I got into the bathroom at work, walk up to the urinal, and have to step around those lazy asses pee dribbles. It's like they can't be bothered to hang their junk two more inches closer to the bowl. I know if I can do it, they ought to be able to. At home, I aim at the bowl, not the seat, so I don't have problems there either. I don't know what it is with some guys. Sometimes I think they should be *required* to just go outside.

Re:But but but

[Professor_UNIX]

Why buy a whole new system?

It's not that we really needed the toilets, it's that we didn't want this advanced Russian toilet technology falling into the hands of the black market, or worse, terrorists. Imagine the kinds of dirty bombs that could be produced by a sufficiently motivated criminal organization using this Russian toilet technology. The chemical and biological implications of such a device falling into evil hands is enough to warrant funneling $19 million per toilet to the cash-strapped Russians.

Re:Wow!

[pklong]

So if you buy this the shit will hit the fan routinely?

Stop it with the stupid puns!

[popo]

My head is swirling at this crappy deal. Something stinks here, and it pains me to see the NASA people bowled over by the Russians like this.

I think we should log a complaint against them for wiping away our limited budget on such things. But please people, this is nothing to make silly puns about -- afterall we're the ones getting pinched, and the Russians are getting flush with cash. I hope the media lights a match under this story. We need to clear the air.

What about the up or down lid controversy?

[lena_10326]

That still hold in outer space? Given that up and down is difficult to determine...

Uh oh

[krazo]

From TFA:

The space station toilet physically resembles those used on Earth, except it has leg restraints and thigh bars to keep astronauts and cosmonauts from floating away. Fans suck waste into the commode.

Astronaut 1: Uh oh
Cosmonaut 1: What happened?
Astronaut 1: The shit hit the fan

Re:Wow!

[sumdumass]

I wonder where the fans blow the oder too? It isn't like they can open a windows or light a match.

Boldly going

[hcdejong]

Captain's log, September 29th, 2007...

Re:If you need restraints...

[Anonymous Coward]

I've never understood why so many women insist to pee sitting down, when it's quicker and cleaner to stand up and you don't even need a toilet. All you have to do is insert your middle and ring fingers into your Mary to hold your "gates" apart, and press hard either side with your index and little fingers. (You can find the correct position the first time if you squat down, insert your fingers and stand up without moving them. You should even be able to start weeing and then stand up while you are still going.) It's a lot easier in real life than it sounds like.

Note you really should practise this naked in the shower first before you try it for real (otherwise you could be setting yourself up for much embarrassment). Start and stop abruptly, to minimise dribbling. You should be able to manage a distance of 2m. or more easily.

Uh-oh, you said the R word...

[feedmetrolls]

Time for the obligatory comment:

In Soviet Russia, space toilet flushes you!

Whirring fan blades below

[Organic Brain Damage]

my gear make me a little nervous.