The article describes how astronauts go to the toilet in space and take a shower, as well as the principle of space sewerage and water supply.
Space
55 years ago, what many scientists dreamed of happened - a man made the first space flight, breaking out of our planet.
Later, when it became clear that it was quite possible and necessary to deploy research stations in Earth orbit, all space powers began their design and development. However, due to the high cost of such projects, only the USA and the USSR managed to complete them. And later the ISS was created - the international space station. She will soon celebrate twenty years of service.
But the ISS is far from the first space object created for long-term human habitation, which means that it has everything necessary for a relatively comfortable life of astronauts and maintaining their vital activity, including a hygiene unit. And a delicate question that can often be heard from ignorant people: how do astronauts go to the toilet in space? We will talk about this in this article.
Hygiene
This topic rarely pops up in reports about astronauts, science films or literature, even science fiction. In works of art, in general, inconvenient details are often hushed up. You can often find books about how brave space explorers from the future are in combat or scientific space suits for dozens of hours. Despite the delicacy of the topic, the space toilet is a complex technological device, the principle and design of which was developed by the best minds of engineering. And this is no accident.
The fact is that orbital stations and spacecraft are not yet able to create artificial gravity, and the problem of space toilets was acute at the dawn of space exploration. Indeed, in the absence of gravity, liquid human waste will simply scatter into compartments and can cause a short circuit or clog the air circulation system.
So how do astronauts go to the toilet in space? In fact, everything is simple. The toilets are designed on the principle of a vacuum cleaner - waste is drawn in by means of negative air pressure and then enters the recycling system. But consider their device in more detail.
Installation of ISS toilets
The bathroom at the orbital station is a very important device, along with air exchange or thermoregulation systems. If it fails, then further use of the station will become impossible. True, such situations have not yet happened, and the astronauts have spare compacttoilet devices. But the danger lies in the fact that in space it is impossible to open a porthole, throw out all the waste and ventilate the room from an unpleasant smell. So let's consider the question of how astronauts go to the toilet in space in more detail.
There are three bathrooms on the ISS, and two of them are Russian-made. Their toilets are suitable for crew members of both sexes. As already mentioned, they work on the principle of a vacuum cleaner, drawing all waste into the cleaning system and preventing them from scattering through the compartments of the station. And then the waste products enter the cycle of the recycling system, where drinking and industrial water with oxygen is obtained from them.
Of course, the sanitation unit on the ISS and its toilet bowl are very different from those on Earth. First of all, the presence of mounts for the legs (so that the astronaut does not fly away ahead of time), as well as special holders for the hips. And instead of water, they use a vacuum, which draws in all the waste. After the cleaning cycle, the remaining waste is collected in special containers and, as they are filled, are transferred to one of the cargo ships for further disposal. So now we know how astronauts go to the toilet in space. But what if the astronaut wants to use the toilet when he is in the spacecraft, and not at the station?
Spaceship toilets
Launching a ship into space and docking it with the ISS is a very difficult task. Sometimes astronauts have to sit in a rocket ready for launch for quite a long time, and the process of docking andmaneuvering is delayed for tens of hours. Naturally, no normal person can endure so much without going to the toilet. Therefore, before the launch, the astronauts put on special diapers under the spacesuits. The design of the spacecraft is such that it is not advisable to spend space on creating a separate, even the simplest toilet.
If you plan to stay aboard the ship for a long time, as was the case in the early years when there were no space stations, then special toilet devices are used - flexible hoses with nozzles in the form of funnels. The negative pressure in them creates air draft, solid waste is collected in garbage cans, and liquid waste is thrown out of the ship.
How do astronauts wash?
Initially, space explorers did without water procedures. They used wet wipes. But when the first space stations were built and put into orbit, they were all equipped with showers. After all, the air circulation system is closed, and it is difficult to get rid of extraneous odors, so astronauts need to monitor hygiene. Psychological comfort also plays an important role - after all, no one likes to be dirty. So how do astronauts wash?
There is no separate shower cabin at the stations and even more so on the ships. And practice has shown that their construction is inexpedient. For washing, a special easy-to-rinse shampoo, wet wipes and tubes of water are used. Due to surface tension, it clings quite firmly to people's bodies, and then it is simply wiped off.towels. Of course, this cannot be compared with a real shower, but still, this method helps to cope with the natural pollution of the human body.
Skylab
This space station stayed in orbit for about 6 years, and then was sent by operators into the Earth's atmosphere, where it burned up safely. True, not completely, and some of its elements still reached the surface. And this station is notable for the presence of a large amount of free space and a soul.
A modern space station is a place where every free corner of space is used. But Skylab was distinguished precisely by its internal dimensions. They were such that during charging, the astronauts easily flew from one wall to another and generally noted that there was a lot of free internal volume. It was at this station that there was a shower, naturally upgraded for conditions without gravity.
Peace
There was also a shower at Mir station. But the modern ISS space station does not have it, because showering in orbit is not the same thing as water procedures on Earth. The process was greatly delayed due to various difficulties, and the astronauts rarely used the device, preferring to rub down with wet towels. In addition, there is no dirt at the station, and therefore the skin gets dirty much less than on Earth.
Toilet problems in the USA and the USSR
The name of the first astronaut in the history of mankind is probably known to everyone. But the name of the second is not known to everyone. He wasAmerican Alan Shepard. And the first toilet problems for our former space race rivals began on May 5, 1961, before the launch of the rocket with Shepard.
Alan, who had been in the suit for more than 8 hours by that time, told the operator that he really needed to go to the toilet. But it was impossible to interrupt the preparations for the launch, supply the service tower to the ship, and then again engage in preparations. Such a scenario would lead to the postponement of the flight. As a result, Shepard had to relieve a small need directly into the suit. The engineers were afraid that this would lead to a short circuit and the failure of most telemetry sensors, but fortunately, everything worked out.
But Gagarin's flight was better planned. And although it lasted only 108 minutes, his ship was equipped with a special toilet device in the form of flexible hoses with funnels where waste was sucked. True, it is not known whether Gagarin used it.
Conclusion
As you can see, the space toilet is a very important device, without which it would be impossible for astronauts to stay in Earth's orbit for a long time. Despite their apparent simplicity, very large sums were spent on their design and implementation. For example, the toilet that the Americans ordered from Russia for their ISS segment cost them $19 million. Well, during spacewalks, people are forced to use special diapers, as sometimes work outside ships or the ISS stretches for many hours.
And let's recall an unappetizing detail that cosmonauts like to surprise overly impressionable journalists: all waste products enter the recycling system, where they are made into water and oxygen for further consumption. But any serious activity requires sacrifice, and astronauts are ready to go to great lengths to fulfill their dreams.
