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Space Station Toilets Poop Out

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the so-many-jokes dept.

otter42 writes "The International Space Station's toilet has gone kaput. It seems that the system for separating solid and liquid waste has developed a fault. 'Solids' go where they're supposed to, but 'liquids' don't. The astronauts have bypassed the '"the troublesome hardware" for urine collection with a "special receptacle."' Something tells me they're glad the failure wasn't the other way around." Update: 05/28 21:54 GMT by T : According to a post on Engadget, the toilet's now been repaired.

33 of 207 comments (clear)

  1. In Soviet Russua . . . . by Eg0Death · · Score: 5, Funny

    . . . Space Station poops on you!

    --
    Why is this thus? What is the reason for this thusness?
    1. Re:In Soviet Russua . . . . by AioKits · · Score: 5, Funny

      My favorite line from that article was this: (enabling the boat to use its toilet at greater depth than before).

      It sounds almost heroic to use THAT toilet! Men, I'm going to drop a load at a depth in the ocean, GREATER THAN ANY MAN HAS BEFORE!

      --
      "Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted." -Groucho Marx
    2. Re:In Soviet Russua . . . . by crawling_chaos · · Score: 4, Funny

      . . . SpellCzech says it is spelled Russua! Real Czechs spell it Rusko. Usually with an expletive or three thrown in.
      --
      You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are.
      -- Colonel Adolphus Busch
    3. Re:In Soviet Russua . . . . by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Funny
      I don't know if they still do, but toilets on British submarines used to be accompanied by a long checklist for flushing them with the accompanying warning:

      Please follow these instructions carefully, or you will get your own back.
      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    4. Re:In Soviet Russua . . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      why did you have to dump that one on us?

    5. Re:In Soviet Russua . . . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      In Nazi Germany, however, toilet malfunctions sink U-boats : http://www.uboat.net/boats/u1206.htm

      To quote Neal Stephenson: "ABANDON SHIT! ABANDON SHIT!"

    6. Re:In Soviet Russua . . . . by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Funny

      Now that's a war story... "Grandpa, what did you do in the great war?" "I was tracking down shit, sonny."

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. No prizes for guessing .... by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 5, Funny
    ... what hit the fan. From the article:

    A NASA status report noted that last week, while using the toilet system in the Russian-built service module, âoethe crew heard a loud noise and the fan stopped working.â The solid waste collector is functioning properly, but the system for collecting liquid waste was not.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  3. Their mission... by Bazman · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...to boldly go where no man has gone before.

    Any jokes about the Captain's Log will be flushed out by the moderation system...

    1. Re:Their mission... by Tetsujin · · Score: 5, Funny

      Now they have to go to Uranus and wipe out the Klingons!

      --
      Bow-ties are cool.
  4. time to innovate by Gothmolly · · Score: 5, Funny

    Can't they just piss out the window ?

    $.02 says the 'special receptacle' is a Nalgene bottle

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    1. Re:time to innovate by Ihlosi · · Score: 5, Funny
      Can't they just piss out the window ?



      Regardless of what happens to a part of the human body that is exposed to a hard vaccum (explodes spectacularly as seen in Hollywood movies vs. just becoming freeze-dried really quickly), and attempts at this are a sure way to earn a Darwin award.

    2. Re:time to innovate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Can't they just piss out the window ? Frosty Piss!
    3. Re:time to innovate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      And hope there isn't any air trapped in the sponge when you do it or you have a piss bomb.

  5. Something I have in common with NASA engineers... by damn_registrars · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... I don't understand plumbing, either.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  6. well by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well that sounds pretty shitty.

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:well by dreamchaser · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, I expected a bunch of crappy posts about how pissed the station crew was.

  7. Could be worse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    My father could be running NASA. I'm sure they wouldn't happy to hear they'd have to hold it until they got home.

  8. so what are they going to do? by jollyreaper · · Score: 5, Funny

    Are they going to relieve themselves in little plastic baggies? And will there be the temptation to take these baggies out on spacewalks, wait until the appropriate continent swings around and let 'em fly? Man, the pigeons will be looking up to these astronauts as gods.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  9. Let me guess... by Chelloveck · · Score: 2, Funny

    a "special receptacle"

    Let me guess... A two-liter Mountain Dew bottle which they'll later just throw out the window, right? Because I've soooo been there, man!

    --
    Chelloveck
    I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
  10. not the fix for *everything* by v1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Quite possibly NASA's first ever major problem that not even the magical duct tape could save the day.

    Now watch, we'll read tomorrow about them making a new makeshift toilet with duct tape...

    --
    I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
  11. What I'd say to the astronauts... by Robotech_Master · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Urine trouble now!"

    --
    Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
  12. Re:Special Recepticle? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually, I understand there's two astronauts and one cup.

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  13. Almost by pjt33 · · Score: 5, Funny
    That is a great line, but I feel it pales in comparison to

    [T]he commander, Schlitt, decided to use the toilet without the help of a trained specialist
    1. Re:Almost by Guerilla*+Napalm · · Score: 5, Funny

      Schlitt happens.

    2. Re:Almost by CrazedWalrus · · Score: 4, Funny

      No doubt. Even the commander can't take a Schlitt without supervision.

  14. Re:"Russian Built" by Thelasko · · Score: 3, Funny

    Components. American components, Russian Components, ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!
    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  15. Re:Well it could be worse... by xpuppykickerx · · Score: 2, Funny

    but you have to keep you foot on the gas(or use cruise control), a knee on the wheel and prop yourself up, so you don't pee on the seat. take that gravity!

  16. The question is... by Thelasko · · Score: 2, Funny

    how much does a licensed plumber charge for a service call to low earth orbit?

    This could blow the budget for both the Moon and Mars!

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  17. Re:Two systems? by PJ+The+Womble · · Score: 2, Funny

    The water is recycled. You're taking the piss, right?
  18. Re:It's easy by damn_registrars · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's just like working with electronics, in fact.

    * make sure both surfaces are clean (use a wire brush if needed)
    * heat both surfaces to just the right temp
    * allow the solder to wick up into the gap by capillary action

    note: might be a good idea to use lead-free solder...

    Gee, if I have to do all that just to take a dump on the space station, I think I'll pass...
    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  19. Re:The good news by swillden · · Score: 3, Funny

    They've already cut one member of the crew to save weight.

    How much did they cut off? And what part?

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  20. Re:It's easy by zippthorne · · Score: 3, Funny

    If sex for you involves a wire brush, a propane torch, and liquid tin, you've probably got some issues that need to be addressed.

    --
    Can you be Even More Awesome?!