Cold War Standoff Over ISS Toilet

Hugh Pickens writes "The International Space Station, once a place where astronauts would share food and facilities, is said to be embroiled in a Cold War-like stand-off after a Russian cosmonaut complained he is no longer allowed to use a US toilet or the US gym machine. Gennady Padalka, a veteran Russian cosmonaut, says that space officials from Russia, the United States and other countries now require cosmonauts and astronauts to eat their own food and follow stringent rules on access to other facilities, including lavatories. Padalka, who will be the station's next commander, says the arguments date back to 2003, when Russia started charging other space agencies for the resources used by their astronauts and other partners in space station responded in kind. 'Cosmonauts are above the ongoing squabble, no matter what officials decide,' says Padalka. 'We are grown-up, well-educated and good-mannered people and can use our own brains to create normal relationship. It's politicians and bureaucrats who can't reach agreement, not us, cosmonauts and astronauts.' While sharing food in the past helped the crew feel like a team, the new rules oblige Russian cosmonauts and US astronauts to eat their own food. 'They also recommend us to only use national toilets,' says Padalka. 'What is going on has an adverse effect on our work.'"

Comments

It's because

[tomhath]

They leave the seat up...

Re:It's because

[morgan_greywolf]

Additionally, there seem to be squabbling about the 'under/over' controversy with the toilet paper roll.

Re:It's because

[truthsearch]

I'm not sure which is funnier: posting your vote, or getting moderated informative.

it is amazing that humans ever developed the wheel

[Anonymous Coward]

im sure some cave man council decided it would create too much cooperation between rival clans, and tried to stop the project.

Ah the bureaucrat's

[Beached]

This must have been a bureaucrat level 34 or better that started this. A 35 wouldn't know how to fill out the proper acquisition forms.

Re:My first thought was...

[Anonymous Coward]

What was he eating that he clogged up the US toilet?

Thats a legitimate complaint... do you know how much it costs to get a plumber to do a service call?

Ruskies Plan

[cgfsd]

"The average Rooskie, son, don't take a dump without a plan."

Re:(I)SS

[hansamurai]

Politicians: Hard at work to put the "SS" in ISS.

Just Godwin'd this somehow.

Re:This is just sheer stupidity.

[DigiShaman]

They're politicians. It's their *job* to be assholes and douchbags.

You were asking a serious question right?

Not stupid at all!

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Remember, the ISS is now recycling urine for drinking water. Allowing cosmonauts to use our toilet would risk the contamination of our precious bodily fluids. Twice, no less.

Re:Not stupid at all!

[oneTheory]

We don't have to avoid the cosmonauts, but we should deny them our essence.

Re:Not stupid at all!

[DoofusOfDeath]

Remember, the ISS is now recycling urine for drinking water. Allowing cosmonauts to use our toilet would risk the contamination of our precious bodily fluids. Twice, no less.

No, the problem is that the American filtration system can't process that much metabolized vodka. After five days it would become the International Party Station.

Re:If he has to go...

[Sockatume]

I think if someone can figure out how to piss on the floor in a freefall environment with no architectural frame of reference for up and down, you've got no right to stop them.

Re:Don't use the Vulcan's toilet

[ArcherB]

"Or vice-versa the humans toilet. The Earth-Vulcan politicians are squabbling over the respective costs, and don't want non-citizens using their toilets." - United Federation of Planets, official notice

That's what Star Trek would be like if it were realistic - trade and cost disputes. Or just watch Babylon 5 ("By Any Means Necessary").

I thought they just beamed the crap directly from your colon into the anti-matter reaction chamber or Jefferies tubes or something.

Answer: by the asshole in charge

[PMuse]

All the organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was the one in charge.

• "We should be in charge," said the feet, "because we carry the body to get the things we need."
• "I should be in charge," said the stomach," because I process food and give all of you energy."
• "I should be in charge," said the eyes, "because without me, you wouldn't know where the food is."
• "I should be in charge," said the brain , "because I do all the thinking, so without me nothing would happen".
• The asshole simply shut up and did nothing.

After a while, the feet, stomach, eyes, and brain agreed that the asshole was in charge.

Re:Answer: by the asshole in charge

[bugeaterr]

Though for some people, their dick is what's actually in charge.

And those people are collectively known as "men".

Re:This is just sheer stupidity.

[dna_(c)(tm)(r)]

What fucking idiot politician thought this up?

They like pISSing contests. They reached boldly where nobody pissed before.

Re:This is just sheer stupidity.

[Talderas]

So you're a Republican?

Re:This is just sheer stupidity.

[Talderas]

Wooosh.

Re:This is just sheer stupidity.

[Chris Burke]

/voice=Patrick Stewart

"Hello, this is Captain Picard. On the bridge of the Enterprise, I have no problems with Number One. Number two is a different matter. That's why I use Star Fleet Enemas. With a Star Fleet Enema, you can boldly go like no one has gone before!"

Re:This is just sheer stupidity.

[CraftyJack]

I'm sorry, Dave, but I can't let you use that stall.

Americans Get the Short End of the Stick, As Usual

[severoon]

This is particularly unfair when you consider that, even before this dust-up, Americans couldn't use the other nations' toilets anyway. You see, their normal-sized pee tubes would not accommodate our large American junk.

Had to be done, sorry. :-]

Re:Do it anyway

[DetpackJump]

The Americans are just playing tit-for-tat

Or in this case: shit-for-shat