Main Toilet On ISS Craps Out

The Narrative Fallacy writes "NASA has spent years getting ready for a crowd in space — adding additional sleeping quarters, learning how to recycle liquid waste into drinking water, and installing a second bathroom last year. But now the main toilet has broken down on the International Space Station while a record 13 astronauts are on board. For now Mission Control has advised the astronauts to hang an 'out of service' sign on the toilet as it may take days to repair. In the meantime, Endeavour's seven astronauts will be restricted to the shuttle bathroom. Last year a Russian cosmonaut complained that he was no longer allowed to use the US toilet because of billing and cost issues. Now the six space ISS residents will have to get in line to use the back-up toilet in the Russian part of the station. The pump separator on the malfunctioning toilet has apparently flooded, and ESA astronaut Frank De Winne is the guy tasked with putting his plumbing skills to work on short notice. 'We don't yet know the extent of the problem,' says flight director Brian Smith, adding that the toilet troubles were 'not going to be an issue' for now."

Comments

Man Overboard! All hands on the Poop Deck!

[geekmux]

They can't use the shuttle toilet that much, since it has to dump waste water overboard periodically. They can't do this while docked.

OK, while I've somewhat come to terms with the fact that we still find using Naval terms thousands of miles away from any body of water is somehow fitting for that environment, I'm thinking using the term "overboard" is pushing it while sitting in the vacuum of infinite space.

I'll be holding my breath for the term Poop Deck to turtle it's ugly head.

Re:fed up...

[st0nes]

Why? Simple answer KISS! If you look at the Russian space program you would think that nothing has changed since their stuff seems so old.

I'm not sure whether or not the following anecdote is true, but if it is it confirms your theory. It is alleged that the US space program back in the early days of the shuttle spent several million dollars developing a ballpoint pen that would work reliably in microgravity. The Soviets used a pencil.