Ever wonder how the astronauts relieved themselves?

Question

I know it's an odd question but it's reality. Come on...they were out in space for almost a week (or so they say) and in that time period i'm almost for certain they did have to go one time or another. Also, I wonder how the little turd shot out since gravity was not there to help it travel to it's appropriate course. Did they have to try and catch the thing?...Grrrross.

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_toilet

Answer 2

In the first Mercury flight, which was only supposed to last fifteen minutes, Alan Shepard was in his capsule on the ground for so long due to holdups in the countdown that he had to relieve himself in his suit. On later flights they used a urine collection device, which was basically a rubber bag that was strapped in place.

On Gemini and Apollo this was not going to be adequate. For urinating the astronauts literally peed into space, putting their penis in a rubber collection tube and then dumping the urine overboard (which, by the way, the astronauts said was a beautiful sight if done at the right time, as the sunlight glinted off all the tiny ice crystals). For defaecation they had a slightly more unpleasant system. They taped a plastic bag to their behind, did what they had to, then had to use the bag to grab and pull the excrement away (as you say, in zero gravity it won't fall), seal the bag, pop a capsule of germicide and actualy knead the contents (!) to make sure the bag was sterile and not going to start putrefying and producing gases. The bags were then stored in the capsule and returned to Earth.

For those missions the food was specially selected to be a low residue diet, to minimise the need for defaecation in flight. Bill Anders, on Apollo 8, claims that he was so disgusted by the arrangement that he held it in for the entire duration of the flight. Ironically, on the same flight, Frank Borman suffered an allergic reaction to a sleeping tablet which gave him diarrhoea, not fun in zero gravity! He was also vomiting badly. Bill Anders apparently cannot use small moist towelettes provided in restaurants because they remind him of using the same sort of thing on Apollo 8 to mop up that stuff that Borman didn't manage to catch with the bag....

Now, toilets on the shuttle and space station use a vacuum system. The astronauts use a bar to hold themselves on the seat, and the toilet uses a strong flow of air to direct everything down into the toilet bowl and into a waste treatment facility. The liquid is ejected into space, the solid material is compacted and stored for return to Earth.

Answer 3

If you have a normal, healthy digestive system, gravity has nothing to do with much.

Your digestive tract propells food and waste through it by rippling muscle contractions, and it will come out the exit regardless of gravity.

Space toilets are essentially vacuums to take care of the waste once you pass it.

Birds need gravity to swallow though, which is why they have never been taken into space.

Answer 4

You are a damn reTURD. Get it? Wait, you're too stupid.

First of all: 'Turds' dont shoot out because of gravity you moron. They move out because of muscle contraction.

Second, ever heard of this thing called a diaper?

Third, some space crafts also have specially designed toilets that rely on vacuums.

I am seriously considering that I subscribing to the notion that there are no stupid questions; just stupid people.

Answer 5

Very carefully.

Answer 6

<>LOL...they use a vacuum system.