There’s a bit of a stinky situation in space.
The main toilet aboard the International Space Station has broken down, forcing the three crew members to use the loo on the Soyuz escape craft that’s permanently attached to the ISS, according to various media reports.
However, the Soyuz head will offer only temporary relief, as its holding tank will quickly fill up.
• Click here to visit FOXNews.com’s Space Center.
To remedy the problem, space shuttle Discovery will bring spare parts for the Russian-built space toilet when it launches to the ISS Saturday.
“The Zvezda service module toilet experienced additional difficulties Tuesday morning,” the latest NASA update dryly reports.
In any case, the malfunctioning toilet’s days are numbered. In the fall, it will be replaced by a state-of-the-art system that will transform astronaut urine into drinking water.
• Click here to read more about this pressing matter from FloridaToday.com, and here for NASA’s International Space Station main Web page.
May 28, 2008, 5:49 am at 5:49 am
Of course the technology is sound but does anyone else find it a bit icky drinking recycled piss? Still, heard somewhere every bit of water we drink has passed through a human at least seven times.
As for the toilet: does the ISS have an airlock?
May 28, 2008, 7:28 am at 7:28 am
Yeah, let ‘em blow their shit into space. What harm could possibly come from a bunch of frozen orbiting turds? LOL!
I have to admit, this is something I just don’t give two shits about. ~rimshot~
May 28, 2008, 9:10 am at 9:10 am
June 15, 2011
VIRGIN GALACTIC FLIGHT ‘SHOT’ DOWN
By bingbing
For Tizona’s Weblog
ORBIT, Earth (Tizona’s Weblog) — A shitty situation
Tragedy struck today as a seemingly routine Virgin Galactic flight was destroyed.
Initial reports were unclear as to the reason for the accident, yet Tizona’s Weblog can exclusively report that it was struck by an orbiting chunk of fecal matter.
High-speed cameras on board the famous space tourism venture have revealed that the 10 centimeter by four centimetre, brown colored, cylindrical object was almost certainly a turd.
According to NASA engineer, Nigel Ficklebottom, other ‘regular’ space junk does not fit this description.
Ficklebottom goes on to suggest that the only possible way a turd could have reached orbit was after an incident on board the now-defunct International Space Station.
“In May 2008, the ISS experienced difficulties with it’s Human Waste Management System.
“The escape craft’s HWMS was used for a time as a countermeasure but it filled up before urgently needed HWMS parts could be delivered via the space shuttle Discovery
“The crew had no choice but to use the airlock.”
Tizona’s Weblog has since learned the airlock was pointed directly at Earth.
Due to the massive pressures involved, most experts agree deposited astronaut and cosmonaut organic waste eventually reached a much lower orbit.
Virgin Galactic flights reach low orbit.
Head of Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson, has ordered an immediate probe.
However, this gesture has done little to quell the outrage of the victims’ families.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one family member said, “It just stinks.”
May 28, 2008, 10:01 am at 10:01 am
Beware ass’t'roids in low-Earth-orbit!
November 10, 2008, 8:32 am at 8:32 am
I’ve never seen so much $h!t in one toilet?
December 28, 2008, 11:09 am at 11:09 am
Just cause the $h*t L@@Ks good, don’t mean it is?