NASA launched new space toilet of a robotic Cygnus nature on Friday, October 2, from Virginia. The cargo on the spacecraft weighs up to 4 tons and comprises of a brand new astronaut toilet. The same is to reach the International Space Station successfully very soon. The mission is unique because most of us never think of how astronauts perform their daily activities when they are in space. The routine here includes going to the bathroom, which will indeed click in your mind that you are reading this.
Space.com reports that NASA launched new space toilet shows the advancement in thought process and technology. Besides, the ace organization wants to focus on improving bathroom technology in all its future missions. Performing daily bathroom activities has always been a point of concern for astronauts at the ISS (International Space Station). Now, the problem has become so big that NASA chose to launch a crowdfunding program. The primary motive of the same is to gather good ideas regarding new space station bathroom models.
According to Space.com’s report, there are more interesting facts about the new space toilet other than the whopping price. The official name of this craft is the UWMS (Universal Waste Management System), and the primary material is titanium. The new model of space toilet 40 percent is lighter and 65 percent smaller than the previous ones. Therefore, this one is more apt if you consider the space shortage inside a spacecraft in the International Space Station. Altogether, the latest robotic Cygnus model is by far the best and most suitable.
NASA launched new space toilet to use in future missions
According to Merissa McKinley, the latest space toilet model is built for exploration purposes. Moreover, the model is very similar to the design of the previous spaceflight toilets. McKinley is the project manager of the Advanced Exploration Systems Logistics Reduction of NASA. The biggest goal regarding the latest space toilet model is to design it so that both the power usage and the mass volume remain low.
NASA launches the space toilet now for testing purposes only. According to sources, the primary purpose of it is to utilize it in future missions. So, the team wants to find out problem areas and rectify them beforehand. As soon as the model reaches the International Space Station, astronauts will place it adjacent to Node 3, which is the current waste system. The toilet is one of the several products that scientists on Earth keep sending to the astronauts. For example, space-friendly cookie dough and baking ovens are part of the logistics at times.
The latest space toilet model is going to set a great example regarding gender equality as well. Apart from all other usual features, there is a seater and urine funnel to make things easier for female astronauts. It is also an initiative to send the first woman astronaut to the moon from NASA by 2024.
