Portable Sanitation Association International

Association Insight November 16 2016

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W EEKLY EDITION NOV 16, 2016 P AGE 8 Operation Outer Space Outhouse The process of peeing when gravity is lacking, and how astronauts handle a toilet bowl breakdown. If you've ever fantasized about living in space, chances are you have not sat down and sorted out something as simple as how you would handle a bathroom break. Not to worry, because those who have lived on the International Space Station have already blown the lid off this standard question. And according to veteran astronaut Mike Fossum, this inquiry seems to come up quite a bit. Fossum explains how different procedures are used for urination versus solid waste, with the urine being suctioned into a hos e where it is recycled and cleaned for drinking water. Solid waste is put inside a plastic bag before being inserted into a holding tank container, emptied every 10 days. While space certainly seems foreign, these processes don't seem to differ drastically from portable sanitation here on Earth. Similarly, just as toilets – both portable and permanent – require maintenance when gravity is involved, the same can be said for space units. With breakdowns occurring roughly once a month, these astronauts have l earned to never take a working commode for granted. READ THE STORY

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