WEEKLY EDITION NOV 30, 2016
Joke of the Week
Ted, the owner of a portable restroom company in a rural area, was
calling on customers. Around noon he stopped at a bar and grill for
lunch – it was the only place around to get some food.
"Poor old fool," thought Ted as he watched an elderly gent fish in a
puddle outside the bar. So he invited the man inside for a drink.
As they sipped their beers, Ted thought he'd humor the old man
and asked, "So how many have you caught today?"
The old man replied, "You're the eighth."
© Portable Sanitation Ass ociation International (PSAI) • 2626 E 82
n d
Street, Suite 175 • Bloomi ngton, MN 55425
www.psai.org • 952-854-8300
NASA On the Hunt for the Solar
System's Most Portable Potty
The space administration is offering an award for
any inventor able to unclog their potty problem
Just recently, we posted a piece in Association Insight that
highlighted the ways in which astronauts aboard the
International Space Station are able to relieve themselves
thanks to their portable restroom. Their system works well as
long as these individuals are on some sort of vessel, sans-space suit. But what happens when an astronaut has to spend
large amounts of time in their suit, unable to hook up to a machine equipped with a funnel or a hose? NASA's on the
search for a zero-gravity, hands free solution to this impending problem.
As space travel is growing more and more advanced, future missions are being set on destinations such as Mars or foreign
asteroids. NASA expects that such a trip could take up to 144 hours – or six days – where astronauts would not have
access to a proper toilet.
The current solution when there is no accessible bathroom? Diapers. However, 6 days in the same diaper that will
evidently fill with urine and feces is not an option. The risk of infection, or diaper rash for that matter, is too high and
unsuitable for someone who cannot even scratch their nose, let alone adjust their undergarment, for such a long period of
time.
The administration is prepared to offer an award of $30,000 to the best "space poop solutions." The contest, literally
named the "Space Poop Challenge," is outlined at www.herox.com/SpacePoop, and inventors have until December 20
th
to submit designs for a personalized "waste-wicking system" that can "handle everything, hands-free, for a period of up
to six days." READ THE STORY
