NO conventional toilet was designed for the Moon Landing mission of 1969 meaning the astronauts had to use a variety of other contraptions to relieve themselves. The processes of peeing and pooing both had to revolve around a bag system, which apparently resulted in spillages. According to Business Insider, an official NASA report stated: “Defecation […]
NO conventional toilet was designed for the Moon Landing mission of 1969 meaning the astronauts had to use a variety of other contraptions to relieve themselves.
The processes of peeing and pooing both had to revolve around a bag system, which apparently resulted in spillages.
According to Business Insider, an official NASA report stated: “Defecation and urination have been bothersome aspects of space travel from the beginning of manned space flight.”
To wee, astronauts had to use something that looked like a large condom that was attached to a bag with a short hose.
This condom had to be replaced daily for hygiene purposes.
No female friendly version was designed because all the astronauts were men.
Getting rid of faeces sounds like an equally if not more messy process.
Nasa explained: “In the absence of a system providing positive means for the removal of faeces from the body, an extremely basic system had to be relied upon for in-flight faecal collection.
“The device used was a plastic bag which was taped to the buttocks to capture faeces.”
The bag had built in figure coverings to avoid the astronauts getting messy hands while they positioned the bag and a special compartment for toilet paper.
The astronauts had a flap at the back of their space suit that they had to open and fit the bag in, causing the process to take around 45 minutes.
Toilets weren’t actually installed on US spaceships until the space shuttle got one in the 1980s.
According to one NASA transcript, during the Apollo 10 mission in May 1969, astronaut Tom Stafford shouted “Get me a napkin quick. There’s a turd floating through the air.”
This may seem like a fairly amusing fact but it pales in comparison when you learn that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin basically had to wear nappies when they walked on the moon.
The Apollo astronauts had to wear a “faecal containment system” when they were on the Moon for 21 hours and 36 minutes but we don’t actually know if they used them.
However, Buzz Aldrin once said: “It’s lonely as hell out there. I peed in my pants.”
Nasa insisted that all faeces produced on the mission should be brought back to Earth for observation.
This meant that once the astronauts had finished using a “faecal bag” they had to knead it and then roll it up really small so it could be efficiently taken back to Earth.
Nasa’s report says that the astronauts weren’t fond of this system and that odour was a constant issue.
Here's what you need to know...
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What do you think of these astronaut toilet options? Let us know in the comments…
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