How do cosmonauts go to the toilet in space? The device of a space bathroom

The article describes how astronauts go to the toilet in space and take a shower, and also on what basis the space sewerage and water supply system is arranged.

Space

55 years ago, what many scientists dreamed of was done - a man made the first space flight, breaking out of our planet.

Later, when it became clear that it is possible and necessary to deploy research stations on the Earth's orbit, all space powers began their design and development. However, due to the high cost of such projects, they were completed only by the USA and the USSR. And later the ISS was created - the international space station. Soon she will celebrate a twenty-year service life.

But the ISS is far from being the first space object created for long-term inhabitation of people, which means that it has everything necessary for the cosmonauts' relatively comfortable life and maintenance of their vital functions, including a hygienic unit. And a delicate question that can often be heard from ignorant people: how do cosmonauts go to the toilet in space? We will talk about this in this article.

Hygiene

This topic seldom surfaced in reports about astronauts, scientific films or literature, and even fantastic. In artistic works, in general, often uncomfortable details are hushed up. It is often possible to find books about how brave conquerors of outer space from the future are in combat or scientific spacesuits for dozens of hours. Despite the delicacy of the topic, the space toilet is a complex technological device, the principle and design of which was developed by the best minds of engineering. And this is not for nothing.

The thing is that orbital stations and spacecraft do not yet know how to create artificial gravity, and the problem of space toilets has sharply risen at the dawn of space exploration. After all, in the absence of gravity, the liquid wastes of human activity simply scatter around the compartments and can cause short circuits or clog the air circulation system.

So how do cosmonauts go to the toilet in space? In fact, everything is simple. The toilets are arranged according to the vacuum cleaner principle - the waste is drawn in by means of negative air pressure and then goes into the recirculation system. But consider their device in more detail.

Arrangement of ISS toilets

A bathroom in an orbital station is a very important device, on a par with air exchange systems or thermoregulation. If it fails, further use of the station will become impossible. True, such situations have not happened, and cosmonauts have spare compact toilet facilities. But the danger lies in the fact that in the space can not open the porthole, throw out all the waste and ventilate the room from an unpleasant smell. So let's consider the question of how astronauts go to the toilet in space in more detail.

There are three bathrooms on the ISS, and two of them are made in Russia. Their toilet bowls are suitable for crew members of both sexes. As already mentioned, they work according to the vacuum cleaner principle, pulling all the waste into the cleaning system and preventing them from flying around the station's compartments. And then the products of vital activity enter the cycle of the processing system, where they receive drinking and technical water with oxygen.

Of course, the sanitary-hygienic unit on the ISS and its toilet are very different from the terrestrial ones. First of all, the presence of leg fasteners (so that the cosmonaut did not leave early), as well as special holders for the hips. And instead of water they use a vacuum, which draws in all the waste. After the cleaning cycle, the remaining waste is collected in special containers and, as they fill, are moved to one of the cargo ships for further disposal. So now we know how cosmonauts go to the toilet in space. But what if the cosmonaut wants to go to the toilet when he is in the space ship, and not at the station?

Spacecraft toilets

The launch into space of a ship and its interfacing with the ISS is a very difficult task. Sometimes cosmonauts have to sit in a rocket ready for launch for quite a long time, and the process of joining and maneuvering is delayed for dozens of hours. Naturally, no normal person can endure so much without going to the toilet. Therefore, before the start, the cosmonauts put on special suits under the suits. The design of the spaceship is such that it is inexpedient to spend space on the creation of a separate, even the simplest toilet.

If it is planned to stay on board the ship for a long time, as it was in the early years, when space stations did not exist, special toilet adaptations are used - flexible hoses with nozzles in the form of funnels. Negative pressure in them creates a draft of air, solid waste is collected in garbage cans, and liquid is thrown out of the ship.

How are cosmonauts washed?

Initially, space explorers did without water procedures. They used wet wipes. But when the first space stations were built and put into orbit, they were all equipped with a shower. The air circulation system is closed, and it is difficult to get rid of extraneous smells, therefore cosmonauts need to monitor hygiene. Not the last role is played by psychological comfort - after all, nobody likes to be dirty. So how are cosmonauts washed?

There is no separate shower in the stations, and even more so on the ships. Yes, and practice has shown that their construction is impractical. For washing, a special light washable shampoo, wet wipes and water tubes are used. Because of the surface tension, it is quite firmly held on the bodies of people, and then it is simply wiped with towels. Of course, this can not be compared with a real shower, but still this method works well to cope with the natural contamination of the human body.

Skylab

This space station was in orbit about 6 years, and then was sent by operators to the atmosphere of the Earth, where it burnt safely. True, not completely, and some of its elements still reached the surface. And this station is notable for its large amount of free space and shower.

A modern space station is a place where every free corner of space is used. But "Skylab" differed in its internal dimensions. They were such that the astronauts during the charging easily flew from one wall to another and generally noted that there was a lot of free internal volume. It was at this station that there was a shower, naturally, modernized for the conditions of the absence of gravity.

"Peace"

The shower was also available at Mir station. But the modern space station of the ISS does not have them, because taking a shower in orbit is not the same thing as water procedures on Earth. The process was heavily delayed due to various difficulties, and cosmonauts rarely used the device, preferring wiping with wet towels. In addition, there is no dirt at the station, and therefore the skin gets dirty much less than on Earth.

The toiletry problems of the USA and the USSR

The name of the first cosmonaut in the history of mankind probably everyone knows. But the name of the second is not known to everyone. They were the American Alan Shepard. And the first toilet problems of our former rivals in the space race began May 5, 1961, before launching the rocket with Shepard.

Alan, who by that time had been in the spacesuit for more than 8 hours, told the operator that he really needed to visit the toilet. But to interrupt preparation for the launch, to submit to the ship a maintenance tower, and then again it was impossible to prepare. Such a scenario would lead to a flight transfer. As a result, Shepard had to cope with a small need directly into the spacesuit. The engineers were afraid that this would lead to a short circuit and the failure of most telemetry sensors, but fortunately everything turned out.

But Gagarin's flight was better planned. And although it lasted only 108 minutes, his ship was equipped with a special toilet device in the form of flexible hoses with funnels, where waste was sucked. True, it is not known whether Gagarin took advantage of them.

Conclusion

As you can see, the space toilet is a very important device, without which it would be impossible to long find astronauts on Earth's orbit. Despite the seeming simplicity, very large sums were spent on their design and implementation. For example, the toilet, which the Americans ordered for its ISS segment from Russia, cost them $ 19 million. Well, during outings in outer space people are forced to use special diapers, since sometimes work outside of ships or the ISS is stretched for many hours.

And let us recall the unappetizing detail, which cosmonauts like to surprise unnecessarily impressionable journalists: all wastes of vital activity enter the system of recirculation, where water and oxygen are made from them for further consumption. But any serious activity requires sacrifice, and cosmonauts are ready to go to great lengths to realize their dreams.