Italy's first female astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti, has offered the internet a full talkthrough on one of the International Space Station's most famous and terrifying facilities: its lavatory.

Headlined the "International Space Station toilet tour", Cristoforetti's video explains how a fan creates suction to avoid smells and floating waste.

The – ahem – more solid waste astronauts produce is stored and put in cargo ferries which will burn up when the spacecraft leaves the Space Station. The astronauts' urine is recycled into drinking water.

Having been beamed up to the ISS last November, Cristoforetti has had ample opportunity to enjoy "yesterday's coffee".

Describing comfortable seating as unnecessary when weightless, Cristoforetti explains how most of those onboard enjoy shooting directly into the opening of the lavatory.

There is a courtesy rota when exchanging the plastic bags used to contain their turds, and a healthy attitude to communal hygiene.

International Space Station toilet tour

Cristoforetti had used up most of her personal baggage allowance with a Star Trek uniform she has proudly worn aboard the ISS. Cristoforetti is a captain in the Italian Air Force.

Along with US astronaut Terry Virts and Russian flight commander Anton Shkaplerov, Samantha Cristoforetti is leaving the ISS today and will be landing in Kazakhstan shortly, following the successful completion of the five-month mission. ®