Space Hygiene

Personal Hygiene

The bathroom has a toilet, a light for reading, and even a window to look down at Earth. Weightlessness affects the use of the toilet. Crew members must use foot restraints, a seat belt, and handholds to remain seated. The toilet uses a fan to draw solid wastes to a compartment where they are dried and disinfected. This toilet can be used up to four times in an hour.

The Shuttle toilet is a result of many years of investigation, experimentation, and refinement. Early spacecraft (Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo) used diapers and disposable bags for astronaut elimination. Astronauts in space suits use diapers, even today. The Skylab toilet was tested in the KC-135 Zero Gravity Trainer. From "Living and Working in Space," NASA SP-4208:

"[The toilet's] principal problem arose out of the difficulty of conclusive testing in zero g. The zero-g condition could be maintained for only about 30 seconds in the KC-135... Urination could be... simulated by mechanical devices... but defecation could not be... Test subjects who could perform on cue were needed. The Huntsville program office was able to find a few people with this talent, and in November, 1969, two days of aircraft testing produced nine good 'data points'..."

Waste Management

For another view of astronaut hygiene, take a look at the section on personal hygiene provisions in the Space Shuttle News Reference at KSC.

Author: Ken Jenks