Artemis 2 lunar astronauts are "lucky" to have private space toilets—
Over the course of a week and a half, urine will be expelled into space multiple times each day.
As reported by Space News on March 29th.
Luckily, space toilet technology has advanced significantly for Artemis 2 astronauts.
Recall Apollo astronauts, who handled personal matters in public view, funneling urine into roll-up urinals and defecating into plastic bags—all under the watchful eyes of their crewmates.
But Artemis 2 astronauts will have a real bathroom.
Hansen said: “As crew members, we’re lucky that this cramped spacecraft has a toilet with a door.”
He added: “It’s the only place during our mission where we can truly experience a moment of privacy.”
The spacecraft isn’t spacious—it’s roughly the size of a small commercial aircraft lavatory. The cabin offers just 9.34 cubic meters of livable space—about the size of two compact vans—housing four people for over a week and a half, which is already impressive. The Apollo command module had only 5.95 cubic meters of space, but carried only three astronauts per mission.
The Orion spacecraft’s toilet door is located on the floor—an orientation that might seem odd on Earth, but makes perfect sense in microgravity.
Hansen said: “You float over, open the hinged door, then float inside.”
The restroom—or what NASA calls the “hygiene module”—also features a privacy curtain, which Artemis 2 astronauts may or may not use during the mission.
“If they need more space, they can open the hatch and draw the privacy curtain.”
Once inside the hygiene module, Artemis 2 astronauts won’t just have some bags and a condom-like sleeve. Remember, all Apollo astronauts were male, so designers didn’t need to develop waste management solutions suitable for both genders.
Each Artemis 2 astronaut will have their own catheter funnel to ensure maximum hygiene. Urine will be evacuated via tubing, guided by airflow rather than gravity.
On the International Space Station, urine waste management systems recycle urine into water usable by astronauts.
But since the Artemis 2 mission is shorter, its toilet doesn’t need this capability—the astronauts’ urine will be released into space multiple times daily.
Solid waste, however, is handled differently.
“Fecal matter gets sucked down into a bag. You seal the bag, then press it to the bottom and pack it into the container,” Hansen explained in a video. “During the mission, we’ll need to replace the solid waste containers several times, and all of these items will come back to Earth with us.”
Artemis 2 will mark the first time the Orion spacecraft’s hygiene module flies in space—the device was not aboard Artemis 1, which successfully sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit and back at the end of 2022.
Has NASA considered what would happen if the system fails to work as planned?
The solution? Go back to the past—basically revert to Apollo-era toilet technology.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861038401870855/
Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views.