Earlier quoted context omitted.
You only get ~30 seconds of zero G. How would that work?
Hold it in for three days. Then you're ready to go in a flash.
or get someone who's lactose intolerant and make them drink a carton of milk.
Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
51–60 of 183 posts
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Did they not have the astronauts simulate the mission beforehand, on Earth? Wear the clothing, eat the meals, use the toilet, etc? It sounds like that would have allowed them to fix the suit before they went? They must have eaten the meals and such to be sure they could function, make sure they didn't have any intolerance, for example?
How do you simulate zero gravity on earth?
Perhaps buoyancy could be a decent substitute, at least for the solid waste part. I imagine being waist deep and flushing the entire bathroom after each training session. Maybe some kind of spatula/squeegee might assist with separation, coupled with a robotic spatula cleaner and sanitizer. There would be a monitor and cameras so you could calibrate your aim. What an odd workday that would be.
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#53I can't believe no one has brought up the legendary Apollo 10 "turd incident" https://archive.ph/J61jD
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
Did they not have the astronauts simulate the mission beforehand, on Earth? Wear the clothing, eat the meals, use the toilet, etc? It sounds like that would have allowed them to fix the suit before they went? They must have eaten the meals and such to be sure they could function, make sure they didn't have any intolerance, for example?
Warning: gross Of course, but the fundamental problem is that difficulties compound. It starts with: pooping is much harder when gravity isn't there to persistently tug on the turd. Something that is slightly obnoxious on Earth (using a bag, using a suit flap) turns into an absolute trainwreck when you have a bag, a suit flap, and turd separation failure. Now you have to do precise mechanical manipulation of an objec…
Seems like a big issue is I'm guessing insistence on having this be a solo operation for cultural reasons. Seems like it would be easy with two astronauts. Have the one bend over and spread the cheeks wide with both hands, the other basically does the hand in the dog poop bag trick right as the poop is coming out and wipes them up after. No worse than what a nurse does every day for work.
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#55Toileting is really fecking important. As someone with a spinal injury you really don't realise just how important until it goes wrong. Apparently one of the down sides about the previous system was that the separation of solid and liquid excreta ideally required someone to separate their excretion of both kinds. Apparently this is something that male astronauts found much much easier than female ones. Artemis's toil…
Centrifuge would separate that stool and urine
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#56Reduced need for waste disposal is one of the mixed blessings of a steady diet of MRE's (sometimes called "Meals Refusing to Exit"). It's sobering to realize that anyone who has ever set foot on the moon was most likely backed up in a bad way when they stepped out of their LEM.
Aren't they like 2000 calories? I feel like I would be begging the medic for laxatives. Must feel like a 5 mile freight train stuck in a 1 mile tunnel.
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#57A lot of Americans don't have toilets but elite needs toilet for moon.
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
How do you simulate zero gravity on earth?
Perhaps buoyancy could be a decent substitute, at least for the solid waste part. I imagine being waist deep and flushing the entire bathroom after each training session. Maybe some kind of spatula/squeegee might assist with separation, coupled with a robotic spatula cleaner and sanitizer. There would be a monitor and cameras so you could calibrate your aim. What an odd workday that would be.
[deleted]
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#59I can't believe no one has brought up the legendary Apollo 10 "turd incident" https://archive.ph/J61jD
Probably since the article specifically mentions it!
Re: Artemis II's toilet is a moon mission milestone
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
How do you simulate zero gravity on earth?
Perhaps buoyancy could be a decent substitute, at least for the solid waste part. I imagine being waist deep and flushing the entire bathroom after each training session. Maybe some kind of spatula/squeegee might assist with separation, coupled with a robotic spatula cleaner and sanitizer. There would be a monitor and cameras so you could calibrate your aim. What an odd workday that would be.
buoyancy only applies in gravity. The buoyant force on an object is equal to and opposite of the weight of the displaced fluid. No gravity, no weight.