NASA astronaut explains how crew members use toilet in space; watch video

National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) astronaut Chris Cassidy answered one of the most frequently asked questions about life on the International Space Station. Yes, how do the astronauts at the ISS go to the bathroom? Cassidy in a 7-minute-long video that he shared on Twitter, explained the technicalities of the process for both number 1 and number 2. 

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How to use the bathroom in space? 

Cassidy started by showing the toilet at the ISS, which is called the Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) in space. Cassidy explains that the desire to go to the bathroom in space is similar to as on Earth, where we just know that we have to go. Cassidy explained it because of the common misconception that the fluid floats inside the bladder when in space. "It's just the exact same sensation for either one, number 1 or number 2," Cassidy said.  

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The main toilet for number 2 consists of a seat and a metal bucket, while for doing number 1, there is a Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) which has a hose and a valve. The valve controls a fan that provides suction to the hose which easily sucks the urine being deposited into it. Cassidy shows the entire process of urinating in space using a simulator, jokingly adding that a good crew member always cleans it after the use. 

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Cassidy then moves onto the next process when he shows how to dump in the space. He starts by opening the lid of the seat, which reveals the main dumping hole of just 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Inside the dumping, the hole is a plastic liner that the crew members push inside after taking a dump. Crew members use a steel rod to push the used plastic bad further inside the metal container below the seat and then replace the liner with a new plastic bag for the next user. 

The International Space Station is a modular space station revolving in the Earth's orbit since 1998. As of May 2019, the ISS had completed more than 1 lakh orbits at a speed of 7 kilometres per second. 

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