Outsourcing has it’s benefits. Apparently if NASA had sought to build the new space commode for the international space station in the U S of A, it would have cost a lot more than the mere 19 Million the Russians are putting on our tab. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that relations with Russia are at a low point, and what a perfect place to play a practical joke or two hey? No mere golden beauty, as pictured, this toilet works! You can imagine the problems which could occur in zero gravity without some special precautions. First, the depositor must strap in, with leg restraints and thigh bars to keep the space traveler in place.
Once deposited, neither you nor your cabin mates want to see the result floating by. Not to worry, with the new model, fans suck waste into the commode and hold it there until it can be disposed of properly, as long as the power works. I’d love to know who dreamed of this next feature. Crew members will have individual urine funnels which are attached to hoses, the urine is deposited into a waste-water tank. So far so good you say? The best is yet to come. This marvelous new system will be able to transfer urine to a device which can produce drinking water. If I were an astronaut, I’d sneak a sizable supply of spring water aboard just in case some of the designers do have a sense of humor, or a grudge of long standing.19MDown the Drain For Space Toilet posted July 6, 2007 AP Press
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This week there was a startling revelation by Lisa Nowak attorney Donald Lykkebak in the love triangle case. Her lawyer is trying to supress evidence of the diapers, based on the fact that they were BABY diapers that his client never could have worn.
The line of reasoning goes that nobody needs to know her state of mind at the time -- that the diapers were used with one hand on the wheel, drawers dropped, while the other hand collected urine on the long trip from Houston to Florida.
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