NASA has launched a new space toilet for the International Space Station for astronauts to test out so that it can be used on future missions to the moon or Mars. A $23 million advanced bathroom to the ISS to test out before using a similar system on future Moon and Mars missions.
The $23 million toilet system, known as the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), is 65% smaller and 40% lighter than the toilet currently in use on the space station, and can support larger crews. Another UWMS unit will be installed in Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II flight test that will send astronauts on a 10-day mission beyond the Moon and back.
“The toilet was designed for exploration and it builds on previous spaceflight toilet design,” a scientist said. “The big key to the exploration piece of the design is looking to optimize mass volume and power usage, which are all very important components of a spacecraft design.” “We recycle about 90 per cent of all water-based liquids on the space station, including urine and sweat”.
The new system will be used routinely by the crew on the space station and tested over the next three years to make sure everything works as planned. Before the launch, the system was tested in environments designed to simulate that of the space station.
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