Toilets have never been pretty things, and space toilets even less so. But as we move into an era when civilians will take to orbit or very close to it in large numbers, something's gotta change.
Taking a poop up in space has never been easy. Even today's astronauts have to use a special contraption called zero-gravity toilet. It doesn't use liquid to wash the waste away, but airflow, and it requires the human sitting on it to hold on as not to be carried away with their pants down. And they look simply horrific, too.
The toilets on the International Space Station (check video below the text for more on that) is the perfect example of that. It's like getting inside a tools' storage room at some industrial facility. Once in there, you literally have to pee in a suction tube, and poop in what is essentially a container by essentially standing up. Nasty…
To date, there is no privately owned space company taking civilian astronauts up there on trips long enough to require a toilet, and there probably won't be any for some while. But there will come a time when private space stations will exist, and since you can't really accommodate a customer in a five-star room with a two-dime toilet, new designs are needed.
One of the first companies to try and take people on longer journeys very high up is Space Perspective. These guys have no intention of using a spacecraft to do that, and don't even plan to go past what it's internationally agreed to be the edge of space.
Photo: Space Perspective
Space Perspective is in the business of making space balloons. Or, near-space balloons, to be fair. And it calls its first product Spaceship Neptune.
The idea builds on the tech used by former Google VP of engineering, Alan Eustace back in 2004 to beat Felix Baumgartner's record for a jump from the stratosphere. This guy took a gas balloon to an altitude of 41.419 km (25.736 miles), and jumped.
It's not the jumping part that inspired Space Perspective, but the balloon one. Why use expensive, dangerous, fuel-burning rockets to hurtle people into space for a few minutes of thrills, when you can offer them a smooth, long ride almost around the planet?
That's exactly what the Spaceship Neptune is supposed to do. Essentially a large balloon, it holds a pressurized environment dangling beneath it, capable of seating eight passengers and the pilot. All around the structure are panoramic windows for anyone to be able to enjoy the vistas offered to them from an altitude of 100,000 feet (30 km).
Another difference between one of these things and a space rocket is the length of the journey. From take-off to touch-down, the balloon is expected to spend up to six hours in the air.
Because no matter the vistas they're offered people will have needs, the Neptune will also have an on-board bar. And where there are drinks, physical needs follow.
Photo: Space Perspective
Back in 2022, when it first showed images of the Neptune's interior, Space Perspective only hinted there is an onboard lavatory to take care of some of these needs. We weren't really offered any images of it per se, but our curiosity was more than satisfied this week.
Several images of it made their way online (via Gizmodo), and they show perhaps the classiest toilet ever designed to operate at such altitudes. Sure, you'd have to ignore the tiny space around it, and the rather utilitarian sink and mirror, but an undeniable touch of style is there.
A major downside for people who don't like going to the toilet in view of an entire planet are the two large windows of the cabin. Sure, they can be closed, and the position of the seat doesn't take them head on, but I bet some will never be able to shake the feeling billions of people are watching their business.
The design of the Neptune's toilet allowed for a more familiar approach thanks to the fact that at 100,000 feet there's not much zero g to get in the way of bowel movements.
Despite showing us renderings of the toilet, Space Perspective did not detail the mechanisms it will use, or where the nasty stuff will go after it leaves the body.
There is quite some time left until someone comes back from a Spaceship Neptune flight and tells us all about the experience. The company isn't planning to conduct the first passenger flight anytime soon - there's not even a solid tentative date set yet (late 2024 is likely).
You may be inclined to believe this whole space balloon thing is yet another of those crazy start-up ideas that will eventually come to nothing, but then you remember a major car brand just tied its name to Space Perspective.
A week ago Mercedes-Maybach announced it will become an official partner for Space Perspective, and it will supply the all-electric vehicles that will shuttle customers (the call them Explorers) from wherever they'll be housed to the balloon's launch pad.
More than that, we were told "Mercedes-Maybach and Space Perspective are exploring design and hospitality integrations for Explorers' end-to-end experiences," so we’re to expect a lot more news from this front.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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