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NASA’s New and Improved Space Toilet Is Ready for Takeoff

NASA's newest space toilet is more compact, lighter, more efficient 4 photos
Photo: NASA
NASA's newest space toilet is more compact, lighter, more efficientNASA's newest space toilet is more compact, lighter, more efficientNASA's newest space toilet is more compact, lighter, more efficient
NASA’s newest and improved space toilet is ready for launch. After tests conducted in controlled environments simulating that on a space station, the new space toilet is heading to the ISS.

The new toilet will be heading out to the International Space Station next week, with a resupply mission aboard the Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo capsule. Dubbed UWMS (Universal Waste Management System), the unit is smaller, lighter and more compact than the toilet currently in use on the ISS and will be deployed adjacently with this one.

The goal is to have astronauts on board the ISS test it out, with NASA hoping to be able to use it for future missions on the Moon and even on Mars. In July this year, NASA issued a call-out to possible inventors as part of what they called the Lunar Loo Challenge, a next-gen toilet that would work both in microgravity and in lunar gravity.

The UWMS cost $23 million to build and includes a seat that is meant to be more accommodating for female crew members, Space.com notes. It also features a 3D-printed titanium dual fan separator, which creates a strong airflow to help pull waste away from the body and into specially-created containers, and stall-like enclosure for privacy. An improved pretreat system allows to process and recycle urine for reclaimed water.

“In space, every part of the water cycle is key for survival and advances in technology can make a pivotal difference in mission efficiency and success,” NASA says. “As we prepare to return humans to the Moon with Artemis and look forward to the first human mission to Mars, life support systems will play a major role in keeping our astronauts healthy and safe as they live, work, and learn farther from Earth than ever before.”

Astronauts on board the space station will have three years to test out the new toilet system.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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