A Quick Guide To America's Latest Space Toilet
The Autopian • • science
Key Points:
- NASA has rolled out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission, aiming to send four astronauts around the moon as early as February 6, marking the first lunar crewed mission since 1972.
- Unlike the Apollo missions, which used rudimentary plastic bags for waste management, the Orion capsule features a significant upgrade: a private, enclosed compartment housing the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), providing improved comfort and dignity for astronauts.
- The UWMS is a compact, suction-based toilet system evolved from Shuttle and ISS designs, being 61% smaller than Shuttle toilets and designed to handle both urine and fecal waste efficiently with advanced airflow and pretreatment technology.
- This new waste management solution
