NASA launches $ 23 million toilet for the International Space Station

In the near future, astronauts will pick up waste in a $ 23 million toilet. Science, darling.

NASA is set to launch nearly 8,000 pounds of supplies on Tuesday from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to the International Space Station … and the shipment will include the Global Waste Management System.

The toilet – which measures about 28 inches in height – will be 65% smaller and 40% lighter than John’s current toilet on the International Space Station, but will have the ability to support larger crews. It will be installed next to the existing toilet, and the astronauts will test the performance of the new crawler in a microgravity environment.

Some features of the toilet – The urine funnel and seat are designed to be more suitable for female crew members. It will also have a dual-fan separator in 3D printed titanium … creating a powerful airflow that helps draw astronauts’ urine and waste into the toilet.

Remember, there is no attraction there, so they will take all the help they can get.

The new toilet also improves the pre-treatment system that is used to collect and treat urine before treatment and recycling it to obtain treated water. If the new toilet is successful … it could one day be used on missions to the moon and even Mars.

The resupply mission will also include food, science experiments, and even Estée Lauder skincare.