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Shooting stars: What happens when astronauts poop in space?

Astronauts use the atmosphere to their advantage.

via Canva/Photos

A shooting star above a winter landscape.

Astronauts must undergo extensive training before they can enter space. They have to learn spacecraft operations, survival skills, robotics, physical fitness, how to walk in space, and emergency protocols in case something goes wrong. They also need extensive training on how to use the toilet.

How do astronauts go to the bathroom in zero gravity?

Astronaut Chris Hadfield, a former commander of the International Space Station (ISS), says that astronauts must learn to recognize that the urge to go feels different in zero gravity. “How do you know when you have to poop on earth? It's actually because of the weight of the poop inside you. Tells you, hey, it's time to poop,” Hadfield says. “Well, if you're weightless, then your body's not gonna tell you it's time to poop. So you almost have to learn this new sort of fullness symptom that tells you it's time to poop.”


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How to poop in Space #astronauts #space #poop #iss #internationalspacestation #astronaut

Hadfield goes onto explain the rather ingenious of fans in space station toilets that mimic gravity for you. "Taking the place of gravity to pull the poop into the toilet is airflow," Hadfield explains. The fans work to suck the waste down once it leaves the body (this goes for urine as well, notes Hadfield). Though an impressive workaround, Hadfield certainly appreciates the effects of gravity after returning to Earth since it makes it a lot easier to go poop. “You're counting on gravity, cause gravity is gonna pull it away from you,” Hadfield said. “And without gravity, even when you're done pooping, the the poops just gonna stay sort of sticking to you. So we wear a rubber glove. And sometimes you have to, like, physically separate the poop from your body.”

Thank goodness for gravity.

johnson space center, space toilet, bathroom space shuttle, houston texas, space, engineering, Space Shuttle toilet on display at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.via Svobdat/Wikimedia Commons

Using air instead of water to suck waste into a space toilet makes things a lot less messy, too. You don’t want to flush your urine and feces in zero gravity. That would be a horror show. Being in space also does strange things to your poop. When astronaut Scott Kelly returned home after spending a year aboard the ISS, researchers found that his gut microbiome changed significantly from those typically found on the ground. It took a few months after Kelly’s return to Earth for his gut to return to normal.

iss, international space station, space, nasa photos, its, solar arraysThe International Space Station.via NASA/Wikimedia Commons

Where does the poop go when astronauts use the bathroom in space?

When Kelly was on the ISS, the urine was transformed into reusable water aboard the space station. The feces, for which he produced over 180 pounds during his 340-day stay in space, is collected into bags and put on a small craft that is launched into space. Much like a shooting star or meteorite, the waste eventually burns up as it reenters the atmosphere, so you don’t have to worry about astronaut poop landing on the roof of your house.

Astronauts must be cautious about when and where they use the restroom while in space, so a diaper can be a valuable asset during their mission. There’s nowhere to go on a spacewalk, so astronauts wear diapers to avoid aborting their mission if nature calls 250 miles above the Earth's surface. They also wear a diaper during takeoffs and landings because it’s too dangerous to get up and walk around the cabin.

You have to master an incredible number of skills to be able to make it into space as an astronaut. You need to know science and engineering, but also possess a good sense of self. You must learn new ways of interacting with your body, and one of the most important values you can cultivate while exploring the final frontier is humility.

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Woman breaks down how astronauts pee and poop in space in viral thread

Women deal with a lot of sexism and obstacles here on earth, so it makes sense that this sexism would follow them in to space. The first woman went into space in 1963, but it took another two decades for female astronauts to become common. Turns out there's a glass ceiling even outside of the earth's orbit.

Apparently, there is a myth that NASA took so long to send women into space because of how women go to the bathroom?!

Recently, author Mary Robinette Kowal published an essay called “To Make It to the Moon, Women Have to Escape Earth's Gender Bias" exploring the ways in which sexism here on earth prevented women from making strides in space. In response to her essay, she says several people claimed that "women couldn't go into space because we lacked the technology for them to pee in space."

In a Twitter thread that has gone viral, Kowal disproves this myth by breaking down the truth about how astronauts go to the bathroom in space.

It has all the info. on peeing and pooping outside the earth's orbit that you never knew you always wanted.


At first, she explains, doctors didn't think anyone, man or woman, would be able to pee without gravity.

The first space mission was meant to take only 15 minutes so no arrangements for peeing were made. Of course, things did not go according to plan.


So the first guy to go into space had a suit full of pee. What a trooper.




Then a condom-like apparatus was invented to catch the pee. It didn't work.




Turns out, the reason it didn't work is that men were lying about the size of pee-condom they needed. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.




There was also a bag for poo. But this solution was flawed and there was still pee and poop in the space capsule. EW.




So a device was invented that would suck astronauts' pee out into space. Take that, aliens!



This, too, was flawed. But at least it was pretty!




So they switched back to pee-condoms.




Still, the pee-condoms solution was flawed. Remember when Fred Haise got sick in the movie Apollo 13? Well apparently it's because his genitals were bathing in pee.

This detail for some reason didn't make it in to the movie.





After decades of dudes going into space with pee-soaked genitals, NASA decided to send women into space. Finally!

Now they needed to come up with a method for peeing in space that didn't involve pee-condoms, since women can't wear condoms. Their solution? A diaper.




They also got rid of the ass-bag and replaced it with a zero-gravity toilet!




Even in 2019, peeing and pooping in space is not an easy process. Pooping in particular requires some, umm, involvement.



Peeing is easier though. Until the toilet breaks down. Apparently that happens.


Fun fact: these fun facts might make you nauseous.


In conclusion: we can stop blaming the slow advancement of women in space exploration on peeing and pooping.


It's not peeing and pooping's fault. Because peeing and pooping in space is a nightmare for everyone, regardless of your gender or genitalia. Now that's equality!

After her thread went viral, Kowal was bombarded with questions about bodily functions in space. She answered them. SHE HAS ALL THE FACTS.

Burping in space sounds painful.


Thank Goddess for tampons, especially if you're a female astronaut!


Fun fact: men don't understand how periods work.


Astronauts need a schedule so they know when to go!


There is a pee ritual involving a tire.


FUN FACT: BUY HER BOOK. Seriously though, this woman really knows her shit (and pee, tee hee).


Sometimes it is harder to be a man. Lol. (But only sometimes)


THE MORE YOU KNOW.

Never have I been more grateful for my decision to pursue comedy writing in lieu of space travel.

This article originally appeared on SomeeCards. You can read it here.

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31 Days of Happiness Countdown: This cooking show in space is just so delicious. (Day 17)

Thanks for stopping by for Day 17 of Upworthy's 31 Days of Happiness Countdown! If this is your first visit, here's the gist: Each day between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, we're sharing stories we hope will bring joy, smiles, and laughter into our lives and yours. It's been a challenging year for a lot of us, so why not end it on a high note with a bit of happiness? Check back tomorrow (or click the links at the bottom) for another installment!

GIF via "Parks & Recreation."

I'm pretty sure the only thing that kept me from being an astronaut is the face-melting liftoff ... well that, and the decades of advanced math and science. But mostly the liftoff. I get nauseous on carnival rides, so exploring the final frontier just wasn't in the cards for me.

However, I am kind of obsessed with the astronauts who live and work in space. You know, the folks living in the space station, speaking to school children on Skype while their hair stands on end, and doing somersaults and experiments all the time. That's the kind of anti-gravitational fun I live for.

GIF via NASA.

So when I found European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's videos, my mind basically exploded.

While living on board the International Space Station, Cristoforetti made cooking videos. Yes, cooking videos! THIS IS TASTY IN SPACE, Y'ALL!

Generally, the meals in the final frontier are pretty standard, but every astronaut gets "bonus food" that reminds them of the flavors of home. In this video, Cristoforetti takes us lowly Earth-dwellers through the process of making turmeric chicken and whole red rice with mushrooms and peas. Forget outer space, Cristoforetti is living in flavor country.

I don't want to spoil the whole thing, but here are some highlights.

First, Cristoforetti doesn't use plates because that would be pointless. Instead, she plates her meal on a tortilla. This is a tip I will incorporate into my own life.

GIFs via ESA/YouTube.

To get the food to stick to the tortilla, she uses smashed pea cream as an adhesive. This is a tip I will not incorporate into my own life.

Also as she cooks, her dinner just keeps floating away which is hilarious the first time, and even better as she adds more food to the tortilla. #spaceprobz

You can (and totally should) watch Cristoforetti make a mean dinner below. It's got everything: space travel, mushrooms, floating tortillas. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT, PEOPLE?

(Plus, it's probably the most delightful meal you'll see all day, unless you know an otter eating Christmas cookies.)

Oh, and if you're as hungry as I am, here's a walk-thru on how to make Cristoforetti's exact meal — weightlessness on the side. Bon appétit, space nerds!

More days of happiness here: DAY 1 / DAY 2 / DAY 3 / DAY 4 / DAY 5 / DAY 6 / DAY 7 / DAY 8 / DAY 9 / DAY 10 / DAY 11 / DAY 12 / DAY 13 / DAY 14 / DAY 15 / DAY 16 / [DAY 17] / DAY 18 / DAY 19 / DAY 20 / DAY 21 / DAY 22 / DAY 23 / DAY 24 / DAY 25 / DAY 26 / DAY 27 / DAY 28 / DAY 29 / DAY 30 / DAY 31
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She was raising $2,600 so 100 girls could see 'Hidden Figures.' She just cleared $13,000.

'I figured this movie would be a good starting point to show girls that even when life gets hard, you have to keep going.'

On Dec. 15, 2016, 13-year-old space enthusiast Taylor Richardson had the experience of a lifetime.

She saw a special screening of "Hidden Figures" at the White House alongside the cast of the movie, first lady Michelle Obama, and several NASA astronauts.

From left, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, and Kevin Costner. Photo by NASA/Aubrey Gemignani.

Not only was the biopic about Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan — three women who were the unsung heroes behind the first successful NASA missions into space — inspiring to Richardson on many levels, what hit home most for her was what Michelle Obama said about everything they were up against.

"These women couldn’t even drink from the same water fountain or use the same bathroom as many of their colleagues … and folks didn’t always take these women seriously because they were black and also because they were women," Obama explained that night.

The first lady also talked about how few women — and even fewer women of color — there are working in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields today.

The experience made Richardson want to do whatever she could to show girls that their STEM skills are not only welcome, but finally being celebrated.

"I've been to four space centers, and not once were these women and their contributions that impacted our space program mentioned," writes Richardson in an email.

Photo via Fox Movies.

She decided to start a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to offer 100 girls the chance to see "Hidden Figures" for free in the theater.

"I figured this movie would be a good starting point to show girls that even when life gets hard, you have to keep going," Richardson explains.

She included in her budget goal enough money for each girl to get a snack and a copy of the book on which the movie was based.

Literacy is very important to Richardson, who regularly collects gently used STEM books and donates them to schools and children in need. "I've donated over 3,000 books and read to over 250 kids in Jacksonville about STEM and space," Richardson says.

In just 18 days, she exceeded her goal of $2,600 five times over. That extra  money will go toward more screenings for girls who could use some STEM  inspiration right now.

Richardson with NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle. Photo via Taylor Richardson.

Despite women's growing in STEM work and space exploration these days, there is still a major disparity of women of color in these fields. No doubt the lack of representation in the history books and, until recently, on screen has something to do with that.

While Richardson's idea to provide free movie screenings may seem small, her commitment to changing the game for women of color in STEM is not.

She's far from alone in seeing what the impact a movie like "Hidden Figures" can have on the next generation of girls.

There's a reason "Hidden Figures" has remained #1 at the box office for two weeks straight, beating out blockbusters like "Rogue One." Representation matters — for girls dreaming of being astronauts, women of color who have trouble finding role models, and anyone else who feels left out of history.

Hopefully, thanks to movies like "Hidden Figures," more and more girls will realize there is a place for them in STEM fields.

Richardson, whose goal is to be the first person to walk on Mars, offers some sound advice for girls on the fundraising page: "It's important that girls not only look at the stars but take the steps to reach for them."

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