As our final entry, the article must return to its intellectual heights and thought provoking nuances. The latest versions of toilets on stations like the International Space Station and active ships like the Space Shuttle are highly developed pieces of technology. They involve wall mounted commodes, high level suction pipes and a spray like disinfectant to operate as a functional toilet without the use of gravity and running water as we all have snuggled in our houses here on terra firma. Each of these contrivances has their own unique quirks to using that particular model. The Space Shuttle commode, for instance, requires the astronauts align themselves perfectly in the dead centre of the seat - presumably to avoid unfortunate... staining. As this is a hard and fast rule, the use of the commode has become part of the training regime astronauts go through whilst still on earth. That means that a mock-up version of the commode has been built on earth for the greatest men and women to venture beyond our humble marble to practice pooping into like toddlers. Were this not bad enough, there is a camera inserted into the very centre of the "bowl" to allow astronauts to see their own behind, and ensure that it is arranged properly. Previously, NASA has tried less embarrassing (well, slightly less) methods of waste disposal in space, coming a long way from the first entry in this article, in which the astronauts not only had to poop into a bag, but to then fill that bag with disinfectant and then crush all the matter in the bag with their bare hands. Once, NASA attempted to introduce a bathroom facility directly into the space suits, using a form of fitted condom attached to a empty bladder for men and a moulded gynaecological insert for women (where would we even begin if we had to design one of those?) Unfortunately, the whole experiment ultimately failed, and the astronauts chose to wear adult sized diapers instead. How long until we get the nice star fleet uniforms to wear and a functioning bathroom? If there is any tale of ludicrous space adventure that we've missed, or you have any other scintillating facts around the spacefaring heroes, let us know in the comments section!
