As most people know, everyone poops.
However, when you are an astronaut there are a lot more technical challenges to overcome in carrying out this act. Older and current methods of stuffing the waste into bags, jettisoning it into space (despite being described as "one of the most beautiful sights"), or letting it become a shooting star to wish upon are not the best ways of handing it while looking toward future missions to the Moon or Mars.
A look towards future toilets discusses ways to handle the waste, which could be on the order of 300 pounds for a mission crew, as well as how to make use of it from fertilizer to building materials and radiation shielding.
Previously, we have discussed that in space everyone can hear you poop.
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In a not so serious interview (video) from the International Space Station on space.com, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti gives a sit through of how to use the most private of facilities on the ISS.
The biggest complaint from the folks on the ISS is that the fan used for sucking the poo and the pee into the containers provided is too loud, and everybody knows when you are going.
Howard Wolowicz would be proud.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 28 2015, @02:46PM
...herp-a-derp, klingons around uranus.
next,
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 28 2015, @03:36PM
You can turn it into burnable fuel?
(Score: 2) by wisnoskij on Saturday November 28 2015, @04:26PM
Probably not. We are talking about a very small amount. If the equipment needed to turn it into a usable energy takes up, really any space or mass at all, it would just be cheaper to send up a highly concentrated, ready to go, energy source. And if we are talking something like a moon base, you are almost certainly not fuelling it with biowaste, you already have a moon rock to fuel converter set up and running.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Saturday November 28 2015, @06:00PM
I'm sure the crew of the ISS are yearning for the days when they could sit around a campfire fueled by dung.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 28 2015, @10:21PM
This article covers that. Search for the word "pyrolysis".
(Score: 1) by cellocgw on Saturday November 28 2015, @06:14PM
Which is to say, Andy Weir says use the poop to grow veggies.
Physicist, cellist, former OTTer (1190) resume: https://app.box.com/witthoftresume
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 29 2015, @12:45AM
Human feces are not usually considered to be safe to fertilize plants intended for human consumption.
I guess that you could use the ashes from the campfire above safely. You'd have to dry them first while probably taking the water back for further consumption. Oxygen to burn the poop could be provided by the vegetables given enough sunlight and greenhouse extension. You'd still need bottled oxygen for the crew themselves though.
(Score: 2) by ilPapa on Saturday November 28 2015, @06:17PM
Now we're talking.
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 28 2015, @10:28PM
More interesting is the idea that covering yourself in feces may actually shield you from radiation! If we have to boost food into orbit anyway, might as well put its byproducts to good use.
(Score: 1) by cellocgw on Saturday November 28 2015, @10:42PM
Can we at least plaster the *outside* of the spaceship?
Physicist, cellist, former OTTer (1190) resume: https://app.box.com/witthoftresume