“Gravity-Defying Dilemmas: The Ingenious Solutions Astronauts Use to Conquer the Ultimate Space Challenge!”
Though sometimes prone to leakage if improperly sized or fitted, James McBarron’s UCD design became the NASA standard throughout the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. During flights to and from the moon, Apollo astronauts could connect their UCDs via a hose to a Urine Transfer System or UTS, which collected the urine in an onboard tank. Most of this urine was then vented overboard, but some was retained for analysis by flight surgeons after the mission. And when the astronauts were working on the lunar surface, the urine drained into a polyethylene bag worn under their spacesuits. Amusingly, while only second to step off the Lunar Module, Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin did achieve a space first of his own, becoming the first person to relieve themselves on the lunar service. The act, performed just before Aldrin stepped off the Lunar Module ladder, remains a minor a source of pride for the astronaut, with Aldrin later stating:
“Everyone has their firsts on the moon, and that one hasn’t been disputed by anybody.”
Unfortunately, however, the experience was somewhat less tidy than Aldrin might have hoped. Mission commander Neil Armstrong’s landing was so soft that the Lunar Module’s legs didn’t compress as much as expected. So when Aldrin jumped off the ladder onto the lunar surface, he fell farther than anticipated and the resulting jolt damaged his UCD, causing urine to collect not in the proper bag, but rather in one of Aldrin’s spacesuit boots. That’s right: throughout the mission’s historic 2 hour, 31 minute lunar EVA, Buzz Aldrin was walking around with urine sloshing around in his boot. We’ve all been there, Buzz…
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