Inside the Secret, Surprising Challenges of Astronauts’ Bathroom Breaks in Space
At this point in the video, you’ve likely noticed that we’ve left out an important part of the waste-disposal equation. Namely: #2. Yes, that #2. Even more than urine collection, early NASA planners and engineers were loath even to consider the problem of solid waste management, and simply chose to sidestep the issue entirely. After all, early Mercury missions weren’t supposed to last more than a day – and for more on the incredible badassery of the last and longest Mercury mission, please check out our previous video “I’ll do it Myself” – the Greatest Feat of Piloting in Space. However, in order to avoid accidents, in the days leading up to a mission astronauts were fed a “low residue” diet high in protein and low in fibre – for example steak and eggs, which has since become the traditional pre-flight breakfast for American astronauts. This diet also minimizes the production of intestinal gases, which in the reduced atmospheric pressure of a spacecraft cabin can expand and produce severe pain. Even today, Russian cosmonauts follow a similar practice. Though the Soyuz spacecraft typically takes only a few hours to reach the International Space Station, depending on orbital maneuvers crews can sometimes spend several days in orbit before docking. And while the Soyuz does feature a rudimentary space toilet – more on that later – cosmonauts don’t like to use it, and will often combine their low-residue diet with a pre-flight enema to completely clean out their bowels.
But while this strategy worked well enough for Mercury, as NASA transitioned over to the longer-duration Gemini and Apollo flights, the problem of collecting #2 could no longer be ignored. But the solution they came up with, the Fecal Collection Assembly or FCA, would prove to be one of the most reviled pieces of hardware in the history of spaceflight. Manufactured by the Whirlpool Corporation, the FCA consisted of a small clear plastic bag with an adhesive gasket intended to seal the opening to the astronaut’s bare buttocks. Ordinarily, back on earth bowel movements are separated from the anus by good old gravity, but in the microgravity of space, this does not occur. The FCA thus featured a small pouch or cot in its side wall into which the astronaut could insert their finger to help dislodge stubborn turds. Lovely. Once the deed was done, the FCA came packaged with sheets of toilet paper and wet wipes with which the astronaut could clean themselves, which were disposed of inside the bag along with the astronaut’s…leavings. But if this whole process already sounds completely undignified – especially if performed in front of others in the cramped confines of a spacecraft – brace yourselves, because it gets even worse. Unlike urine, there was no mechanism to jettison the filled FCAs, which instead had to be stored onboard. But without further treatment, the bacteria-riddled droppings would quickly ferment and produce gases like methane, causing the bags to inflate and possibly burst – resulting in the most literal manifestation of the expression “the shit hitting the fan.” Each FCA thus came packaged with a packet of germicidal liquid, which the astronaut was supposed to insert into the bag before sealing it. They would burst the packet by squeezing it, then thoroughly knead the germicide into the poop to ensure that all the gas-generating bacteria were killed.
As you can imagine, astronauts hated using the FCAs, and tried to avoid defecation by any means possible, such as simply holding it in or eating only half of their assigned meals – and to learn more about how astronauts stay properly fed and hydrated in space, please check out our previous video What’s Up With Space Food? And really, you can’t blame them. As NASA’s own officials history states:
“The fecal collection system presented am even more distasteful set of problems. The collection process required a great dead of skill to preclude escape of feces from the collection bag and consequent soiling of the crew, their clothing, or cabin surfaces. The fecal collection process was, moreover, extremely time consuming because of the level of difficulty involved with use of the system. An Apollo 7 astronaut estimated the time required to correctly accomplish the process at 45 minutes. Good placement of fecal bags was difficult to attain; this was further complicated by the fact that the flap at the back of the constant wear garment created an opening that was too small for easy placement of the bags.”
Furthermore, improper use of the FCA could lead to disgusting situations, as the crew of Apollo 10 – the dress rehearsal for the Apollo 11 lunar landing – discovered in May 1969:
[Lunar Module Pilot Eugene] Cernan: “Where did that come from?”
[Commander Tom] Stafford: “Get me a napkin quick. There’s a turd floating through the air.”
[Command Module Pilot John] Young: “I didn’t do it. It ain’t one of mine.”
Cernan: “I don’t think it’s one of mine.”
Stafford: “Mine was a little more sticky than that. Throw that away.”
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