CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – Astronauts leaving the International Space Station on Sunday are stuck in a diaper on their way home after a toilet in their capsule broke.
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur on Friday described the situation as “extreme” but manageable. She and her three co-workers will spend 20 hours SpaceX Capsule, water supply is scheduled for Monday morning from the time the chicks are closed.
“Space travel is fraught with many small challenges,” he told a news conference from Orbit. “It simply came to our notice then.
After a series of meetings on Friday, the mission managers decided to bring MacArthur and his crew home. SpaceX release has already been delayed by more than a week due to bad weather and an unpublished medical issue involving a team member.
SpaceX is now targeting a very quick departure Wednesday night.
Thomas Pesquet, the French astronaut returning with MacArthur, told reporters that he had been active there for the past six months. The astronauts made a series of space missions to modernize the station’s power grid, were unexpectedly struck by lightning by Russian vehicles sent to the station in a short time, and a special Russian camera crew – first operated the space station.
They had to deal with a toilet leak, pulled out the plates in the SpaceX capsule and found puddles of urine. The problem was first noticed during a SpaceX private flight in September, when a pipe adhesive broke and urine spilled under the floorboard. The lift off the SpaceX capsule installed the pending toilet, but the orbital toilet was considered unusable.
The engineers determined that the capsule urine did not cause damage to the structure and that it was safe. Astronauts must rely on what NASA describes as “underwear” that can be absorbed.
Cooking wise, the astronauts planted the first Chilean pepper in space – “a good moral boost,” MacArthur said. They tested their harvest last week and added pieces of green and red pepper to their tacos.
She said, “They have a good spice and it burns a little bit constantly. Some people find it more annoying than others.
They will return with McArthur and Pesquet: NASA astronaut Shin Kimbro and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshid. SpaceX was launched to the space station on April 23. Their capsule is certified for a maximum of 210 days in space, and as Friday marks their 196th day, NASA is eager to get them back soon.
An American and Roseanne will remain on the space station after their departure. Kimbra said the rest of the NASA astronaut will fill in the new ones, although it would be nice if their alternatives came first to share tips for living in space.
———
The Department of Health and Science of the Associated Press receives the support of the Scientific Education Division of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. AP is solely responsible for all content.
“Professional coffee fan. Total beer nerd. Hardcore reader. Alcohol fanatic. Evil twitter buff. Friendly tv scholar.”
