The crew was able to remain cool when the alarm went off.
Waste Management Challenges
The Crew Dragon spacecraft toilet is one of the most compelling stories to emerge from SpaceX's Inspiration4 launch.
The rumors started last week when it was reported that the capsule's waste management system had been damaged during the mission. Elon Musk, SpaceX founder, later admitted that there were some issues with the crew's use of the toilet.
CNN now reports that the problem was so severe that it even set off an alarm during the mission.
Bathroom Buzzer
First, understand the workings of the capsules toilet to understand why the alarm went off.
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The commodes used by astronauts are much more advanced than those we have on Earth. They include fans that create suction to draw pee and poop into waste management systems. There is no gravity in space. The waste would just float around in space without a suction system.
The alarm was triggered when fans began experiencing mechanical problems. The crew of space tourists was able to locate the problem and fix it with the assistance of ground control.
Benji Reed, SpaceX's lead for human spaceflight programs, stated that the mission was clean from beginning to end. There were a few issues we had to work on, and we did some work on the Waste Management System. But that was resolved and the crew was happy.
It was encouraging to see that the crew was able to handle alarms without panicking. SpaceX hopes that the next mission will go more smoothly and SpaceX focuses less on offering astronauts a view from the toilet and more on providing clean, functioning toilets.
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READ MORE: SpaceX's all-tourist flight went off with an alarm. The toilet was the problem [CNN]
SpaceXs toilet: Spacecraft Toilet Rumors swirl, Bidet Company pitches Elon Musk
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