How do astronauts go to toilet in space?

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Ever wondered how astronauts go to the toilet in space?

Since there is no gravity to either hold a toilet bowl full of water in place or pull human wastes down, designing a toilet for zero-gravity was not an easy task. NASA had to develop a way to use air flow to make the urine or feces go where they wanted.


Each Space Shuttle has a toilet that can be used by both men and women. Designed to be as much as possible like those on Earth, the units use flowing air instead of water to move waste through the system. 

Solid wastes are compressed and stored on-board, and then removed after landing. Waste water is vented to space, although future systems may recycle it. The air is filtered to remove odor and bacteria and then returned to the cabin. There is no shower on the Shuttle, so astronauts must make do with sponge baths until they return home.


The new toilet features better hygiene, larger storage capacity, greater dependability, and an overall cost savings in maintenance. The previous model had a 14-day capacity for storage of waste material. The new model has an unlimited storage capacity. 
The new model features a cylinder system where a plastic bag is placed in the toilet before use. The bag is then sealed and is forced to the bottom of the cylinder after each use by a plunger attached to a lever. A new bag is then placed in the toilet for the next astronaut. When the cylinder is filled, it is replaced by a new cylinder. 

The previous model relied on air flow to pull the waste to a holding tank. None of the waste was separated as it is now.

The new system provides better hygiene conditions. There was no way to empty the old system. When it was full, it simply could hold no more waste materials. It had a 14 day capacity. The new toilet also provides an odor-free environment. The old model did not!