Personal Hygiene in Space

 

You won't be able to shower on the orbiter, but not for want of water. The spacecraft's electricity is produced by three fuel cells. Each has 32 plates. When liquid hydrogen is applied to one side of a plate and liquid oxygen to the other side, the plate puts out one volt of electrical power, or 32 volts per fuel cell. The byproduct is water, as pure as distilled, made by the fuel cells at the rate of 6.8 kg (15 lbs) an hour. This is four times the estimated amount needed by seven persons on the orbiter. The excess is dumped overboard.

You will be restricted to sponge baths on the orbiter. According to training procedures, this should take about ten minutes. For privacy, draw the curtain from the bathroom door to the side of the galley where the wash basin is recessed. Above the basin are a mirror and a light, and on the wall are strips of tape to attach towels, wash cloths and personal hygiene items. The basin provides warm water and a soap dispenser.

There is no need to use much water because it adheres so well to your skin in microgravity, as do the soapsuds. You use one cloth to wash, another to rinse yourself. At the rear of the basin is a fan that pulls the excess water toward a drain that leads to the waste water tank under the floor.

When the tank becomes full, an alarm goes off and a mission specialist dumps the water overboard. The wash cloths and towels go into the bag hanging on the bathroom door.

The bathroom on the orbiter reflects the enormous effort made to provide a touch of home in space. It is a private room when the curtain is drawn, with a normal-looking toilet, a light over the right shoulder to read by, and the hatch window on the left to look down at Earth.

But in important ways the orbiter's toilet is unique. To remain seated, the user must insert his or her boots into the toe holds or foot restraints and snap together the seatbelt waist restraints. There are also handholds. Instead of water to flush away solid waste, this toilet relies on a fan that draws away the waste and sends it to a compartment below. There it is dried and disinfected. Liquid waste is drawn into a contoured cup and flexible hose by air flow, and the fluid is pumped into the waste water tank under the floor.

Before this type of toilet was developed, astronauts used an emesis bag. This was much like an aircraft emergency bag, with chemicals inside to disinfect the waste.

The personal hygiene gear in your locker includes changes of clothing and a kit with items such as toothpaste and a toothbrush, dental floss, razor and.shaving cream, a nail clipper, and a comb and brush. The nail clipper will not be necessary on a short trip. On Earth, fingernails need trimming once a week. In space, they grow so slowly that once a month is enough.

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