ISS crew\'s hygiene threatened by balky commode

Tag : Hygiene Station

BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhuanet) -- If you think a backed up toilet is ahassle on Earth, imagine what a problem it is on the InternationalSpace Station.
The outerspace outpost's long-term hygiene and routine comfort arenow threatened, unless critical spare parts can be identified,found and loaded aboard the space shuttle Discovery as it sits onthe launch pad in Florida.
These high-tech commodes must use fan-driven air flow instead ofgravity to transport human waste away from a crew member's body andinto a sanitary receptacle. Early spaceflights didn't even havethis method, but relied on bags with sticky openings