>> BY FAR,
THE MOST COMMON QUESTION
WE GET ASKED
AS ASTRONAUTS IS...
SO, LET'S TAKE A, UH,
A PEEK AT THE PROCESS.
THIS COMPARTMENT
IS CALLED THE W.H.C.,
THE NASA ACRONYM FOR
"WASTE AND HYGIENE COMPARTMENT,"
I THINK.
WE JUST KNOW IT AS W.H.C.
IT'S INSIDE THIS, UH, THIS--
WE CALL THIS A STALL,
WHICH IS A, UH,
A COUPLE OF WALLS AND A DOOR
TO GIVE YOU SOME PRIVACY,
BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT
IN THE MIDDLE OF NODE THREE
WITH A TREADMILL
ON ONE SIDE OF THE TOILET,
THE WEIGHT MACHINE
WE CALL A.R.E.D.
ON THE OTHER SIDE,
AND DOWN IN THE FLOOR,
OUR AWESOME WINDOW
CALLED THE CUPOLA.
AND THIS IS A HIGH-TRAFFIC AREA,
PEOPLE ARE COMING AND GOING,
UH, SO YOU NEED THE PRIVACY.
FIRST OF ALL, THE DESIRE TO GO,
THE NEED TO GO-TO GO
IS VERY SIMILAR AS ON EARTH,
WHERE YOU JUST KNOW
YOU HAVE TO GO.
IT DOESN'T FEEL ANY DIFFERENT
BECAUSE THE FLUID MIGHT BE
FLOATING IN YOUR BLADDER
OR SOMETHING-- N-NO.
THAT'S-- IT-IT'S
JUST THE EXACT SAME,
UH, SENSATION.
YOU KNOW YOU GOTTA GO.
EITHER ONE.
NUMBER ONE OR NUMBER TWO.
SO YOU'VE ALREADY--
YOU'VE DECIDED THAT.
YOU FLOAT INTO THE W.H.C.
AND WE HAVE THE TOILET...
[ CHOIR SINGING ]
[ FLUSHING ]
WHICH CONSISTS OF A SEAT,
AND A METAL BUCKET
THAT WE CALL [ INDISTINCT ]
WHICH IS A RUSSIAN ACRONYM
FOR SOMETHING.
CONTAINER OF SOMETHING.
AND, UM, BUT IT-IT HOLDS ABOUT--
DEPENDING ON
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HERE,
IT HOLDS ABOUT, UM,
MAYBE 30 DEPOSITS.
[ CHA-CHING ]
AND WE'LL, UH, WE'LL
TALK ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND.
THE URINE GOES
INTO THIS HOSE RIGHT HERE,
AND THIS VALVE
IS WHAT ACTIVATES
THE WHOLE SYSTEM.
OKAY, TH-THESE ARE
THE TWO PRIMARY CONTROL PANELS
FOR THE W.H.C.
WHEN THE SYSTEM IS
READY FOR USE, IT'S A "V."
THIS MEANS IT'S
GOING TO THE U.P.A.
SO WE SAY "CHECK THAT
IT'S V-TO-P."
ALL RIGHT,
NOW WE'RE ON THE INSIDE
OF THE HYGIENE COMPARTMENT.
CLOSE THE DOOR,
SO THAT YOU HAVE YOUR PRIVACY.
YOU TAKE THE FUNNEL.
THIS KNOB RIGHT HERE
ACTIVATES THE WHOLE SYSTEM.
IT'S VERY, VERY,
UH, CONVENIENT,
BECAUSE IT'S JUST ONE VALVE
OPERATES IT ALL.
BUT SHOULD THE-- IN THE EVENT
THAT YOU, UH, FORGET
HOW THE SYSTEM OPERATES,
OR YOU'RE BRAND NEW HERE,
AND YOU JUST WANNA
DOUBLE-CHECK,
IN GOOD NASA FASHION,
WE HAVE A CHECKLIST.
[ DING ]
THIS IS CALLED,
UH, PROCEDURE 2.301.
THE NO-- W.H.C.
NOMINAL OPERATIONS CUE CARD,
AND IT'S GOT SEVERAL BLOCKS
FOR OPERATIONS.
SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT WAYS
THE-- WHERE THE PEE CAN GO.
IT CAN JUST GO INTO A BUCKET,
WHICH IS CALLED A [ INDISTINCT ]
AND, UH, ESSENTIALLY
YOU'RE JUST F-- PEEING
UNTIL THAT BUCKET'S FILLED UP,
AND THEN YOU HAVE
TO SWAP OUT THE BUCKET.
OR YOU CAN CONFIGURE
W.H.C. TO U.P.A.,
UH, URINE PROCESSOR ASSEMBLY,
AND, UH, AND THAT WAY,
THE URINE IS GOING RIGHT IN--
DIRECTLY INTO THE SYSTEM,
AND THAT'S THE WAY
WE NORMALLY KEEP IT, UH,
AS MOST CONVENIENT
FOR THE CREW MEMBERS,
'CAUSE YOU'RE NOT CONSTANTLY
CHANGING OUT A TANK.
SO THERE'S COUPLE BLOCKS
THAT TELL YOU HOW TO MAKE
THOSE-- THO-THOSE CHANGES,
AND, UH, AND SOME
DETAILED STEPS,
IF YOU NEED TO KNOW
HOW EXACTLY TO DO IT.
AND IN CASE THINGS GO WRONG--
LIKE THE HARDWARE,
NOT YOURSELF--
THERE'S THE W.H.C.
MALFUNCTIONS CUE CARD.
AND WE THOUGHT-
THOUGHT OF ALL THE DIFFERENT,
LIKE, COMBINATIONS
IN THE FAILURE MODES,
AND-AND, UH, AT THE BOTTOM LINE
IS THAT IF THERE'S A RED LIGHT,
WE TALK TO THE GROUND,
AND TOGETHER, WE-WE FIGURE OUT
THE PATH FORWARD.
OKAY, BACK TO NORMAL OPERATIONS.
TIME TO GO.
YOU TAKE THE VALVE,
AND, UH...
[ MACHINE WHIRRING ]
YOU TURN IT ON.
YOU HEAR THE FAN NOISE,
CHECK FOR AIR FLOW,
I'LL SHOW YOU THAT THERE IS,
IN FACT, AIR FLOW.
SO, LITTLE BIT OF AIR FLOW,
AND THAT HELPS EVERYTHING
FLOW IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
WE'VE GOT OUR, UH, SIMULATOR.
AND...
THAT'S WHERE YOUR BUSINESS GOES.
YOU COMPLETE.
YOU WANNA BE A GOOD CREW MEMBER,
SO YOU MAKE SURE
THAT YOU WIPE OFF
THE EXCESS.
USE A DISINFECTANT WIPE
OCCASIONALLY OR OFTEN.
AND THEN YOU SIMPLY
TURN THE VALVE OFF.
BUT I WANNA SHOW YOU
NUMBER TWO AS WELL,
SO I'LL LEAVE IT RUNNING,
AND WE'LL ROLL RIGHT INTO THAT.
OKAY, WHEN IT IS TIME TO GO,
YOU FLIP THIS LEVER HERE,
AND THAT LIFTS UP THE LID.
THE SEAT HERE IS ABOUT,
OH, 5 OR 6 INCHES
IN DIAMETER,
AND THERE'S, UH,
A PLASTIC LINER IN THERE,
WHICH-- WHERE YOUR
DEPOSIT GOES.
WHAT I HAVE HERE
IS GREEN BEANS AND MUSHROOMS,
AND I DO NOT LIKE MUSHROOMS,
SO I DON'T MIND CONTRIBUTING
THIS PIECE OF, UH, FOOD
IN THE NAME OF EDUCATION.
SO PRETEND I ATE THIS YESTERDAY,
AND NOW IT GOES INTO THERE.
YOU CLEAN YOURSELF,
AND THE WIPES GO
INTO THERE AS WELL.
YOU TAKE THIS RED TAB,
YOU PULL IT OFF THE RIM,
AND IT DEPENDS ON HOW FULL
THE CONTAINER IS.
THIS ONE'S ABOUT
HALFWAY THROUGH.
WE DO HAVE, UH, A STICK,
AND YOU PUSH IT DOWN IN THERE
WITH ALL ITS OTHER FRIENDS,
AND THEN IT'S TIME
TO PUT A NEW BAG ON.
TO PUT A NEW BAG ON,
YOU SEPARATE-- PULL THE--
IT'S LIKE A HAIR SCRUNCHIE.
GET IT ALL SO IT HAS
MAX CAPACITY THERE,
AND READY TO GO.
CLOSE IT UP,
CLOSE THE LID,
NOW YOU'VE GONE NUMBER ONE,
NUMBER TWO,
YOU CLEANED YOURSELF UP,
AND, UH, IT'S TIME
TO TURN THE SYSTEM OFF.
YOU JUST TAKE THIS VALVE.
[ STOPS WHIRRING ]
ROTATE IT TO "OFF."
THE FAN SPINS DOWN,
THE SYSTEM CHECKS ITSELF,
ALL THE LIGHTS GO OUT,
AND YOU'RE DONE.
SO CONGRATULATIONS,
YOU JUST USED THE W.H.C.
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
AND YOU, UH, LEARNED
ABOUT THE PROCESS.
HOPE IT'S EDUCATIONAL,
BUT I DON'T THINK
IT'S GONNA LESSEN
THE AMOUNT OF TIMES
I HAVE TO ANSWER
THAT QUESTION.
THANKS FOR WATCHING.
[ MUSIC ]