Nasa purchases $19 million toilet
Friday, 06 Jul 2007 12:55
The toilet will be fitted to the International Space Station
Nasa has purchased one of the most expensive household essentials ever for the International Space Station (ISS): a $19 million toilet.
The US space agency announced the news as part of its latest $46 million fixed price contract with the Russian company SP Korolev Rocket and Space.
Included in the contract are various items of hardware, all of which are due to be introduced into the gradually expanding ISS.
But the toilet facility is perhaps the most notable inclusion and is a much-needed addition due to the planned expansion of the ISS crew from three to six members in 2009.
Lynnette Madison, a spokeswoman for Nasa, told the Associated Press news agency that building the toilet was akin to the construction of a "municipal treatment centre on Earth".
Not only will the toilet be able to take away urine, it will also be able to automatically transfer the urine to a US device and turn it into drinking water.
The new contract with the Russian firm runs until 2011 and includes funds to carry out ongoing maintenance requirements.
Among the other equipment included in the contract is a spare depress air pump, which conserves air when a crew exits the airlock for a spacewalk, and more support for the mechanism that allows the shuttle to dock with the station.