The Most Expensive Toilet in The World, A Space Toilet Worth 150 Million

The toilet is the most commonly used equipment, and generally speaking, the price is relatively close to the people. In the state of weightlessness in space, astronauts are prone to constipation. Even if they pull it out, the feces will fly around if they are not careful. "Toilet in space" is a problem that plagues major aerospace powers. There were no toilets in the early spaceships, and diapers had not been invented at that time. Astronauts can only use a condom-like urine bag for convenience. Do you know how much is the most expensive toilet in the world?

Let me introduce to you that the toilet of the International Space Station is currently the most expensive toilet. There are many factors to consider when making this toilet. The most expensive toilet ever made is fully functional, and it was custom-made for the International Space Station. How expensive is this 150 million space toilet? Let's find out together!

According to statistics from the World Toilet Organization, people spend about 3 years of their lives in the toilet. You may also complain that gravity is too small when you are constipated, but have you ever thought about astronauts in zero-gravity space? Going to the toilet in space has always troubled countless astronauts because a little carelessness will The universe "flying" appears. In order to improve the toilet experience of astronauts, in early October 2020, NASA sent a space toilet worth 23 million US dollars (about 150 million) to the International Space Station. According to reports, this new space toilet called "Universal Waste Management System" cost 23 million US dollars and took more than 6 years to develop, making it the most expensive toilet in history.

In the zero-gravity space, the human large intestine is also in a state of weightlessness, so no matter how hard it is, it cannot be excreted like the earth, and only feces and urine can be drawn out of the body through strong airflow and stored in a specific container. Airflow is produced by a 3D-printed titanium dual-fan separator.

Compared to the old-fashioned space toilet, UWMS also added a new feature, which is to automatically activate the airflow when the toilet lid is opened, which can control the diffusion of odors. NASA's new space toilet, called the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), weighs 45 kilograms and is 71 centimeters high. It is 65% smaller and 40% lighter than the toilets currently used on the space station and can be integrated into different spacecraft. on life support.

Don't underestimate this feature, because in space you can't naturally dissipate toilet odors like the earth, so those odors freeze in the air. NASA astronaut Jason Hutt was impressed by this smell:

If you want to recreate that smell, take a few dirty diapers, used microwave food wrappers, and a few sweat-soaked towels and put them in an old-fashioned metal trash can in the hot sun for 10 days, then open it and take a deep breath.

At the same time, UWMS is also more ergonomically designed, and the titanium alloy material greatly improves the corrosion resistance and durability of the toilet, so as to save more cleaning and maintenance time, allowing astronauts to focus more on scientific research and exploration, etc. task.

According to reports, another major feature of the new space toilet is that it is more friendly to female astronauts. While sitting on the toilet to defecate, it can use a specially shaped funnel and hose to suck urine, while the old toilet can only be done separately.

The reason why NASA did not hesitate to spend 23 million US dollars to develop a space toilet is that in addition to preparing for future interstellar exploration, it is estimated that it is fed up with the Russian toilet that malfunctions from time to time.

In 2007, NASA spent 19 million to order a space toilet from Russia and said that it was more cost-effective than its own research and development, but it became a nightmare for many astronauts.

When the space toilet fails, it will not only bring about hygiene problems but even threaten the health of astronauts. NASA scientists have found bacterial strains that are highly resistant to antibiotics in space station toilets, and they may evolve into disease-causing bacteria that can make astronauts sick.

From diapers to black technology toilets, a bitter "space shit". Give me a piece of toilet paper, here's a piece of shit floating in the air.