NASA Will Ink Contract for Space Station Hardware, Including $19 Million Toilet System

NASA has announced that it would be signing a $46 million contract with S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Public Corporation or RSC Energia for various hardware items that would be integrated into the International Space Station. Included in the contract is a $19 million Russian space toilet system, spare depress air pump, technical and engineering support mechanism, software updates for the station's inventory management system, and certification of additional computer hardware for use on the space station.

According to NASA, the new toilet system is needed since it plans on increasing the number of crew members from three to six in 2009. NASA also claims that the price is a bargain compared to the cost of building a toilet system of its own. This $19 million restroom is similar to the one already installed in the space station since late 2000 but it would also automatically filter the urine into drinkable water. This new toilet system is expected to be installed to the US side of the space station in 2008.

The International Space Station and NASA has been a target of criticisms in the past years. Critics have always pointed out that the money spent on the space station could be spent better on other projects. Though very expensive, running a toilet system in space is no easy feat. Unlike here on earth, where you can simply flush your toilet and let it travel down to the municipal treatment plant, the International Space Station has its own miniature water treatment plant. Water supply is scarce so astronauts have to do everything to conserve water since they are only supplied every few months with 450 liters of fresh water so toilet pumps have to go through a filtering system so there can be enough fresh water to last astronauts for a prolonged period of time.

The filtering system works by separating water molecules from larger waste molecules. Water molecules are very small so the filters can filter anything bigger than water molecules like the organic waste in urine. After separating any solid material from the water, the solid matter is then stored in tanks and would return to Earth on the next spaceship.

The International Space Station, a research facility that is currently being built, is a joint project between NASA, the Russian Federal Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration, Canadian Space Agency, and the European Space Agency. It is expected to be finish in 2010. NASA's contract with RSC Energia will run until December 2011 and will include funds to purchase other necessary equipment for routine maintenance.

SOURCE:

NASA, NASA Awards Contract for Space Station Hardware. NASA. URL: (http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/jul/HQ_C07028_station_hardware.html)

Associated Press, NASA Buys $19 Million Toilet System. Associated Press. URL: (http://www.physorg.com/news102913662.html)

Tom Spears, NASA's new toilet to turn urine into drinking water. The StarPhoenix. URL: (http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/story.html?id=2fc983aa-89d0-4f8d-8ac3-84cf78c37a1e)

Plumbing the Space Station. URL: (http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast03apr_2.htm)