Crew Repair Iss’s Only Toilet

MOSCOW. May 28 (Interfax-AVN) – The crew of the International Space Station (ISS) have repaired the station’s only toilet.

“The toilet, located in the Russian module Zvezda, is in operation again. The system separating the liquid from the air, which is pumped in, as in a vacuum cleaner, got blocked last week. So the crew had to use the toilet aboard the Soyuz, pending repairs,” Mission Control in Korolyov, Russia, told Interfax-AVN.

Spare parts for the toilet will be brought to the ISS by the U.S. shuttle Discovery to be launched on Saturday, a Mission Control spokesman said.

Interfax-AVN earlier reported that in autumn, the U.S. shuttle will bring in a second space toilet, designed by the rocket and space corporation Energia [Korolyov, near Moscow] at NASA’s order. A second toilet is needed because the ISS crew will be increased from three to six members from 2009.

The ISS is currently being run by Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Konenenko, and U.S, astronaut Garrett Reisman.

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