<P> There are four basic parts in a space toilet : the liquid waste vacuum tube , the vacuum chamber , the waste storage drawers , and the solid waste collection bags . The liquid waste vacuum tube is a 2 to 3 - foot ( 0.91 m ) long rubber or plastic hose that is attached to the vacuum chamber and connected to a fan that provides suction . At the end of the tube there is a detachable urine receptacle , which come in different versions for male and female astronauts . The male urine receptacle is a plastic funnel two to three inches in width and about four inches deep . A male astronaut urinates directly into the funnel from a distance of two or three inches away . The female funnel is oval and is two inches by four inches wide at the rim . Near the funnel 's rim are small holes or slits that allow air movement to prevent excessive suction . The vacuum chamber is a cylinder about 1 - foot ( 0.30 m ) deep and six inches wide with clips on the rim where waste collection bags may be attached and a fan that provides suction . Urine is pumped into and stored in waste storage drawers . Solid waste is stored in a detachable bag made of a special fabric that lets gas ( but not liquid or solid ) escape , a feature that allows the fan at the back of the vacuum chamber to pull the waste into the bag . When the astronaut is finished , he or she then twists the bag and places it in a waste storage drawer . Samples of urine and solid waste are frozen and taken to Earth for testing . </P>
<P> There are four basic parts in a space toilet : the liquid waste vacuum tube , the vacuum chamber , the waste storage drawers , and the solid waste collection bags . The liquid waste vacuum tube is a 2 to 3 - foot ( 0.91 m ) long rubber or plastic hose that is attached to the vacuum chamber and connected to a fan that provides suction . At the end of the tube there is a detachable urine receptacle , which come in different versions for male and female astronauts . The male urine receptacle is a plastic funnel two to three inches in width and about four inches deep . A male astronaut urinates directly into the funnel from a distance of two or three inches away . The female funnel is oval and is two inches by four inches wide at the rim . Near the funnel 's rim are small holes or slits that allow air movement to prevent excessive suction . The vacuum chamber is a cylinder about 1 - foot ( 0.30 m ) deep and six inches wide with clips on the rim where waste collection bags may be attached and a fan that provides suction . Urine is pumped into and stored in waste storage drawers . Solid waste is stored in a detachable bag made of a special fabric that lets gas ( but not liquid or solid ) escape , a feature that allows the fan at the back of the vacuum chamber to pull the waste into the bag . When the astronaut is finished , he or she then twists the bag and places it in a waste storage drawer . Samples of urine and solid waste are frozen and taken to Earth for testing . </P>
where does the poop go in a space shuttle
where does the poop go in a space shuttle
in a waste storage drawer in a detachable bag made of a special fabric that lets gas ( but not liquid or solid ) escape
in a waste storage drawer in a detachable bag made of a special fabric that lets gas ( but not liquid or solid ) escape