08. Is it hard to go to the bathroom without gravity? How would we sit down and keep from floating in the air? (A K2S Question)

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For Number Two it's not so simple. On Skylab and the Shuttle there is a commode seat and the user's bottom must be held onto the seat or you'll float off. On Skylab we had a seat belt to hold us down and on the Shuttle, two L-shaped levers pull down on the top of the thighs to keep you down on the potty seat. Both systems work well and, in both cases, airflow is directed in just the right way to cause the solid waste to settle toward the collector.

Answer provided by Col. USAF (Ret.) William R. Pogue


Image:K2S logosmall.jpg Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer


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