--- title: "The Space Station Is Getting a New Toilet" description: "The International Space Station is getting a new and improved zero-gravity toilet that can be used on long flights to Mars." date: "2020-06-15" modified: "2020-06-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/space-station-new-toilet" categories: - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "iss" - "toilet" - "toilets" --- # The Space Station Is Getting a New Toilet ![The International Space Station is getting a brand spanking new toilet, as Space.com reports. It will improve efficiency and could be used on trips to Mars.]() *\Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\* Astronauts on board the International Space Station will be about to sigh a big sigh of relief: the space station is getting a brand spanking new toilet, as [*Space.com* reports](). The new system called the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) is meant to be the (smelly) testing grounds for zero gravity toilets to be used during long space flight, such as a journey to Mars. It's also meant to standardize the toilet experience in space and thereby reduce costs — as well as lead to the development of smaller fecal canisters to improve stowage efficiency, [according to NASA](). A NASA spokesperson told *Space.com* that the new and improved lavatory could be headed to the ISS as early as this fall, but a spacecraft has yet to be picked out for the special delivery. The goal of the new toilet is also to make sure that we don't have to leave human waste behind and thereby risking cross-contamination on distant planets. In fact, during Apollo 11, US astronauts [left 96 bags of human poop]() on the lunar surface. Many scientists argue we should go back and dispose of it properly. Long-distance space travel could end up accruing a lot of waste. In fact, NASA estimates that we'd need to manage about 600 pounds of solid waste on a mission to Mars. "Our future goals are to stabilize and dry the metabolic waste to make it microbially inactive and possibly reuse that water, reduce the amount of consumables for the potty, because it does really accumulate on a long mission," Jim Broyan, program manager for Environmental Control and Life Support Technology and Crew Health and Performance at NASA, said during a May 20 meeting, as quoted by *Space.com*. The toilet on board the ISS right now dates back to the 90s. In the past, astronauts have struggled with aim. It also proved to be clunky to use, especially for women. In February 2019, [Russian media reported]() that the toilet on board the ISS burst, spilling gallons of fluid. The lucky astronauts had to mop it up with towels. The new toilet will have an adjusted shape and will include toe bars for astronauts to hook their feet into. The same model will eventually fly on NASA's Orion spacecraft that's headed to the Moon later this decade. **READ MORE:** [The International Space Station is getting a new toilet this year]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on space toilet:** *[Scientists’ New Goal: Make the ISS Bathroom Less Disgusting]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()