Sep 23, 2020 11:00 PM
Will NASA's new space toilet pass the malodorous test for moon-bound astronauts?
https://www.businessinsider.com/toilet-n...lem-2020-9
EXCERPTS: NASA is actively preparing to send astronauts back to the moon [...] But on those missions, the astronauts will need a way to go to the bathroom. This presents a unique challenge for Jason Hutt, engineering lead for the Orion capsule. Hutt is responsible for ensuring that Orion's toilet, called the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), can function within the confines of the spacecraft without creating excessive mess or smell. Given that Orion is only the length of a small powerboat and must house four waste-expelling adults for nearly a month, the system has to be compact, efficient, and not too stinky.
"If you want to recreate that used spacecraft smell, take a couple dirty diapers, some microwave food wrappers, a used airsickness bag, & a few sweaty towels, put them in an old school metal trash can and let it bake in the summer sun for 10 days," Hutt wrote on Twitter in August. "Then open the kid & breathe deep."
A version of the new toilet is launching to the International Space Station next week [...] The UWMS design isn't too different from other space toilets. Because there's no gravity ... it uses motorized fans to suction away astronauts' urine and feces. The poop would remain stored on Orion ... But there won't be room to store pee, and the spaceship can't recycle it ... So the plan is for Orion astronauts to vent their pee into space, where it could float frozen forever ... (MORE - details)
Why NASA designed a new $23 million space toilet
California Gov. signs order banning sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environm...5-n1240878
INTRO: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday to end the sale of gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. The order aims to phase out cars with internal combustion engines within 15 years by requiring that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the Golden State in 2035 be zero-emission vehicles.
Newsom said the move, which comes as California is battling some of the worst wildfires in the state’s recent history, will help California reduce carbon pollution in the transportation sector, which contributes to more than half of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
“For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe,” Newsom said in a statement. “Californians shouldn’t have to worry if our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse — and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.” (MORE - details) ..... RELATED: UK Government brings forward ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035(video)
https://www.businessinsider.com/toilet-n...lem-2020-9
EXCERPTS: NASA is actively preparing to send astronauts back to the moon [...] But on those missions, the astronauts will need a way to go to the bathroom. This presents a unique challenge for Jason Hutt, engineering lead for the Orion capsule. Hutt is responsible for ensuring that Orion's toilet, called the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), can function within the confines of the spacecraft without creating excessive mess or smell. Given that Orion is only the length of a small powerboat and must house four waste-expelling adults for nearly a month, the system has to be compact, efficient, and not too stinky.
"If you want to recreate that used spacecraft smell, take a couple dirty diapers, some microwave food wrappers, a used airsickness bag, & a few sweaty towels, put them in an old school metal trash can and let it bake in the summer sun for 10 days," Hutt wrote on Twitter in August. "Then open the kid & breathe deep."
A version of the new toilet is launching to the International Space Station next week [...] The UWMS design isn't too different from other space toilets. Because there's no gravity ... it uses motorized fans to suction away astronauts' urine and feces. The poop would remain stored on Orion ... But there won't be room to store pee, and the spaceship can't recycle it ... So the plan is for Orion astronauts to vent their pee into space, where it could float frozen forever ... (MORE - details)
Why NASA designed a new $23 million space toilet
California Gov. signs order banning sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environm...5-n1240878
INTRO: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday to end the sale of gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. The order aims to phase out cars with internal combustion engines within 15 years by requiring that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the Golden State in 2035 be zero-emission vehicles.
Newsom said the move, which comes as California is battling some of the worst wildfires in the state’s recent history, will help California reduce carbon pollution in the transportation sector, which contributes to more than half of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
“For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe,” Newsom said in a statement. “Californians shouldn’t have to worry if our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse — and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.” (MORE - details) ..... RELATED: UK Government brings forward ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035(video)