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by far the most common question we get asked as astronauts is how do you go to the bathroom in

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space so let's take a peek at the process this compartment is called the WHC the NASA acronym

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for waste and hygiene compartment I think we just know it as WHC it's inside this this we call this

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stall which is a a couple of walls and a door they give you some privacy because you're right in the

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middle of node 3 with the treadmill on one side of the toilet the weight machine we call a red on the

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other side and down in the floor our awesome window called the cupola and this is a high traffic area

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people are coming and going so you need the privacy first of all the desire to go the need to go to go

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is very similar as on earth when you just know you have to go it doesn't feel any different because

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the fluid might be floating in your bladder or something no that's it it's just the exact same

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sensation you know you got to go either one number one or number two so you've already you've decided

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that you float into the WHC and we have the toilet which consists of a seat and a metal bucket we call

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a KETEO which is a Russian acronym or something container of something and but it holds about

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depending on how many people are here it holds about maybe 30 deposits and we'll talk about that in a

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second the urine goes into this hose right here and this valve is what activates the whole system okay

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these are the two primary control panels for the WHC when the system is ready for use it's a V

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this means it's going to the UPA so we say check that it's V to P all right now we're on the inside of

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the hygiene compartment close the door so that you have your privacy you take the funnel this knob right

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here activates the whole system it's very very convenient because it's just one valve operates

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it all but should be in the event that you forget how the system operates or you're brand new here and

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you just want to double check in good NASA fashion we have a checklist this is called procedure 2.301 the

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not WHC nominal operations cue card it's got several blocks for operations so there's two different ways that

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where the pee can go it can just go into a bucket which is called a yetive and essentially you're

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just peeing until that bucket's filled up and then you have to swap out the bucket or you can

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configure WHC to UPA a urine processor assembly and and that way the urine is going right in directly

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into the system and that's where we normally keep it it's most convenient for the crew members

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because you're not constantly changing how to take so there's a couple blocks to tell you how to make

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those those changes and and some detailed steps if you need to know how exactly to do it and in case

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things go wrong with partner not yourself there's a WHC malfunctions cue card and we thought of all the

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different light combinations in the failure modes and but the bottom line is if there's a red light we

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talk to the ground and together we figure out the path forward okay back to normal operations time to go you

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take the bow and you carry on you hear the fan noise check for airflow I'll show you that there is in fact

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airflow so a little bit of airflow and that helps everything flow in the right direction we've got our simulator

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and that's where your business goes

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you're complete you want to be a good crew member so you make sure that you wipe off

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the excess use a disinfectant wipe occasionally or often and then you simply turn the valve off but

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I want to show you number two as well so I'll leave it running and we'll roll right into that okay when

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it is time to go you flip this lever here and that lifts up the lid the seat here is about oh five or six

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inches in diameter and there's a plastic liner in there which where your deposit goes what I have

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here is green beans and mushrooms and I do not like mushrooms so I don't mind contributing this piece of

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food in the name of food in the name of education so pretend I ate this yesterday and now it goes into

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there you clean yourself and the wipes go into there as well you take this red tab you pull it off the

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rim and depends on how full the container is this one's about halfway through we do have a stick and you

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push it down in there with all its other friends and then it's time to put a new bag on to put a new

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bag on separate pull that it's like a hair scrunchie and get it all so it has max capacity there and

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ready to go close it up close the lid now you've gone number one number two you cleaned yourself up and

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it's time to turn the system off you just take this valve rotate it to off the fan spins down the system

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the system checks itself all the lights go out and you're done so congratulations you just used the

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WHC for the first time and you learned about the process hope it's educational but I don't think it's

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going to lessen the amount of times I have to answer that question thanks for watching