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The International Space Station’s damaged toilet has been
finally fixed thanks to the replacement of the troublesome pump from the liquid
waste system.
Out of the toilet’s two disposal systems, the liquid
evacuation crashed last week while the solid disposal mechanism continued
working without any sort of trouble. The astronauts attempted to resolve the
problem using the two spare parts from the space station, but both tries were
unsuccessful.
The new replacement pump was sent on the US shuttle
Discovery, which reached the station on Monday. Its seven astronauts were on a
mission to attach to the International Space Station a new Japanese laboratory and
it was the perfect opportunity to also resolve the frustrating toilet issue.
“The toilet appears to have been repaired,” said Rob Navias,
the commentator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Web
video channel, NASA TV, according to the New York Times. The statement was
issued after a series of three separate tests that indicated the toilet’s
system stability.
The problem at first was considered minor, but as the days
passed it became more and more irritating, as the alternate methods of waste disposal
were considered by the astronauts less than pleasant.
Station deputy program manager Kirk Shireman, explained for
Agence France-Presse that they expect such incidents to continue to happen, as
the space missions involving humans require a lot more of applications and
gadgets which at any time and place could cease to function. He also added that
their efforts will be focused on minimizing the effects of such events.
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