This weekend, a SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship will launch a crew of professional astronauts into orbit. However, NASA must first review and approve some improvements made by SpaceX to address difficulties with a vital component - the toilet.
In a previous report, Science Times said engineers initially discovered an issue with the Crew Dragon toilet on SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission in September, which took four people to orbit for the first time for a three-day stay.
SpaceX Engineers Fix Crew Dragon's Toilet Issue
Before the Crew-3 mission's flight this weekend, SpaceX resolved a bathroom issue with the Crew Dragon. Urine leaks in space are no longer a problem thanks to the repair.
On October 31, the Crew-3 crew members will be sent into space in a Crew Dragon capsule dubbed Endurance.
A Space.com article mentioned that engineers fixed the Endurance's toilet after SpaceX discovered two other Crew Dragon spacecraft had urine leak issues.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft on SpaceX's most recent mission, the Inspiration4, has a pee leak problem.
The same Space.com report, citing post-landing examination, said that a tube connected to a lavatory storage tank popped out during the three-day mission.
SpaceX's build and flight reliability Vice President Bill Gerstenmaier said urine did not flow into the fan system because engineers finally unhooked the tube from the tank.
After discovering the urine issue on the Inspiration4 flight, both SpaceX and NASA checked the Endeavour, the Crew Dragon flight utilized for the Crew-2 mission. After further investigation, engineers determined that the Endeavour had evidence of a urine leak as well.
Urine leaks aren't a major problem, though. The two crews that flew aboard those spacecraft were unaware of the situation throughout their travels. Examinations also indicate that Endeavour did not have corrosion damage that would have hampered its return to Earth.
Despite this, SpaceX sought to solve the toilet problem to prevent future pee leaks.
SpaceX solved this problem in the tank for Crew-3 crew, according to Gernstenmaier, by essentially building an all-welded construction with no seams that may come unglued and become separated.
SpaceX Crew 3 Halloween Launch
Republic World said SpaceX Crew-3, the next group of astronauts to visit the International Space Station, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on October 26 in preparation for the launch this weekend. NASA SpaceX Crew-3 is scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 39A at 2:21 a.m. ET on Sunday, October 31, on a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch, which was supposed to take place on Saturday, has been postponed to allow for further "spacecraft processing."
NASA astronauts Kyla Barron, Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and European Space Agency astronaut Mathias Maurer plan to dock with the International Space Station early Monday, November 1, around 22 hours after the Crew-3 launch date. Four astronauts will spend six months on the International Space Station. Chari, Barron, and Maurer will make their first spaceflights on this trip, while Marshburn will make his third.
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