8 ms·
Let's talk about peeing in space
- i_am_nomad 7y agoYou go, girl!
- benj111 7y ago"special gloves" Is this one of those examples where Nasa spends $50m developing special acronymed gloves, and the Russians went to the chemist and bought some bog standard rubber gloves?
- dbt00 7y agoYou mean like the space pen vs pencil thing, where Fisher spent his own money to design and make it and sold it to both the Americans and Russians because pencils are a huge fire hazard in zero G?
- hoorayimhelping 7y agoYou're referencing that one chain mail from the late 90s right? That said that Americans spent millions developing zero-g pens but the Russians used a pencil? Yeah, it's fake and stupid. Pencil shavings chip off and don't fall to the floor in space. The graphite parts float around and clog up critical equipment. Pencils themselves are flammable and after the Apollo 1 fire killed three astronauts, NASA was a little gun-shy about sending flammable material into space. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-write-stuff/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-write-stuff/ It's super fun to talk about simple solutions and how NASA loves to overengineer things, but there are actual constraints to consider in micro gravity.
- noonespecial 7y agoIf you'd like a more believable "just so" legend, try the toothpaste box story. https://cs.txstate.edu/~br02/cs1428/ShortStoryForEngineers.htm https://cs.txstate.edu/~br02/cs1428/ShortStoryForEngineers.h...
- Retric 7y agoWhat’s interesting about this is how poor the fan would have been on it’s own. Let’s say you set it up on day 1, now on day 200 you notice it’s off, and suddenly you have no idea how many empty boxes you just shipped. However, as part of a redundant system it seems like a great idea.
- russdill 7y ago"You don’t have to be an engineer to appreciate this story.". Actually It's a lot easier to enjoy the story if you aren't an engineer. The use of compressed air is so bog standard on production lines it would be the first solution proposed before a meeting was even scheduled.
- noonespecial 7y agoThat's why it's a great "just so" along the lines of how the leopard got his spots. "And that, oh best-beloved, is how we came to use compressed air to sort by density on production lines..."
- JustSomeNobody 7y agoSpecial probably just means nitrile.
- antisthenes 7y agoGreat read, but I couldn't help but think about how Twitter is the worst possible format for this, compared to literally anything else. A blog post. A news article. Even a video.
- gatherhunterer 7y agoI was confused as to why this was a link to Twitter as opposed to a direct link. The over-dependence on platforms like Twitter has reached the point of parody.
- guytv 7y agoOne of the best reads in a long time.
- PunchTornado 7y agoI love reading long stories in a twitter format /s that's why twitter came to be. 160 characters in 30 blocks
- harryh 7y ago@threadreaderapp is your friend: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1152277166996017152.html https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1152277166996017152.html
- geofft 7y agoFor these types of stories, I find it much more readable than a giant wall of text - the structure of the medium forces you into better storytelling. (Not everything is this type of story, though! I would hate reading a research paper in this format, where each two-sentence block was intended to be interesting enough to be retweeted on its own.) This isn't unusual in human storytelling. Other forms with a history of constraint causing a better result than an unconstrained pile of text include poetry, songs, and presentation slides.
- jakobegger 7y agoTwitter threads feel more focussed (than long form content) to me. People skip fluff and focus on the important parts.
- carrozo 7y agoThe technology is also useful down here on Earth when one astronaut wants to drive 950 miles without stopping to confront the lover of another. https://www.denverpost.com/2007/02/05/diaper-wearing-astronaut-jailed-in-love-triangle-plot/ https://www.denverpost.com/2007/02/05/diaper-wearing-astrona...
- 19870213 7y agoThe story is also in song form by Molly Lewis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39st68H1reA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39st68H1reA
- azalemeth 7y agoTo be fair, some people just like diapers... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaper_fetishism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaper_fetishism)
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- canada_dry 7y agoMore fun facts: www.popsci.com/brief-history-pooping-in-space/
- 013a 7y ago> The sheaths came in small, medium, and large. It turns out, the men were all saying that they needed a Large sheath. They did not. Subsequently, the astronauts called the sheaths were called "Extra-large," "Immense," and "Unbelievable." This is a really similar story to one from Trojan condoms, IIRC, whereby everyone was buying the Large size, so the Magnum was born. I'd believe it in a heartbeat for Trojan, but I have a hard time believing it in the context of a NASA aerospace program. Maybe they joked about it, and the larger size names were born out of that joke, but I can't believe that NASA didn't have doctors and engineers sizing the sheaths for each astronaut, or at least making the decision for the astronauts from the sizes they had. This isn't like they were walking into a walmart and had to decide on their own; this was a multi-million dollar first-of-its-kind space program.
- nexuist 7y ago>but I can't believe that NASA didn't have doctors and engineers sizing the sheaths for each astronaut I understand there's science and professionalism and all but....could you justify measuring dick length to a bunch of astronauts? Not to mention the length changes over time and also nobody wants to be the small sheath surrounded by extra large...
- kinkrtyavimoodh 7y agoThese astronauts undergo rigorous medical checks where every inch of their body is checked and double-checked. And they already come from an armed forces background where detailed medical checks are very common and there is zero shame about nudity. I am pretty sure they would not have had qualms about it if it was indeed necessary. Their space suits are already sized to their specific dimensions. Also, why does the sheath size have to be such a public thing?
- Chris_Chambers 7y agoYou answered your own question: You justify it to the astronauts by telling them it’s to size their sheath. And what do you mean the size “changes over time”? Are you referring to erections? You think constant erections occurring every minute is a problem astronauts deal with? Also, you shouldn’t use intellectually condescending ellipses in an exchange where it’s clear that you’re the one who is a moron, not the person you’re responding to.
- mcnichol 7y agoReading that "article" on twitter was amazingly not miserable but seriously...is it a thing to write articles in twitter feeds
- tracer4201 7y agoI don’t understand. This is good information, but why do I have to read this on a Twitter feed? Why not an article or proper blog?
- ekc 7y agoAren't you the one who's being pretentious by complaining about how you have to read it on a microblogging site?
- mcnichol 7y agoReading an article in the form of a twitter storm is not something I'd blame someone complaining about. She paced it well and really made it work and who knows, that may have been the perfect place. I have to believe there is some consensus on a twitter stream exceeding a certain length being better off as a blog and this would qualify in those numbers
- pdpi 7y agoTrading your audience for a better medium is a hard bargain to accept.
- mcnichol 7y agoThat's the conversation right? Is this a better medium, are blogs just not as effective. To advocate for this medium, I definitely care little for the amount of advertising done in blogs. Everything looks like a 1990s Warez site
- JustSomeNobody 7y agoPretentious doesn't seem to fit.
- captn3m0 7y agoThe author (Mary Robinette Kowal) has a Nebula-winning twin-book series which cover an alternate timeline where humanity went to Mars instead of the Moon. The books[1] are a really great read (have a Hidden Figures meets Macgyver/Martian vibe and I loved them). If you'd like a sample, her Hugo winning novella, "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" (which was expanded into the above 2 books) is available as a free read on Tor.com: https://www.tor.com/2013/09/11/the-lady-astronaut-of-mars/ https://www.tor.com/2013/09/11/the-lady-astronaut-of-mars/ It was one of my favorite reads of 2013, and you'll greatly enjoy it. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Calculating_Stars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Calculating_Stars
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- tartrate 7y agoLet's talk about peeing in space. Several people, in response to my NY Times essay, have said that women couldn't go into space because we lacked the technology for them to pee in space. When the Mercury program was proposed, doctors were worried that people would not be able to urinate or even swallow without the aid of gravity. And yet, they still made plans to send a man into space. Up. Hello space! Back down. They made no plans for peeing. He asked Mission Control for permission to go in his suit. After consultation with flight surgeons & suit technicians, they gave him permission to do so. So he wet himself & still went into space. It worked great in testing, but when the actual astronauts used it, the sheath kept blowing off and leaving them with pee in their suits. Was this about extended time in the spacesuit? They did not. Subsequently, the astronauts called the sheaths were called "Extra-large," "Immense," and "Unbelievable." That worked well for Gemini and Mercury. And by well, I mean there was still urine in the capsule and it stank of feces. Apollo needed a different solution. If you timed it right. Open it too early and the vacuum of space reached through the valve to grab your manhood. Apparently, the venting of pee into space is very pretty. It catches the sunlight and sparkles. Buzz Aldrin was the second man on the moon, but the first to pee there. After the accident, they couldn't use the regular vent, because it needed to be heated to keep the pee from freezing. It wasn't meant to be a permanent ban, but the crew didn't understand that. So they were stashing pee in every bag or container possible. He got a UTI and then a kidney infection. To launch and for a spacewalk, they developed the MAG Maximum Absorbency Garment. It's a diaper. They also developed a zero-G toilet so that astronauts no longer had to tape a bag to their ass. Fun pooping in space fact: Without gravity, the poop doesn't break off as it exits your body. You have to reach back and help with special gloves. Sometimes though, the toilet breaks down. At that point, they return to using "relief bags" taped to their ass and "manual urine containment." Fun fact: Due to chemicals, it is bright purple and acidic. Fun fact: Poop regularly escapes, which is why you never eat a milk dud found floating in the ISS. We didn't have the technology for men to pee in space when they started either. And some days, the best solution is still a diaper or a bag taped to the ass
- ra88it 7y agoPeople are complaining that this is painful to read on Twitter, so I expected it would be painful. Then I actually followed the link and it was delightful! I'm not really a fan or a detractor from the medium, but I don't understand the hate in this particular context. PS: What a lovely thread about the reality of peeing in space!
- geofft 7y agoAlso, the author is the president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, a Hugo and Nebula award winner, an audiobook narrator, a podcaster, and a puppeteer, and a blogger. I'm pretty sure she has a good grasp of what medium is suitable for what content. (I, too, thought it was fine and quite reasonable.)
- DonHopkins 7y agoA Pierson's Puppeteer? With two heads??!
- karmakaze 7y agoThis is a must read thread, full of so many fun facts: e.g. > Fun fact: Gravity creates most of the sense of urgency for peeing, so in microgravity, astronauts can't always tell when they need to go. > It's such a complicated process that they pee on a schedule.
- bonniemuffin 7y agoI currently have the inverse problem and solve it in exactly the same way: I'm pregnant and I always feel like I have to pee, even if I just went five seconds ago. I can't tell the difference between the feeling of a full bladder and the feeling of the baby pushing on my bladder. I deal with it by peeing every hour, so that if it's only been 20 minutes, I can feel pretty confident that the feeling isn't real and I should try to ignore it. I have a lot of sympathy for the astronauts' pee problems these days.
- Daviey 7y agoAs a scuba diver, we often spend 6+ hours away from toilet facilities, and good hydration is important. With a wet suit, you can just pee and it will wash out. However, with a dry suit it is similar to a spacesuit. It is a pain to de-suit just to go for a pee (some of the old-timers have zips that allow them to pee above water, but it isn't very common.. and I prefer to pee underwater). Many people use pee-valves which work in a similar way to the twitter thread. External catheters which are like condoms with glue inside, and a tube which allows the liquid to escape outside the suit. Trouble is, I didn't know my "size". The medical company that makes them will post a selection of each type and a "sizing chart". The chart is a cardboard disc with cutouts that you can use to measure up against your body. For the same reasons as the thread, they use measuring in millimeters rather than t-shirt sizes. A few days later, I was on a road trip with my daughter and the company called to see if I received the pack and was able to place a real order. I answered on hands-free and I was asked, "What size will you need sir?". How could I possibly answer that sat next to my daughter? :o For female divers, the main option is a pad and glue. Sounds awful.
- mlevental 7y ago>How could I possibly answer that sat next to my daughter? :o i'm not trying to start a fight but i will never understand this. you're embarrassed to talk about your body in front of your daughter. what's the point? i remember my mom had a UTI and was embarrassed to discuss it with me when we were on a trip (so she suffered in kisilence). this woman whose body i literally was created in couldn't bring herself to tell me about something normal/typical about her body because of what? puritan culture? i will never get it. Edit: why am I getting downvoted? What have I said that's so offensive?
- Daviey 7y agoThis isn't related to a medical issue. This is reluctance to share with my child the specific size of my genitalia. You think that is peculiar?
- gameswithgo 7y ago
- petee 7y agoMy favorite part -- "Peeing or pooping in space is now a lengthy process, involving a fan, a targeting system, and a fair amount of prayer."