'Toilet row' in International Space Station

[arkitect]

Well I guess since you can't just "go outside" it is a bit of a problem. :D
Link… (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7973747.stm)
The International Space Station, once a place where astronauts would share food and facilities, is said to be embroiled in a Cold War-like stand-off.

A Russian cosmonaut has complained he is no longer allowed to use a US toilet as well as a US exercise bike.

Gennady Padalka, 50, told Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper the lack of sharing was lowering the crew's morale.

"They also recommend us to only use national toilets," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
National toilets?

[Queso]

That's simply pathetic, and against everything the ISS project is supposed to stand for. Houston, you have an attitude problem.

[arkitect]

That's simply pathetic, and against everything the ISS project is supposed to stand for. Houston, you have an attitude problem.

How do people think we're going to get to Mars (24 months duration) if this is the kind of squabbling going on just outside Earth…

[Jaffa Cake]

They should just fly him up a toilet for his own exclusive use – then he can boldly go where no man has gone before.

[lord patton]

They should just fly him up a toilet for his own exclusive use – then he can boldly go where no man has gone before.

LOL, literally!

[michael.lauden]

$35M to goto the ISS? dang. lucky

[Queso]

How do people think we're going to get to Mars (24 months duration) if this is the kind of squabbling going on just outside Earth…
Sounds to me like all the squabbling is happening down on the planet below. The Cosmo/Astro-nauts need to just ignore ridiculous instructions about national boundaries and get on with it. I mean, where does it stop? "The Russians can't use your air"?

[JNB]

Shades of 2010…

[Abstract]

I'd piss up into the air, and take a deep breath, and blow it towards those silly Americans.

[bartelby]

Shades of 2010…

Now we just need a huge monolith to send a message back home...

[Queso]

I'd piss up into the air, and take a deep breath, and blow it towards those silly Americans.
Personally I'd take the deep breath first :D

[Abstract]

Yeah, I guess you wouldn't want to drown in the ISS. :p

[RedTomato]

I'm guessing that the chemicals used to flush / clean the toilet cost something like $100,000 per litre to fly up, as well as the cost of all the other toilet engineering mechanisms.

Accounting for wear and tear and consumables, each crap probably costs about $50,000 (pulled that figure out of my ass as we're talking faeces here.)

You know how it is with toilets blocks, everyone has a favourite toilet, maybe one smells better or is more comfy than the other. So everyone went to that one. (dunno if it was the Russian or the US one). Then ground control says hey! we're paying for everyone's dumps here! Stop that, use your own bog!

And here we go. Toilet wars. Just like 3 year old kids.

I agree with the above poster, this is not what the ISS is about. If it's true one loo is overused, fine, have a rota. Everyone who does a jobby on the US throne must use the Russian jakes next time. Or whatever. Sort it out like adults.

Ditto the exercise bike. That probably cost $50,000,000 to fly up, and is probably full of gadgets that get worn out through overuse. A 10 year lifespan if used 2x day goes down to 5 years if used 4x day.

[GSMiller]

So the Russians have their own space ship to fly to the ISS but not their own toilet on the ISS? :confused:

[Consultant]

I'd piss up into the air, and take a deep breath, and blow it towards those silly Americans.

Um,

"But space missions became more commercial in 2003 and Moscow started billing Washington for sending its astronauts into space, he said. Other nations responded in kind, he added."

[diemos]

that's hilarious, lol.

Houston we have a problem!

[Gray-Wolf]

When the, umm, toilet was broken recently, they all used the russian one. So, in fair play, the russians can use the american one. As the brits call it, the. Loo.