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arkitect

macrumors 604
Original poster
Sep 5, 2005
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20,608
Bath, United Kingdom
Well I guess since you can't just "go outside" it is a bit of a problem. :D
Link…
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?
 
That's simply pathetic, and against everything the ISS project is supposed to stand for. Houston, you have an attitude problem.
 
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…
 
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"?
 
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.
 
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."
 
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.
 
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