Russia Says America’s Space Station Toilet Blew Up

Harin - Feb 07, 2019

Russian media is reporting that toilet in the U.S section on the ISS blew up, spilling gallons of water on the microgravity environment.

It is making headlines on Russian media that America’s toilet on the ISS (International Space Station) blew up last week, leaking gallons of water that astronauts had to clean up with towels.

It sounds exceptionally similar to those story of having a bad roommate. But it might be the intensification in the worsening of relations between the U.S and Russia in space.

Sputnik News, which is affiliated closely with the Russian government, received info from a source, that the toilet located in the section of the U.S on the ISS malfunctioned last Friday, leaking around 10 liters of water into the environment with microgravity. On board the ISS, water is a valuable resource. Every form of water like urine, sweat, shower water is all recycled through filtration systems.

The source stated:

It may sound silly and makes no sense, but the leak emphasizes the deterioration in relations between the two nations, both on Earth and in space. Last summer, when astronauts discovered a small hole in the ISS, Russia authorities implied that it could have been the result of sabotage.

That means any international conflict happens up on the ISS, even though it seems to be minor and gross, can put the relations of two powerful countries on the test.

If you are wondering how a toilet on the International Space Station looks like, you can take a look at the video below.

The ISS may function normally, but relieving oneself is not as easy as you do it on Earth. In 2017, astronaut Jack Fischer addressed the problem, saying: