NASA tests new $23M titanium Space toilet

Florida, USA: NASA aborted the launch of their first new space (toilet ) potty of in decades costs a $23 million titanium toilet -better suited for women which was getting a not-so-dry run at the International Space Station before eventually flying to the moon.

NASA on late Thursday informed through their twitter that the launch was cancelled about 2 minutes before blast off “due to an unknown problem with a component of ground support equipment.”

Also Read : The spaceship named after Kalpana Chawla, will join the space station after 2 days.

Northrop Grumman,  maker of the Antares rocket, said it would try to launch again Friday night if engineers can figure out and solve the issue.

At barely 45 kilograms and 71 centimeters tall, the new toilet is approximately half as big as the two Russian-built ones at the space station. Its small size makes it perfect for the NASA Orion capsules that will take astronauts to the moon within few years.

The old toilets of the International Space Station cater more toward men. To better accommodate women, NASA tilted the seat on the new toilet and made it taller. The new shape should help astronauts position themselves better for No. 2, said Johnson Space Center’s Melissa McKinley, the project manager.

“Cleaning up a mess is a big deal. We don’t want any misses or escapes,” McKinley said. 

Station residents will  continue testing it out for  few more months. The toilet will be open for regular business only If the shakedown goes well.

More toilets will be needed as SpaceX launches astronauts to the space station and Boeing stays on course to send up its first crew in less than a year.