The next astronauts to return to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon wont be able use an essential system on their trip house next month: the area potty.SpaceXs toilet on its Crew Dragon Endeavour will be off limitations for the 4 Crew-2 mission astronauts once they leave the International Space Station in early November, NASA officials said late Friday (Oct. 29).” Our intent is to not utilize the system at all for the return leg home because of what weve seen with the fluids we are talking about,” Steve Stitch, NASAs Commercial Crew program supervisor, told reporters Friday in a prelaunch rundown for SpaceXs Crew-3 astronaut launch, now set for next week. Live updates: SpaceXs Crew-3 mission to the area station for NASAMore: How to view SpaceXs Crew-3 astronaut launch onlineEuropean Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared this image of Crew Dragons toilet on Twitter while flying to the International Space Station on the Endeavour Dragon in April 2021. That landing date may now change after SpaceX and NASA postponed the launch of the Crew-2s relief mission, Crew-3, until Nov. 2 due to bad weather condition.” We are working to attempt to always reduce that time from undocking to landing, so thats what well do with this flight,” Stitch said.In the meantime, SpaceX and NASA are focused on the impending launch of the next astronaut flight to the area station: the Crew-3 objective.
The next astronauts to go back to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon will not be able use a crucial system on their trip home next month: the area potty.SpaceXs toilet on its Crew Dragon Endeavour will be off limits for the 4 Crew-2 objective astronauts once they leave the International Space Station in early November, NASA authorities said late Friday (Oct. 29). Since of a possible urine leak in the toilet like one seen on SpaceXs all-civilian Inspiration4 flight in September, thats. SpaceX has given that redesigned its toilet to prevent leakages on future flights.” Our intent is to not utilize the system at all for the return leg home because of what weve seen with the fluids we are speaking about,” Steve Stitch, NASAs Commercial Crew program supervisor, told reporters Friday in a prelaunch instruction for SpaceXs Crew-3 astronaut launch, now set for next week. “We have other means to enable the crew to carry out the functions they require.” Those other methods? An “undergarment” for waste management that astronauts have long utilized to eliminate themselves when dressed in spacesuits for launches, spacewalks or landings. Live updates: SpaceXs Crew-3 objective to the space station for NASAMore: How to enjoy SpaceXs Crew-3 astronaut launch onlineEuropean Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet shared this image of Crew Dragons toilet on Twitter while flying to the International Space Station on the Endeavour Dragon in April 2021. (Image credit: Thomas Pesquet)” Anytime the crew is suited they utilize an undergarment in that fit, and its a brief mission getting back,” Steve Stitch stated. “So, its pretty typical to have an undergarment on and they can use that on the way home.” Its been a backup for any spaceflight, he added.The astronauts returning to Earth on the Crew-2 objective are NASAs Shane Kimbrough and Meghan McArthur, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency. They released to the station in April were expected to return home on Nov. 4 with a splashdown off the Florida coast, NASA officials said late Friday. That landing date may now alter after SpaceX and NASA postponed the launch of the Crew-2s relief mission, Crew-3, till Nov. 2 due to bad weather. The Crew-2 astronauts will return after a handover with their incoming crewmates. Related: SpaceXs personal Inspiration4 astronauts had toilet problem in spaceStitch said SpaceX and NASA have worked to shorten the length of time it takes a Dragon team to return to Earth after leaving the spaceport station. In August 2020, when SpaceXs very first crewed flight Demo-2 returned to Earth, it took simply over 19 hours for its two-person crew to splashdown after undocking from the station. SpaceXs recovery team reached them quickly after they landed. SpaceXs Crew-1 splashdown on May 2 of this year cut that time down to just under 6.5 hours. SpaceX recovery groups intend to dump a crew from their pill within an hour of splashdown.” We are working to try to always minimize that time from undocking to landing, so thats what well do with this flight,” Stitch said.In the meantime, SpaceX and NASA are focused on the imminent launch of the next astronaut flight to the spaceport station: the Crew-3 objective. That flight, initially scheduled to release on Oct. 31, is now scheduled to take off Nov. 3 from Pad 39A of NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is at 1:10 a.m. EDT (0510 GMT). That objective will introduce NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer by themselves six-month journey to the spaceport station. They will release on the Crew Dragon Endurance, a brand-new Dragon capsule. The Crew-2s Endeavour capsule is older and is flying its second crewed mission.Youll have the ability to watch the Crew-3 launch survive on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV and SpaceX, beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 8:45 p.m. EDT (0045 GMT). Email Tariq Malik at [email protected] or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram..