A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Facts about this:
Bags, with contents, were left on board the lower descent stages of the lunar modules. They remain on the moon to this day.
There was at least one incident on Apollo 10 where feces escaped and was floating around the cabin.
Part of the radio transcript:
Apollo 11 made the first actual moon landing, so if this transcript is from Apollo 10 the bags of shit are currently circling the sun in the lunar module, which was jettisoned on the way back to Earth. According to Google it's in a heliocentric orbit, "drifting aimlessly around the solar system."
Even more details: the abbreviations CMP, LMP and CDR in the transcript mean Command Module Pilot (John Young), Lunar Module Pilot (Gene Cernan), and Commander (Tom Stafford), all now deceased. Young and Cernan each returned to walk on the moon in Apollo 16 and 17.
I am well aware that Apollo 10 did not deliver shitbags to the moon.
But 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 did, if they defecated at all on the moon, leave it behind per checklist. There are 96 inventoried bags on the moon, but it is not recorded which, if any, are filled with what. It would have been easier to avoid on the earlier missions, which spent less time on the surface.
At least one astronaut claims he avoided a bowel movement for the entire mission duration.
Slashdown must have been rough with a big one in the chamber. I'd be afraid of an unplanned jettison on impact.
The finger cot is there because zero G and dehydration commonly result in constipation.
So... they must have trained in using the "finger cot" technique.
"Sorry Biff, you're a great mission candidate in all other respects, but your finger-cotting just isn't... uh... cutting the mustard."
Exactly what I came to the comments to find out. Thank you random stranger
The best part of this feature is that it's clearly a result of iterative design. So engineers were trying to solve constipation, and someone with a PhD was like "Well, you know what works for me..."
and someone with a PhD was like “Well, you know what works for me…”
I do workplace safety and hazardous materials, so occasionally I get to start a talk with "This room has more doctorates than nostrils, so it should be easy". And then I have to explain things like "Dangerous liquid goes into the dangerous liquid sink" or "No, you can't remove the mask to scratch your nose, even if it's really really itchy".
Oh god yes, so much.
I do disaster response planning, mostly for healthcare. "No, your OR really needs electrical power!" "No, you can't still run your outpatient clinic during an active shooter situation!" "For fucks sake,NO,you will not use a diesel generator indoors to power the ED!Not even with a open window. Your windows are 30cm x 1m"
"Whenever I'm having a... problem, I generally work it out with a pencil"
What is a cot though?
It’s a covering for a finger, kind of like cutting the finger out of a latex/nitrile glove. It looks just like a tiny condom made to fit on a finger.
Actually, it's in there because shit doesn't fall off your ass in 0G. It kinda curls out towards the back if left to dodo its own thing.
See this is the kind of shit I want to hear about in the documentaries.
Read "Packing for Mars." I think you'd enjoy it.
So basically spooning the turd out? That's the Corvette driving american heros I know and love 😘
How do they do it in your country?
They used a pencil
A three-ply layered joke. Well done!
They work it out like you would a math problem.
By using a pencil.
As long as it's not the same math genius who calculated the amount of tampons for the first female long term crew member...
There is a whole documentary about it. Just Google 2girls1cup.
Is it like force puking by poking the uvula but butt uvula
I curse the day nature evolved eyes
you mean the prostate?
I'd just hold it until I got back from the moon
Maybe the impact from landing will just force it out of you like that 1800s invention of putting pregnant women in centrifuges to doing the baby out.
"Stop using the bag, we haven't even started the countdown."
"Neil, it's been eighteen years since you got back from the moon, you really need to stop using the bag and finger cot. We don't even make these anymore except special order for you."
"Sir, stop using the bag. You're not even an astronaut. how did you even get into this building?"
The finger cot is there because space is super fucking boring
Well, looks like you figured out how to use the finger cot, well done!
Alot of trial and error.
No regrets.
Faster
New fear unlocked, diarrhea in space.
Space-Lax 2 - Projectile Boogaloo
NASA really expects you to go man to man with a bag? Im willing to try it but I cant say that I am excited to
opens bag
Smells like farts
"Ew what the fuck?"
Where is the spatula hole?
And I assume they had to share the poop knife.
👆
I hope the vomit bag and poop bag are properly labeled and kept apart from each other.
I assumed they're not reusing bags, but I guess I'm not sure
Tbf, not that different from an stoma bag
Mary roach did a whole segment on this in her book "packing for Mars". I can highly recommend both the book and Mary as an author in general.
