What if astronauts are constipated in space?

Eating, drinking and sleeping is the eternal theme of all animals, including humans. Of course, all this can be said to be logical on earth, but with

What if astronauts are constipated in space?

Eating, drinking and sleeping is the eternal theme of all animals, including humans. Of course, all this can be said to be logical on earth, but with the rapid development of science and technology, human beings are likely to live in space in the future. In space, all this may not be so smooth because of the loss of gravity. On June 20 1 1, with the support of lactic acid bacteria manufacturers Yakult and JAXA) * * *, Discovery Channel jointly organized a parenting education activity called "Discovery Children's Science Laboratory-Space University", in which an important part was to introduce the relationship between space life and intestinal flora. It sounds a little strange, but when you think about it, the problem of pulling is also a big problem in space life, and the digestion and absorption of the intestine can not be separated from the intestinal flora. Facing the digestive problems encountered by human body in space, scientists are trying to explore the way of "intestine" to cure Chang 'an.

"Digging" of space defecation?

In the microgravity environment of space, the astronaut's body is floating, and with some psychological factors, "pulling" itself becomes difficult If you encounter constipation again, the astronauts will be even worse. When going to the toilet in space, it is usually necessary to fix the lower body and the buttocks are close to the edge of the toilet. Using the principle of "air extraction and diversion", the feces are guided to separate from the human body and introduced into the feces collection bag. In order to solve the problem of poor defecation, some people even invented a "space toilet" to "dig" feces with equipment similar to anoscope. This method of going to the toilet sounds uncomfortable. ...

Scientists show "space toilets".

To solve the "convenience" problem of astronauts, we have to consider from the "intestine". The human intestine is a very interesting organ, which can not only keep a certain movement rhythm, but also be full of "emotion". Scientific research shows that intestinal dysfunction is often related to bad emotions. In addition, there are many "tenants" who live in the human intestine for a long time, which is the intestinal flora. Human large intestine is the place where feces are produced, and it is also the place where intestinal bacteria are most distributed. On the one hand, bacteria can obtain nutrients from food residues, help synthesize some vitamins and amino acids necessary for human body, and promote the absorption of minerals such as iron, magnesium and zinc. From this point of view, bacteria and the human body seem to live in harmony and get what they want.

Bacteria can also be divided into "good and evil"

People are born with bacteria. The number of bacteria in the human body is amazing, and the intestine is the base camp of bacteria. For example, the number of bacteria in the large intestine is a "nuclear explosion", and the number of bacteria in one milliliter of intestinal contents can reach hundreds of billions. Are these people good tenants? That's not necessarily true. Bacteria are also divided into "good and evil". The relatively stable flora in the intestine is called "normal flora". We can simply divide them into beneficial bacteria, harmful bacteria and neutral bacteria [1], and the balance between these bacteria determines the health of the intestine. Beneficial bacteria have many important functions, such as promoting human immunity, reducing the absorption of intestinal toxins and eliminating carcinogenic factors in the body. However, harmful bacteria are not so honest They often produce toxins. Once the intestinal environment changes and the number of beneficial bacteria decreases, harmful flora may take the opportunity to multiply and occupy a large area, causing human diseases. For example, tumor patients receiving radiotherapy are prone to enteritis, and abuse of antibiotics can also cause intestinal dysfunction.

Intestinal "melancholy" and "decent" bacteria help

Why are astronauts prone to intestinal health problems? This is because working in a weightless environment and a closed spaceship, but also suffering from a lot of radiation in space, astronauts' body and mind will be affected in various ways, and the intestinal environment will also change, which may cause intestinal flora imbalance or decreased immunity.

Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

Therefore, it is very important to solve the intestinal problems of astronauts in space. In the process of finding solutions to intestinal problems, some scientists turned their attention to "probiotics". The health care function of "probiotics" on human body was studied. Although some effects have not been fully confirmed, great progress has been made and it is a hot topic and frontier topic in academic research. In 2005, the American Society for Microbiology held a seminar on probiotics in Baltimore, which recognized the concept of probiotics in theory and provided a study on shortening the time of children's diarrhea with probiotics [2]. Lactic acid bacteria is a kind of probiotics we are familiar with. Simply put, it is "good bacteria." The current research shows that it can also support another good bacteria "Bifidobacterium" to live and work in the intestine, which is helpful to promote intestinal health.

However, do these bacteria that are beneficial to human body on earth have the same effect in space? The Japanese have started similar research. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said that it is developing a method to treat constipation for astronauts with lactic acid bacteria, hoping that probiotics can protect astronauts' intestines in space and help resist the invasion of harmful bacteria.

With Armstrong's small step on the moon, it seems that we can look forward to the weekend after many years, when friends can get together in space and have a short vacation. However, the first thing we should consider in space is how to eat and drink Lazar comfortably. Will a little probiotics help us solve this "pull problem"? In this direction, we can still expect. ...

Some things are not a problem on the ground, but a big problem in space, and defecation is a typical example. 196 1 On May 5, 2008, the first American astronaut, Shepard, sat in the Mercury spacecraft waiting for launch. Due to technical reasons, the launch was delayed for more than four hours. At this time, Shepard reported to the ground control center that he needed to urinate because he had been urinating for a long time, and now he can't hold it. According to the original plan, there is no need to prepare toilet equipment for astronauts because the space flight time is not long. Now Sheppard suddenly proposed to pee, which surprised the ground control center and engineers. After urgent consultation with the relevant parties, the ground control center finally decided to let Shepard pee directly in the pants of his spacesuit.

Solving the problem of astronauts' defecation in space flight is not as simple as on the ground. On the one hand, because space is a weightless environment, the defecation discharged by people does not flow downwards, but floats; On the other hand, all equipment in space must be small in size, light in weight and low in power consumption, which brings great difficulties to the design work. Therefore, all personal hygiene equipment on the ground is not applicable in space.

Urine collection bag is not easy to use.

Drawing lessons from Shepard, NASA quickly designed a urine collection bag for astronauts to collect urine in space. This is a small plastic bag, which is tied to the astronaut's waist with a belt, mainly to collect urine. After the astronauts returned to the ground, the bags were sealed and discarded. As for the problem of defecation, we have to wait until we get back to the ground to solve it.

In Gemini spacecraft, astronauts still carry urine collection bags during launch and landing, but urine and feces are collected separately during orbital flight. The urine collection device is used to urinate. There is a tube on this device. One end of the tube is placed in a spacesuit, which is shaped like a condom. It should be placed on the astronaut's penis, and the other end leads to a urine storage tank, which is also connected with space, so the astronaut's urine finally dispersed into space. The feces collection device is also very simple. In fact, it is a long plastic bag aimed at the astronaut's ass.

Although Apollo's flight to the moon was complicated, astronauts still used the toilet collection device used by Gemini astronauts, but made some minor improvements. The improvement of urine collection bag is that the urine tube can't contact the body directly. Although this improvement is not big, it is the most satisfying for astronauts. In addition, this kind of urine collection bag is disposable in Mercury and Gemini flights, but it can be used many times in Apollo flights. It is required that this kind of bag should be not only easy to pick up, but also easy to take down.

Apollo astronauts not only carry urine collection bags, but also wear urine collection pants. Both of them are worn outside the liquid-cooled ventilation suit. The urine collection bag is tied to the astronaut's waist and worn outside the urine collection pants. The urine collection bag is provided with a urination tube. Whether the astronaut is wearing a spacesuit or taking off his spacesuit, the urine in the bag will be emptied as long as this tube is connected to the spacecraft's waste disposal system. But if the astronauts are in the command module, the urine will eventually be discharged into space, but if it is on the surface of the moon, the urine cannot be discharged to the surface of the moon, but should be temporarily stored.

As the name implies, shit collection pants are a special kind of underwear, and there is a plastic bag full of shit in the pants. The astronaut's excrement is packed in this plastic bag. However, there is a serious problem in using this shit bag in weightlessness, that is, the shit is floating, always near the ass, and astronauts must push it away with their hands. In addition, there is a small bag next to the stool bag, which contains disinfectant. After the astronauts defecate, they should crush this small bag with their hands and let the disinfectant spray into the whole bag. After defecation, the astronauts will seal the bag and store it in a specific place in the spacecraft so as to bring it back to the ground for treatment. It's ok to pull the shaped stool with this bag, but if you encounter unformed stool or diarrhea, the problem will be troublesome.

In order to better solve the problem of stool during Apollo flight, NASA requires astronauts to eat some low-residue food and take some laxatives before launch, that is, to drain their stools as much as possible before launch; During the flight, in addition to continuing to eat low-residue food, you should also take some drugs or antidiarrheal drugs to reduce intestinal peristalsis, so as to reduce the number of defecation.

Toilets on the space shuttle and space station

Compared with the personal hygiene equipment on manned spacecraft, the personal hygiene equipment on the space shuttle and the International Space Station is really "gun for gun". On the space shuttle and the International Space Station, NASA set up toilets for astronauts. In this space toilet, astronauts no longer use urine collection bags and stool bags, but use space toilets. During the flight of the space shuttle, astronauts don't wear spacesuits, unless they are in the launch and return landing stages, so they can go to the toilet as if they were on the ground. On the space shuttle, the space toilet is located on the middle deck of the crew compartment of the orbiter. There are two doors in the toilet, and curtains are hung on both doors. Because there are men and women among astronauts, it provides astronauts with a space to protect their privacy.

The toilets installed in space toilets are also different from those used on the ground. Because space is a weightless environment, water will not flow downwards, so you can't use the toilet, you should use the "suction toilet". This kind of "suction toilet" takes away urine and urine by airflow, so when using this kind of toilet, the bottom must be attached to the edge of the toilet to make it completely sealed. If the seal is not tight, the airflow inside will not take away the feces.

Urine and urine are collected separately in the "suction toilet". There is a funnel-shaped adapter at the front of the toilet, which can collect urine and transport it to the urinal. "Suction toilet" is divided into men and women, but the adapter is divided into men and women.

It is not easy to defecate in space. Astronauts must receive special training. Because the diameter of the central hole is only 10 cm, astronauts must aim their anus at the central hole and pull out the stool in order to succeed. In order to train astronauts to defecate, the Johnson Space Center has specially designed a toilet trainer. The coach installed a TV camera in the toilet. When the astronaut sits on the toilet, he can see through the TV whether his anus is aimed at the central hole. Through training, astronauts must remember the relative position of their hips and toilet seats. When astronauts defecate, if they don't pay attention to the hole in the center, the stool may float out of the toilet and fly around in the cabin, just like the "goddess scattering flowers", and space life may become a disaster.

In 2007, NASA made an amazing decision to spend $65.438 billion on Russian space toilets. This toilet will be delivered to the International Space Station in 2008 and installed in the American cabin of the International Space Station. Before the new toilet was opened, all astronauts used the space toilet installed in the cabin of the Russian space station. NASA officials said that the reason for ordering new toilets was not that the original toilets were not enough, but to save water. The biggest advantage of this new toilet is that urine and other wastewater can be treated and converted into drinking water. Because in space, the transportation cost of water is very expensive. If urine and waste water can be turned into drinking water, it will save a lot of money. Therefore, although it is expensive to buy space toilets from Russia, it is still cost-effective in the long run. As for why we want to buy it from Russia, NASA officials said that if we develop the design ourselves, it will not only cost more, but also be impossible to provide it to American astronauts in the near future because of the long development cycle.

The "Secret Weapon" of NASA-Strong Urine Absorbing Pants

Astronauts can use space toilets in space flight, but what do astronauts use to solve the problem of defecation during the launch and landing of the space shuttle and spacewalk?

Now in the United States, both male and female astronauts wear underwear called "strong urine-absorbing pants" to solve the problem of urination during the launch and landing of the space shuttle and spacewalk. When astronauts need to urinate, they will urinate directly on the strong urine-absorbing pants, and then throw them away after returning to the ground or the airlock. Before the space shuttle was launched, NASA issued three pairs of strong urine-absorbent pants to each astronaut, one for launching, one for landing and one for standby. Astronauts should also wear these pants before spacewalking, which are usually worn very close, under the liquid-cooled ventilation suit. These strong urine-absorbent pants look like ordinary sports shorts, but they have strong water absorption capacity, and one pair of pants can absorb more than 2 liters of urine. The reason why these trousers can strongly absorb urine is that they are sewn with a layer of chemical fabric called sodium polyacrylate, which can absorb water 1000 times its own weight. 1988, American female astronauts began to wear these powerful urine-absorbent pants, and later male astronauts followed suit, because men were comfortable to wear and urine would not leak out. It is said that in the 1980s, NASA ordered 3,200 pairs of these powerful urine-absorbent pants for astronauts, which have not been used up yet.

Most people only know that astronauts will wear these powerful urine-sucking pants when they walk in space. In fact, when the space shuttle was ready to take off, the astronauts were half lying in their seats, their lower limbs raised and their heads below. Because this posture will give the brain a feeling of congestion in the chest, which reflects the increase in urination. So astronauts usually have to go to the toilet at this time, so they also need to wear these pants at this time.

In the literature published by NASA, male astronauts use urine collection devices while walking in space, while female astronauts wear disposable shorts that can absorb urine, and the term "strong urine-absorbing pants" has never been mentioned. Until February 2007, American female astronaut Lisa Novak was arrested for murdering her rival in love. People don't know that NASA has strong diapers, which are called "space diapers" for short. Lisa Novak once drove 1440km14 hours without stopping to murder her rival in love. When the reporter asked her if she didn't even go to the toilet on the way? She said she was wearing a sturdy diaper. Only then did the American public know that their astronauts were wearing this "magic" space diaper when they walked in space. Soon, this kind of diaper soon became a commodity and can be bought in shops. Especially when women want to travel abroad, there are few toilets in some foreign tourist attractions, which are not very hygienic. If you wear this diaper, you don't have to go to the toilet all day, which brings great convenience to female tourists.

The future of space toilets

2 1 century, humans will fly to Mars and other celestial bodies in the solar system, and then they will establish temporary bases and permanent bases on Mars, which means that they will live on Mars for a long time. If you want to survive on Mars for a long time, you must first solve the problem of breathing oxygen, then the problem of drinking water, and finally the problem of eating. And these things must be self-sufficient and cannot rely on the replenishment of the earth. This is because it is a long way from the earth to Mars, and there are great risks during the flight. The cost of transporting all these necessities from the earth will be astronomical.

In order to ensure the long-term survival of human beings on Mars, scientists are developing a very advanced life support system, that is, the biological regeneration life support system. This system is actually a small biosphere, and its working principle is to use the photosynthesis of green plants to purify carbon dioxide, release oxygen and produce food. Waste and wastewater are treated by microorganisms, and wastewater is purified by plant transpiration. In this way, the waste produced by astronauts is treated and oxygen, water and food are provided for the human body. Although the complexity and difficulty of this biological regeneration life support technology are unprecedented, and the space, quality and energy consumption it needs are quite large, there is no choice but to rely on this technology in order to build a Mars base and provide a large number of people with the necessary materials for life activities.

At present, the United States, Russian Federation, European Space Agency, Japanese and China are all carrying out research work in this field. In 2002, the United States began to study this biological regenerative life support system, and it will continue until 20 16 years later, when 95% of grain output and 95% of solid and liquid waste will be recycled.