It was discovered that the cause of the problems was a device called the dose pump. The dose pump is responsible for injecting the correct amount of pre-treatment chemicals into the toilet. But once the problem was uncovered Commander Sunita Williams and Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide were able to fix the issue, ending the problems with the toilet.
But this issue made me think about something I had never previously given any thought to- how does plumbing work on the International Space Station? On Earth we simply take plumbing for granted. Sure when we have issues with our plumbing it can be expensive, but we can just pick up the phone and dial any plumber that we wish. The International Space Station is in low Earth orbit so calling a plumber is simply out of the question.
It would also be even more expensive as they would have to use a space shuttle to get there. We also have gravity on Earth that takes care of the flow of water for us. On the International Space Station they can’t depend on gravity because there isn’t any. Because of these reasons the network of plumbing on the International Space Station is extremely complex. Here are some of the features of the space stations plumbing and why it is so important.
The Plumbing Needs To Work Without Gravity
The plumbing on the International Space Station is important as it carries all of the vital gases and liquids that crew members need to survive. These liquids and gases need to travel all over the space station, but how does this work without gravity?Without gravity there isn’t any pressure that can move the necessary gases and liquids around. Because of this the plumbing network on the International Space Station is full of lots of pumps and fans that create the pressure needed to transport the gases and liquids. If these failed there would be some pretty serious consequences for all those present on the space station.
The Plumbing System Is The Supplier Of Fresh Air
As you can probably guess, on the International Space Station there is no way of getting fresh air other than using the stores on board. There are no windows you can open and even if there was, there would be no oxygen for crew members to breath. Because of this the plumbing system on the International Space Station is essential. It is completely air tight so that no air is wasted and it is also responsible for removing carbon dioxide from the air.The plumbing system also delivers samples of the air on the space station to a mass spectrometer that analyses the gas contents of the air. The system can be programmed to monitor areas where there are more people working ensuring that the quality of the air onboard is high enough. Without a complex plumbing system this wouldn’t be possible.
It Needs To Be Completely Airtight
All plumbing systems need to be airtight but this especially applies to the International Space Station. This is because the International Space Station runs using a fixed amount of air and water so it is crucial that none is lost. The space station doesn’t receive many visits so they need to be efficient and make the most of what they have got. A leak could lead to some big problems even more so if it passed away unnoticed for a long period of time.The network on the International Space Station is completely unique and a remarkable piece of design. Without it people would not be able to survive and space exploration would be greatly hindered. On Earth we take plumbing for granted but in space everyone depends on it. Now there’s a bit of food for thought.
Richard O.About the Guest Author:
Guest post by writer Richard O., written on behalf of Fischer Plumbing. If you're looking for plumbers in Seattle, look no further! Follow Richard's occasional rants on twitter.