| Tas ne vienmēr ir tik forši |
2009-09-15|12:20 |
The Gemini/Apollo fecal bag consists of a non-permeable nylon-polyethylene bag with adhesive ring at the top that attached to the crew buttocks, shown in Figure 2. The bag contained an integrated finger cot on the side. There was no air flow and the crew used the finger cot to manually detach the feces and manipulate it into the bag. Wet wipes and tissues were used for cleanup and also placed in the bag. The feces were stabilized by adding a germicidal agent into the bag and manually kneading it through the feces. The bag was rolled up, sealed, and placed in a second vented storage bag. Several configurations of adhesive rings and finger cots were developed and flown. The fecal bag system was marginally functional and was described as very ‘distasteful’ by the crew. The bag was considered difficult to position. Defecation was difficult to perform without the crew soiling themselves, clothing, and the cabin. The bags provided no odor control in the small capsule and the odor was prominent. Due to the difficulty of use, up to 45 minutes per defecation was required by each crew member, causing fecal odors to be present for substantial portions of the crew’s day. Dislike of the fecal bags was so great that some crew continued to use preflight countermeasures and used medication to minimize defecation during the mission. The Apollo fecal bags and a lighter weight UCD type device are still used by Shuttle as contingency devices. The Apollo devices are included in the analysis for comparison purposes but are not recommended for Constellation missions for primary WCS functions due to the overwhelmingly negative Apollo crew feedback.
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