If you were ever asked which is the most expensive toilet in the world, this is probably it. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a new toilet that it’s sending up to the International Space Station (ISS). And it costs US$23 million (~RM96 million).
Called the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), it is 65% smaller and 40% lighter than what’s currently being used. It will be sent up into space as part of a routine resupply mission. And once it’s up there, it will sit next to the toilet system that’s already installed.
Despite the insane price, it doesn’t look at all like the toilets most of us are familiar with. In fact, on the outside, it even looks a tad primitive. But it does come with tech that no ordinary toilet will ever need. One example is a 3D-printed titanium dual fan separator, which uses strong airflow instead of gravity to pull in waste material into the toilet.
NASA will send the UWMS up into space on 29 September 2020. And it will be up there in the ISS for three years to make sure it works as intended. Prior to that, it has been tested in environments simulating that of the space station.
(Source: Space)
