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13.. Renal and Genitourinary; Concerns

FIGLIR_E 13.1. Urinary conduit and personalized funnel adapter, pan of the Space
Shuttle's waste containment system (`.'ACS). The hose attaches to a vacuum
system that draw, s urine into a waste fluids tank, which is periodically dumped
overboard
the perineum, increasing the likelihood of developing fungal infections such as
Candida (Monilia) and urinary tract infec-tions (1.7111s) Several rashes were
observed during this period, and fungal species were felt to be contributory.
Waste Management Systems During the early years of the U.S. and Russian space
pro uams, astronauts and cosmonauts did not have a waste collection and storage
system.. Instead, individuals voided and defecated into collecuon bags. The urine
collection bags, known popularly as "Apollo bags," used a. condom-like appliance to
interface with the crewmen's genitalia_ (There were no women astronauts in the
early years of the U.S. space program, the first Clew on the Space Shuttle in 1983.)
Today, the so-called "Apollo-bags" are still flown aboard space vehicles in the U.S.
space pro-cram as a backup capabilit)- in case of WCS failure. 11w Space Shuttle
has a single WCS that is used to col-lect urinary and fecal waste. It is located in the
aft middeck area an has a privacy curtain. The Shuffle WCS has a cor-ruo-ated rube
that transp-orts urine from the crewmember to the phase separator. Each
crelATnember has his or her own funnel adapter to interface betwe-en the urethral
meatus and the tub-ing. When the WCS is activated, negative pressure is generated on rhe storage tank side of the WCS. thereby effectively aspirating the urine
into. the phase separator. Due to volume and weight constraints. only one funnel is
ilmk n per crew-member. each of wihom is responsible for cleaning. and drying the
funnel between uses. A stowage rack in the WCS area houses the funnels. Liquid
waste undergoes phase separation (air and !Mulch in the negative pressure stream
of collection before it is stored in a 14siastewater tank_ Wastewater c 21 he dumped
overboard
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as needed. Solid waste is dehydrated to some degree but is left in the WCS to be
retrieved after flight. Activated charcoal beds minimize dispersion of solid waste
odor throughout the Shuttle cabin. Aboard the ISS, a similar system is used for
waste management in the Russian Segment. It also makes use of a urine collection
hose, but there is a single funnel interface that is cleaned after each use. The
Russian Elektron device, which was originally developed for Mir and is now used on
the ISS, generates oxygen from urine using electrolysis to split water into its
components hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen is used for breathing, and the hydrogen

is vented overboard. In the current ISS configura-tion, atmospheric condensate

water is being reclaimed and processed to become drinking and hygiene water.
Eventually, it is planned to incorporate a more capable and robust water
reclamation and recycling system that will process both urine and condensate to
potable water.
Urine Collecting Devices The ability to efficiently collect quantified urine samples is
fundamental to many investigational studies and operational monitoring and
evaluation methods. However, the weight-less environment adds complexity to this
activity, primarily due to difficulty in fluid handling and air-fluid separation. Many
different sampling devices have been developed over the years, with varying
degrees of success. The first use of a newly designed polyethylene bag was on
board Mir. For this first flight, the bags were launched to Mir from Russia as part of a
series of inflight metabolic experiments. An improvement over the previous white
vinyl bags in several. ways, the new bag had a flat-lying one-way valve that allowed
for a greater volume of urine flow than did the valves of the commercially available
vinyl bags. This design helped reduce the backpres-sure felt by crewmernbers when
voiding and was also able to accommodate the lithium chloride concentration
method of volume measurement, which was first done using this hag (previous vinyl
bags tended to absorb the lithium chloride). After several years of use, a
polyethylene bag was devel-oped with an even wider valve to allow more urine to
pass. This new bag also has a sample port that replaces the old one taken from the
Shuttle drink bag port. The new port and valve are three times greater in diameter
than the old port and valve, thereby allowing for much faster emptying of the bag.
The new device first flew on Shuttle mission STS-97 in November 2000, with a good
degree of success. In the past, only a commercially available, external, condomtype latex catheter was used to make the interface between the male astronaut and
the hag. The catheter has earned mixed.. reviews from crewmembers, ranging from
total dislike to "worked just fine." Enough complaints were voiced to warrant finding
an alternative. One option employs a condom with an inflatable collar to place
around the glans. Another alterna-tive, the BioDerm wafer, was first flown on STS-96
(May 27 to June 6. 1999) as a hardware evaluation experiment rather