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<ul><li><keyword id="2838013" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="cristoforetti" source="Orion">Cristoforetti</keyword> is a part of SpaceX's Crew-4 mission.</li><li>Previously, Cristoforetti lived on a space station from November 2014 to June 2015.</li><li>In a <keyword id="6762469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="TikTok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> video astronaut said, “Follow me to boldly go where no TikToker has gone before”.</li></ul>The <keyword id="59844" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="european-space-agency" source="Orion">European Space Agency</keyword> (ESA) astronaut <keyword id="2343608" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="samantha-cristoforetti" source="Orion">Samantha Cristoforetti</keyword> has become the first-ever TikToker to post a video from the <keyword id="6382020" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="international-space-station" source="Orion">International Space Station</keyword>.<br /><br />Cristoforetti is part of SpaceX's Crew-4 mission, which arrived at the orbiting lab on April 27 for a six-month stay.<br /><br />"Follow me to boldly go where no TikToker has gone before," the astronaut said in the 88-second TikTok video posted on May 5.<br /><br />In the video Cristoforetti took her viewers through Crew-4's launch as well as introduced them to the mission's two zero-g indicators, a plush turtle named Zippy and a stuffed monkey called Etta, Space.com reported.<br /><br />"Etta is short for 'scimmietta', which is Italian for 'little monkey,' of course," Cristoforetti says in the video.<br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="AstroSamantha" handlename="Samantha Cristoforetti" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1516878392129376256/oyOo2Fmk_normal.jpg" favoritecount="8628" retweetcount="1059" status="Back on the International @Space_Station (and TikTok) https://t.co/oCgJSdWKcu" createdat="1651840000000" id="1522553431747092482"></div><br />(Etta was the first plush toy that Cristoforetti bought for her daughter, Kelsey.)<br /><br />"What questions do you have about life on the space station?" she asked her audience toward the end of the video, even as she floated in front of one of the orbiting lab's windows.<br /><br />"Tell me in the comments. And remember: Follow me to boldly go where no TikToker has gone before."<br /><br />Before Crew-4's launch, ESA officials noted that Cristoforetti is the first professional astronaut ever on the platform, "bringing space content and European research to a wider audience."<br /><br />Cristoforetti had already posted a number of space-explainer videos on TikTok, but Thursday's was the first one she actually filmed in the final frontier, the report said.<br /><br />Crew-4 is Cristoforetti's second spaceflight. She previously lived aboard the space station from November 2014 to June 2015.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/tinder-developer-sues-google-over-restrictive-billing-policies-on-play-store/articleshow/91460077.cms">Tinder developer sues Google over restrictive billing policies on Play Store</a><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/this-silicon-valley-based-vc-tells-us-why-falling-indian-startup-stocks-is-a-boon-in-disguise-for-him/articleshow/91457761.cms"><strong>This Silicon Valley-based VC tells us why falling Indian startup stocks is a boon in disguise, for him</strong></a><br />

Watch: Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti creates history with first TikTok video from International Space Station

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Thanks to the efforts of European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, you can share the dizzying experience of floating through the International Space Station's many modules.</p><p>For the benefit of those of us stuck on Earth, Cristoforetti photographed the ISS interior in all of its glory, which you can now experience in this <a href="http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/virtual-tour-iss/">epic virtual tour </a><a href="http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/virtual-tour-iss/">of the entire ISS</a>.</p><p>Cristoforetti holds the record for spending the longest consecutive amount of time of any woman in space, a lengthy 199 days and 16 hours. She returned to Earth last June.</p><p>In the tour, you can see places like the dining area, water dispenser, crew quarters, and airlock.</p><p>The photos below show off some of the many rooms of the ISS you can see in the tour:</p><p>Here's a shot of NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin finding a spot for their Expedition badges on the Unity module.?</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Portraits of pioneering Russian cosmonauts and engineers are visible in the center of the Zvezda Service Module in the photo below:</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Here, ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli poses inside the Zarya module next to stowed cases of food.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>And here, NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff works in the Columbus module of the ISS:</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Watch NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman travel from one side of the ISS to the other. Wiseman worked aboard the ISS during Expeditions 40 and 41.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Right now, there are <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition44/index.html">six astronauts aboard the ISS</a> as part of Expedition 44, including NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.</p><p>Kelly and Kornienko are participating in the ISS's <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/content/Joint_US_Russian_One_Yr_Mission">One Year Mission</a> to study the effects of life in space on the human body. Scott Kelly's identical twin, former astronaut Mark Kelly, will be monitored on Earth during the same period as part of NASA's <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-launches-new-research-seeks-the-subtle-in-parallel-ways-u">Twins Study</a>.</p><p>The Expedition 44 crew has also been investigating crop growth in space and observing "potentially threatening" microbes.</p><p>Check out the video of Cristoforetti explaining the station's toilet below:</p><p><div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/shade-balls-california-drought-shadeballs-los-angeles-2015-8">'Shade balls' are being used across California to combat the drought </a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="x1dm55djq96zgcI3eC5Fl7nCEzdjY2Hf" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Take a virtual tour of the International Space Station

<div style="display:none;" id="kalturavideoplaceholder">kalturavideoplaceholder</div><p>A Russian capsule carrying three astronauts from Russia, the United States and Italy has arrived at the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/">International Space Station</a>.  </p>
<p>The Soyuz capsule arrived just after 3 a.m. Monday (2100 GMT Sunday) from the Russian manned space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Aboard the capsule are Russian Anton Shkaplerov, NASA's Terry Virts and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy.<br><br><em>Produced by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/devan-joseph" title="Devan Joseph">Devan Joseph</a></em><span><em>. Video courtesy of Associated Press.</em><br><br><strong>Follow BI Video:</strong> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsider.Video" title="On Facebook">On Facebook</a></br></br></span></br></br></p>

Here's The Play-By-Play Of A Soyuz Capsule Docking At The International Space Station This Morning

<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx45rg8Q-Cw&amp;feature=youtu.be">Lavazza</a></span></p><p class="caption">A prototype of the ISSpresso machine.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p>
<p>Italian coffee maker Lavazza has teamed up with Argotec, an aerospace company that specializes in space foods, to make the first coffee machine that works on the International Space Station. It's called the <a href="http://www.lavazza.com/en/media-center/pressreleasedetail/58dae66d-f246-11e3-b615-c90c8a507add/" target="_blank">ISSpresso</a>.</p>
<p>Astronauts currently drink instant coffee that comes as a dry powder and is mixed with water. With the ISSpresso, the espresso or coffee is contained in a capsule. A steel tube that can withstand the high-pressure of space delivers water to the machine.</p>
<p>European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who will become the first Italian woman in space when she arrives on the ISS in November, will be the first person to operate the machine when it arrives on the space station in same month. For now, the ISSpresso is still in test phase.</p>
<p>Watch the video below for more details:</p>
<p></p>

Astronauts Will Finally Be Able To Enjoy Fresh Coffee In Space

<ul><li>iOS has introduced a new ‘<keyword id="12006351" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="eye-contact" source="Orion">Eye Contact</keyword>’ feature to fake eye contact during a call.</li><li>This feature is compatible with iOS 14 and later.</li><li>Below, read how to enable the <keyword id="13886202" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="eye-contact-feature" source="Orion">Eye Contact feature</keyword>.</li></ul>We all know <keyword id="358084" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="FaceTime" source="Orion">FaceTime</keyword> is a great way of communicating and keeping in touch with friends. Over the years, Apple continues to improve its FaceTime service with spatial audio and portrait mode. If you play a song on ‌Apple Music‌ song while on a ‌FaceTime‌ call, everyone can hear what's playing and can contribute to a shared music queue.<br /><br />Since the update of iOS 14, Apple is changing the way your eyes appears during FaceTime call. Eye Contact is a spooky feature of iPhone and iPad with iOS 14 or later where it digitally alter your image to maintain eye contact even if you are looking somewhere else. It is useful for people who multitask while FaceTime. <br /><br /><strong>How to turn Eye Contact on</strong><br />With the release of iOS 14, iPhone and iPad users can activate ‘Eye Contact’ on FaceTime, making their video conversation seem more natural. <br /><br />To turn on ‘Eye Contact’, open Settings and select FaceTime and tap to toggle Eye Contact to enable. <br /><br />Eye Contact feature uses <a href="https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit">ARKit software</a> framework that combines device motion tracking and advanced scene processing to build an AR experience, such as eyes appearing to look in a certain direction. Also, this feature allows your eyes to look directly into the front-facing camera using real-time augmented reality. It also works with multiple faces, if you are on FaceTime call with more than one participant. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-i/o-2022-team-android-teases-messaging-cross-device-updates-and-more-ahead-of-the-event/articleshow/91464321.cms">Google I/O 2022: Team Android teases messaging, cross-device updates, and more ahead of the event</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/watch-astronaut-samantha-cristoforetti-creates-history-with-first-tiktok-video-from-international-space-station/articleshow/91462028.cms">Watch: Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti creates history with first TikTok video from International Space Station</a><br />

You can now fake eye contact on a FaceTime call with this new iOS feature — here’s how to use it

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jessica Watkins will be the first Black woman to live and work aboard the <keyword id="11969448" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international-space-station" source="Orion">International Space Station</keyword>.</li><li>Watkins will leave in April 2022 with three other astronauts and spend six months on the <keyword id="12060330" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="iss" source="Orion">ISS</keyword>.</li></ul><p>A 33-year-old <keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nasa" source="Orion">NASA</keyword> astronaut will be the first Black woman to live and work at the International <keyword id="11895441" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="space" source="Orion">Space</keyword> Station, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-assigns-astronaut-jessica-watkins-to-nasa-s-spacex-crew-4-mission">NASA announced</a> earlier this month.</p><p>Jessica Watkins will depart in April 2022 with three other astronauts — Kjell Lindgren and Robert Hines of NASA, and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency, according to NASA. She is assigned to serve as a mission specialist on NASA's SpaceX Crew-4, which will last for six months. </p><p>This will be Watkins' first time in space.</p><p>Watkins was born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and raised in Lafayette, Colorado, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/16/science/jessica-watkins-nasa-spacex.html">The New York Times</a> reported. She later graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of <keyword id="11896083" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="science" source="Orion">Science</keyword> in Geological and Environmental Sciences and then from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Doctorate in Geology.</p><p>The 33-year-old joined the Astronaut Candidate Class in 2017 where she underwent two years of training. According to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jessica-watkins/biography">her biography</a> on NASA's website, her training "included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, spacewalks, robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training, water and wilderness survival training, geology training, and expeditionary skills training."</p><p>Watkins told The Times that she hopes her mission will inspire children of color, and "particularly young girls of color, to be able to see an example of ways that they can participate and succeed."</p><p>"For me, that's been really important, and so if I can contribute to that in some way, that's definitely worth it," she added.</p><p>Watkins is also set to step foot on the moon with the Artemis team in 2024, <a href="https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-astronauts-for-moon-landing-unveiled">according to Space.com</a>. NASA astronauts haven't been on the moon since the final Apollo mission in 1972. </p><p>NASA sent the first Black American, Guion S. Bluford, to space in 1983. Mae Jemison was the first Black woman to enter space in 1992 with the Space Shuttle Endeavor team.</p><p>In 2018, astronaut Jeanette Epps was meant to become the first Black woman to join the ISS crew, but NASA replaced her with Serena Auñón-Chancellor instead, The Times reported. It's unclear why NASA made the switch. </p><p>NASA did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. </p>

A NASA astronaut is set to become the first Black woman to live and work at the International Space Station

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>NASA</span></p><p class="caption">The International Space Station in orbit.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are snapping photos of Earth to measure light pollution, and they've found something surprising: Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) - which are touted for their energy-saving properties - are actually making light pollution worse. And the change is so intense that ISS crew members can see it from space.</p><p>To see it, take a look at these photos that astronauts snapped of the bustling city of Milan below.</p><p>Before Milan transitioned to LEDs, in 2012, the lighting levels in the surrounding suburbs were about the same as those of the city center.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.iau.org/public/images/detail/iau1510b/">NASA/ESA</a></span></p><p class="caption">Image of Milan at night in 2012, captured by astronauts aboard the ISS.</p></div><p></p></div></div>But by 2015, after the city transitioned to LEDs, illumination levels in the city center were much brighter than those of the suburbs, with a higher amount of blue light.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.iau.org/public/images/detail/iau1510a/">Samantha Cristoforetti/NASA/ESA</a></span></p><p class="caption">Astronauts aboard the ISS captured this image of Milan in 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Cities around the world have been replacing energy-guzzling streetlights with brighter and whiter energy-saving LEDs. In fact, New York City is currently retrofitting all of its 250,000 street lights with LEDs in what they're calling the <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/streetlights.shtml">biggest project of its type in the country</a>.</p><p>But energy savings does not necessarily translate to happy city-dwellers. In <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/nyregion/new-led-streetlights-shine-too-brightly-for-some-in-brooklyn.html">a piece in The New York Times</a>, Brooklyn residents complained about the glaring white light creeping into their homes and eyes, causing many restless nights.</p><p>LEDs worsen light pollution by giving off more blue and green light than the high-pressure sodium lights they normally replace. And this artificial light pollution washes out the night sky and is <a href="http://www.globeatnight.org/light-pollution.php">linked to many negative consequences</a>. Disrupted night and day cycles can confuse nocturnal animals and alter their hunting interactions, migratory patterns, and internal physiology.</p><p>It can also mess with our internal clocks. We produce melatonin at night to help us sleep, which is regulated by light and dark cycles. If we're exposed to light at night, this can suppress melatonin levels, leading to sleep disorders or other problems such as headaches, anxiety, and obesity.</p><p> </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/submersible-roving-laboratory-seaorbiter-2015-8">This spaceship for the ocean will allow scientists to go into uncharted waters</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="o1bXN4djpE2aZLiEBoYwuu-_RgNJs2CC" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

LEDs are changing the way cities look from space

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>A NASA astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut, and a Japanese astronaut are <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/a-russian-rocket-will-launch-3-astronauts-into-space-tonight-heres-how-to-watch-live-2016-7">about to spend the next two days</a> aboard a tiny Soyuz capsule bound for the International Space Station.<p>Naturally, that made us ask a lot of questions about some basic, unavoidable bodily functions.</p><p>Two whole days in a spacecraft the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-the-soyuz-spacecraft-k-4">size of a van</a>? Where do they go to the bathroom? How do they go to the bathroom?</p><p>Luckily, the answer is not in their suits (mostly).</p><p>The Soyuz, which ferries astronauts and cosmonauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS), has a vacuum-like toilet that sucks urine out of the space environment and into a collection bin.</p><p>Two cosmonauts demonstrate how it works in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqRQM5k6uls">this entertaining video</a>, the highlight of which I have captured in this GIF:</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>While the Soyuz is too small to partition off a room, the ISS has its own toilet area. (Classy!) But it's only blocked off by a curtain, not a door.</p><p>The ISS is about the size of a football field, so there isn't much privacy during the months-long missions.</p><p>The mechanism of the ISS toilet is similar to that on the Soyuz - vacuum-style.</p><p>For No. 1, there is a nozzle device that sucks up the urine, with different attachments for men and women.</p><p>That <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/scott-kelly-will-drink-730-liters-of-recycled-sweat-and-urine-2015-3">urine then gets turned into drinking water</a> for the ISS!</p><p>For No. 2, there is a tiny seat where astronauts have to aim their buttocks into the hole, so&#xa0;the toilet can suck&#xa0;their excrement&#xa0;into a plastic bag.</p><p>Of course, since they're in space, the astronauts can strap themselves onto the station toilet so they don't float away while they're doing their business.</p><p>European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti gives a tour of the toilet in this informative <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-65mBQ7s_Q">video</a>:</p><p><div></div></p><p>Every once in a while, the system malfunctions, and what goes in the toilet comes back out and floats around the space station. Yes, really.</p><p>NASA astronaut <a href="http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/wilmore-be.pdf">Barry Wilmore</a> told Tech Insider about his unique experience with this disgusting issue.</p><p>"Using a fish metaphor, there was a very rare occasion when, sometimes, product gets away, and the term was 'brown trout," he said. "So you have to re-corral your brown trout. And that can be kind of humorous. You go, 'This stuff doesn't happen on Earth.'"</p><p>Toilet technology has changed a lot over time. The Apollo astronauts wore diapers in their suits, which NASA adamantly called "<a href="http://history.nasa.gov/spacesuits.pdf">Maximum Absorbency Garments</a>."</p><p>Thankfully, the culture of space travel has changed a lot, too, as more and more women become astronauts. On this next mission, NASA astronaut <a href="http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/rubins-k.pdf">Kate Rubins</a> is headed to the ISS to <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/five-things-to-know-about-nasa-astronaut-kate-rubins">conduct over 250 science experiments</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.pbs.org/video/2365333768/">PBS did a fascinating interview</a> with female astronauts and NASA engineers about what it was like when women first started going to space, and had to pee there:</p><p><div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/astronaut-scott-kellys-journey-earth-nasa-2016-3">Watch astronaut Scott Kelly's epic journey back to Earth in 60 seconds</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="l5NHNoMTE6QsAQdXvkiTMeVI2QrTCB2R" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

How astronauts go to the bathroom in space

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson has logged a whopping 665 days in space.</strong></li><li><strong>That's an American record, and it's more time in space than just about anyone else on Earth can claim (aside from seven Russian cosmonauts.)&#xa0;</strong></li><li><strong>She's hit her "radiation limit" she says, and won't be headed back to the International Space Station again.</strong></li><li><strong>While it's a sad realization for Whitson, who loves a good gravity-free float, there's one thing she won't miss about living on the International Space Station: the bathroom.</strong></li></ul><p><br>NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson sometimes has tears in her eyes when she says she won't be going in to space again.</br></p><p>The former International Space Station boss has logged a whopping 665 floating days in space, more than any other American.</p><p>It's clear from her beaming smile and boisterous, frequent laughs that she loved nearly every aspect of the out-of-this-world job, from&#xa0;installing battery parts on the station's solar panels to <a href="https://twitter.com/ISS_Research/status/943151969081937920">sampling mysterious space microbes</a>.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>"T<span>o be a part of exploration in that very direct way," she told Business Insider, is "</span><span>incredibly satisfying and gratifying."&#xa0;</span></p><p>But there's one aspect of life in space that Whitson says she won't miss at all: the toilet.</p><p>"T<span>he space station is not really a hotel yet," she said Tuesday, her feet firmly planted on the ground&#xa0;inside a five-star (and flush-toilet equipped) hotel in New York.</span></p><p><span>"I</span><span>&#xa0;would call it a camping trip.</span><span>"&#xa0;</span></p><p><span> The toilet on the ISS is not quite as bad as&#xa0;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-astronauts-pee-poop-in-space-2016-7">the Maximum Absorbency Garment diapers</a> that astronauts sometimes had to use on missions like the Apollo moon trips. But the $19,000 Russian-made toilet (seen here)&#xa0;isn't exactly first class, either.&#xa0;<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>"U</span><span>rinating's relatively easy," Whitson says.&#xa0;</span></p><p>For that, astronauts use a funnel equipped with a&#xa0;fan that&#xa0;<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-station/ditl_morning_routine">suctions their pee away,</a> so it doesn't float off. (See the yellow cone on the top right side of this toilet photo? That's where the urine goes.) Then it <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/scott-kelly-will-drink-730-liters-of-recycled-sweat-and-urine-2015-3">takes about eight days</a> for the liquid to become drinking water again for the astronauts.&#xa0;</p><p>But Whitson says that if you have to do more than just urinate, things aren't so simple.</p><p>"Number two...&#xa0;<span>is more challenging because you're trying to hit a pretty small target," she said.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>ISS residents go to the bathroom into a little plate-sized hole on top of that silver can, using the fan to vacuum-suck the excrement away. After the astronauts are done, the poop gets sealed up in a plastic bag, to await the next space trash day.</span></p><p><span>"After it starts getting full," Whitson said with a grimace, "you have to put a rubber glove on and pack it down."&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>Every once in a while, the whole process goes awry, or the toilet malfunctions, and the astronauts have to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-astronauts-pee-poop-in-space-2016-7">catch a floating turd</a>.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span> But eventually, all that waste gets blasted off on a cargo ship that's jam-packed with ISS trash, and sent on a burning suicide mission towards Earth's atmosphere.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>"We send 'em on a trajectory that will&#xa0;</span><span>purposely burn up," Whitson said.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>As for the urine, about 80 to 85% of that gets recycled into drinking water, and the rest becomes briney waste.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>"We want a closed loop system,&#xa0;</span><span>which means we have to recycle all our water," Whitson said. Perhaps that'll be the next home improvement project onboard the ISS.&#xa0;</span></p><p>You can hear more of Whitson's story, from her roots on an Iowa farm to her journey into the cosmos, on the finale episode of National Geographic's "One Strange Rock," which airs <a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/one-strange-rock/?utm_source=Google&amp;utm_medium=paidsearch&amp;utm_content=osrsearchf18&amp;utm_campaign=GGL_%7c_BRD_%7c_Broad_%7c_One_Strange_Rock_%7c_Title&amp;utm_term=+one_+strange_+rock">Monday May 28, at 10 p.m. Eastern on the National Geographic channel</a>.&#xa0;&#xa0;</p><p>If you're still flummoxed about how the toilet really works on the ISS, check out this explainer video from Italian astronaut&#xa0;<span>Samantha Cristoforetti:&#xa0;</span></p><p>&#xa0;</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronauts-space-walk-international-station-2016-9">Here's the incredible view an astronaut sees on a space walk</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div></hr>

You Searched For "cristoforetti" and got 9 results

Watch: Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti creates history with first TikTok video from International Space Station

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Take a virtual tour of the International Space Station

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Here's The Play-By-Play Of A Soyuz Capsule Docking At The International Space Station This Morning

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Astronauts Will Finally Be Able To Enjoy Fresh Coffee In Space

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You can now fake eye contact on a FaceTime call with this new iOS feature — here’s how to use it

Rahul Verma

A NASA astronaut is set to become the first Black woman to live and work at the International Space Station

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LEDs are changing the way cities look from space

Julia Calderone

How astronauts go to the bathroom in space

Rebecca Harrington

A NASA astronaut who spent 665 days circling the planet reveals the misery of going to the bathroom in space

Hilary Brueck

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