How Do Astronauts Go to the Bathroom in Space? ISS and Orion Toilets

Astronauts use toilets that rely on airflow instead of gravity: a fan pulls waste away from the body into a funnel for urine or a seat-mounted container for solid waste. On the International Space Station, urine is processed back into drinking water, while on NASA’s Orion capsule it is vented overboard. During spacewalks, astronauts wear an absorbent garment under the suit.

The details sound awkward, but they solve a real engineering problem. Without gravity, nothing falls, so every drop has to be pulled where it should go.

How does the space station toilet work?

The current US toilet on the station, NASA’s Universal Waste Management System, uses a fan that starts automatically when the lid is lifted. The airflow pulls waste away from the body and helps control odor.

• Urine: collected through a shaped funnel at the end of a hose.
• Solid waste: collected through a small seat into individual bags, which are compacted into a removable canister.
• Both at once: NASA says the funnel and seat can be used at the same time, which the old design made difficult.

NASA launched the system to the station on Northrop Grumman’s 14th cargo mission in September 2020. It is 65% smaller and 40% lighter than the station toilet it joined, and it sits in a stall with a door, much like a public restroom.

Is urine really turned into drinking water?

Yes. On the space station, pretreated urine goes to a urine processor that distills it, and the recovered water joins condensation and wastewater in the station’s water processor, which cleans it to drinking standard. Astronauts then use that water for drinking, food and hygiene.

In 2023, NASA reported that the station had reached about 98% total water recovery. The step that made the difference was a brine processor, which pulls most of the remaining water out of the concentrated brine left after urine is distilled. Before the brine processor, total recovery was about 93% to 94%.

Recycling water this way cuts the amount that cargo ships have to bring up. It also matters for longer missions to the Moon and Mars, where resupply is far harder. Our guide to how long astronauts stay on the ISS explains the six-month crew rotations these systems support.

What happens to solid waste on the station?

Solid waste is sealed in bags, compacted into canisters and stored until a cargo ship takes it away. NASA says most canisters go onto a departing cargo ship that burns up during reentry. A few return to Earth for scientific study.

Solid waste is not currently processed for water on the station. It is one of the areas NASA engineers are studying for future long missions.

How does the toilet work on Orion?

Orion carries a version of the same Universal Waste Management System, in a small hygiene bay with doors for privacy. Unlike the station, Orion does not recycle urine: it vents urine overboard, and solid waste is collected in a can and stowed until the crew returns to Earth.

Orion flew with this toilet on Artemis II, the crewed lunar flyby that splashed down in April 2026. NASA notes that Apollo crews had no toilet like it. NASA planned backups in case of a fault:

• If the toilet failed, the crew could use collapsible urinals that hold about a liter each and connect to the venting system.
• If the fan failed, the crew could still use the toilet for solid waste, only without the airflow that helps separate it.

Our guide to the Artemis program covers the missions that will use Orion next.

What do astronauts do during a spacewalk?

During a spacewalk, astronauts wear an adult absorbent garment under their spacesuit, because a spacewalk can last six to eight hours and there is no way to remove the suit. NASA calls it the Maximum Absorbency Garment.

The same kind of garment is used during launch and landing, when crews are strapped into their seats for hours. Our guide to how spacewalks work covers the preparation that goes into each one.

How did astronauts use the bathroom before modern toilets?

Early crews used much simpler systems. Apollo astronauts used plastic bags for solid waste and a hose system for urine that vented overboard. Space shuttle crews had a toilet that used airflow, and the station has used several designs over the years.

The shift from bags to dedicated toilets was driven by longer missions. A few days with a bag is manageable; six months on the station is not. NASA’s article on its new space toilet describes the design, and its report on the 98% water recovery milestone explains the recycling system.

Bottom line

Space toilets use a fan to pull waste away from the body: a funnel and hose for urine, a seat and bag for solid waste. On the space station, urine is recycled into drinking water as part of a system that recovers about 98% of the water on board. On Orion, urine is vented overboard and solid waste is stored for return. On spacewalks, astronauts wear an absorbent garment.

FAQ

Do astronauts drink recycled urine?

Yes, after it has been distilled and cleaned. Water recovered from urine is processed with other wastewater to drinking standard before the crew uses it.

What happens to poop in space?

On the station, it is sealed in bags and canisters. Most canisters leave on a cargo ship that burns up on reentry, and a few return to Earth for study.

Is there a toilet on SpaceX Dragon?

Crew Dragon has a toilet for its flights to and from the station, though it is a different design from NASA’s station and Orion system. Trips usually take several hours to about a day.

How do astronauts go to the bathroom during launch?

They wear an absorbent garment, the same type used on spacewalks. Crews are strapped into their seats for hours before and during launch and landing.