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As a kid you learn all about the cool and awesome parts of space exploration.
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About moon walks and docking with the soviets and the heroing tale of Apollo 13
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but for some reason you don't hear nearly as much about going to the bathroom in space.
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-Actually Henry I can tell you about it
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This right here is the Apollo 16 command module.
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and I'm going to tell you about how they pooped in space.
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I am at the US space and rocket center, and this is
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a fecal collection assembly.
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Its basically a plastic bag that astronauts would tape to their butt.
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-Alright so, number 2 in a cramped sealed, command module with
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"sounds" like fun...
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Well what about number 1?
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Well. The urine transfer system
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was basically a rubbery condom attached to a metal tube which you could either
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connect to a bag, or through a
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differential pressure valve so you
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could pee directly into space.
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So this, is what hooks you up to space.
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Todo lo que te protege es esta válvula
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This/
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You/ Valve / Outer Space
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Just think about that for a second.
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-I think I might pass...
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which is actually what that yellow bag is for
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so you can pee first and dump it into space later
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-That port is where the urine came out
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and if you think about it, anything your throwing off your spacecraft
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is gonna change the trajectory of your spacecraft
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-In the case of a few hundred milliliters of urine and a
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45,000Kg space craft, you might only
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change the velocity of your craft by a few hundredths
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of a km/h, on a 3 day trip to the moon
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thats enough to where you have to let mission control know when you stop
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to use the facilutys and once your on the moon
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collecting moon rocks, well.. the lunar module's ascent stage only
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has enough fuel to carry a few hundred pounds of extra weight.
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-So here's my question. So if I had the option to take my poop,
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put it in this bag.
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Would I rather bring this back in the acsent stage, or a moon rock.
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-The choice is clear! At least, it was to the apollo astronauts.
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In jedessine bags like this one the astronauts left a lot of stuff on the moon.
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drills, baterries, food containers and towels
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and cameras
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moon boots and, there it is.
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Poop. There are no who ways about it when
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the astronauts left their poop,
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on the moon.
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By the way, NASA has the space toilet figured out at this time.
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So lets move from this bathroom humour.
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-Actually Henry, are you OK with me hangin' out with some of your viewers in the bathroom a little longer
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OK, cool, so if you would, come over to my channel: "smarter everyday"
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I'm gonna explain an experiment that is still on the moon.
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That I only think
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about when I go to the bathroom
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It still works, too. So, any of you guys wanna come? Come on, click here.
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This was filmed on the actual
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moon right now. -Yeah it rained earlier today
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on the moon.
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- So we are breaking the seal on a 60 year-old urine transfer bag.
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We keep it here at the museum at the US space and rocket center.
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No way...
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This is like the most intimate piece
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its made by whirlpool.
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[laughs]