# Taking a Leak on the Moon **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133 "2010-03-11T18:05:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/61 "2010-03-13T02:55:32Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t understand your confusion. It’s not some sort of dichotomy. It’s a spectrum. > > It’s just people who have been given plausible reasons and manipulated “evidence” so they believe it was a hoax. By showing them something else, they finally have something to challenge that evidence. Now that they are at least open to the idea that it was real, they’re more likely to pay attention when you tell them all the other stuff. > > Or it could go the other way, with you almost convinced that the moonlanding was real, and all you need is a little extra proof. A personal example: for me, I was fairly well convinced that there was some sort of conspiracy in the shooting of JFK. I read Case Closed, and was almost convinced that I had been wrong. But it was not until I saw a History Channel documentary that showed how the “magic bullet” wasn’t so magical that I finally cemented the idea that Oswald acted alone. I disagree with this. The major difference is that everything about the moon landing was filmed to death including the previous missions. With the Kennedy event we basically just had the Zappruder film and a lot of he said/she said. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/62 "2010-03-13T12:30:10Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > I disagree with this. The major difference is that everything about the moon landing was filmed to death including the previous missions. With the Kennedy event we basically just had the Zappruder film and a lot of he said/she said. I agree. In addition, the basis for believing the moon landing was a hoax is a fundamental mistrust of the government. Once that is in place, then any further evidence will also be subject to doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/63 "2010-03-14T19:01:42Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > John Young was bitching about all the farting he was doing on the lunar surface in the unedited transmissions. Buzz and Neil both made jokes about using their butts as LM thrusters! The reason for their flatulence was because they got their drinking water as output from the fuel cells, which made it a little fizzy (extra Hydrogen I think). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/64 "2010-03-14T20:13:48Z")
That, and any flatulence you have anyway (and everyone farts) is going to be much more noticeable when you’re in a spacesuit. And did you really expect test pilots to not joke about farts, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/65 "2010-03-15T22:46:53Z")
The Discovery Channel ran a great miniseries called **Moon Machines** last year, and one episode was about the space suits. It was probably the best one because I literally knew nothing about their development. I don’t remember how detailed it got regarding bodily functions on the Moon. Given that the lunar astronauts had a portable drinkable water system via a hose inside their helmets and the length of the moonwalks, especially by the ‘J’ missions, I assume they had to have a urine capture system as well. But did they also, um, wear diapers for No. 2s? Or was it just the ultimate, “Now before we go out of the LM, do you have to take a dump?”! ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/66 "2010-03-15T22:54:45Z")
[QUOTE=Hail Ants] But did they also, um, wear diapers for No. 2s? Or was it just the ultimate, “Now before we go out of the LM, do you have to take a dump?”! [/QUOTE] I’m sure they don’t, as the astronauts would have a serious case of diaper rash (no laughing matter) if they had to sit in their waste for any kind of extended period of time. My guess is some kind of, um, plumbing connection for both number 1 and number 2. Probably not the most comfortable thing, but better than the alternative. -XT ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/67 "2010-03-15T22:58:21Z")
Or, I could be completely wrong…a quick google search seems to indicate they use a ‘super absorbent material’ like a diaper, that keeps the waste away from the astronauts bodies. Pretty gross, and I thought it would cause all sorts of issues, but that seems to really be what they do. :eek: Cleanup after a mission much be a bitch in zero g… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/68 "2010-03-15T23:33:14Z")
Donovan Leitch song, from 1973: > [@](#): > > I was impressed like everyone > When man began to fly > Out of earthly regions > To planets in the sky > With total media coverage > We watched the heroes land > As ceremoniously > They disturbed the cosmic sand > > In awe with admiration > We listened to the talk > Such pride felt they > Such joy to be > Upon the moon to walk > My romantic vision shattered > When it was explained to me > Spacemen wear old diapers > In which they shit and pee ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/69 "2010-03-16T19:31:15Z")
**xtisme** said: > [@](#): > > Or, I could be completely wrong…a quick google search seems to indicate they use a ‘super absorbent material’ like a diaper, that keeps the waste away from the astronauts bodies. That’s pretty much still what they do for spacewalks. Diaper and hold it for 7 hours. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/70 "2010-03-16T19:32:31Z")
Yucko. Glad I never went into the whole astronaut gig. 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/71 "2010-03-18T12:57:53Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Yucko. Glad I never went into the whole astronaut gig. 😛 > > -XT Are you kidding?! For a chance to go into space, let alone to the Moon, I’d be more than willing to- “Poop pants”!! ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/72 "2010-03-18T17:24:56Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > But did they also, um, wear diapers for No. 2s? Or was it just the ultimate, “Now before we go out of the LM, do you have to take a dump?”! I remember reading that on the Apollo missions the astronaut would strip naked & adhere a fecal containment apparatus to his ass. What I wonder is how they handled it on the Gemini missions. Those capsules don’t appear to have enough room for the astronaut to remove his suit, much less take a dump in a bag, and a couple of those missions lasted a week or more. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/73 "2010-03-19T15:39:49Z")
Gemini handled it the same way. The capsules are crowded, but there is enough room to shuck down the suit and expose the backside through a hatch in the undergarment. Here is a document talking primarily about Apollo, but refers to the previous missions being the same and the improvements of Apollo. Note: contains description of handling fecal containment devices. [http://history.nasa.gov/SP-368/s6ch2.htm](http://history.nasa.gov/SP-368/s6ch2.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/74 "2010-03-19T16:09:34Z")
I’m primarily worried about their salt intake during these missions. Loss of salts and minerals through urination and defecation is especially pronounced in space. If only we could think of some way to maintain their salt levels on the moon. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/75 "2010-03-19T16:15:33Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > What I wonder is how they handled it on the Gemini missions. Those capsules don’t appear to have enough room for the astronaut to remove his suit, much less take a dump in a bag… Recall also that they’re in freefall. Maneuvering without gravity is difficult, but one advantage is that you don’t need leverage to hold yourself up. That means that it takes a lot less space, and less contortion generally, to move than it would on the ground. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/76 "2010-03-19T16:30:54Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I always figured that many people who watched that demonstration commented along the lines of, 'Wow. I get it. When there’s less gravity, like on the moon, heavy and light objects fall at the same rate. Cool". 🙂 I have a feeling I’m wrong (I really shouldn’t be arguing with an astronaut). But I always thought that the hammer and feather would fall at the same speed not because of gravity, but because it’s a vacuum and thus there’s no air resistance. ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/77 "2010-03-19T17:42:12Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I have a feeling I’m wrong (I really shouldn’t be arguing with an astronaut). But I always thought that the hammer and feather would fall at the same speed not because of gravity, but because it’s a vacuum and thus there’s no air resistance. The fact that the hammer and feather hit together shows that they were in a vacuum. You could estimate the force of gravity by counting how many frames it took for them to hit the ground, an exercise left to the viewer. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/78 "2010-03-19T19:07:44Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > … There is literally a mountain of evidence that shows we went to the moon… > -XT “Literally”? Just where is this mountain? About how high is it? Do they have tours there? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/79 "2010-03-19T19:43:21Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I have a feeling I’m wrong (I really shouldn’t be arguing with an astronaut). But I always thought that the hammer and feather would fall at the same speed not because of gravity, but because it’s a vacuum and thus there’s no air resistance. Absolutely right. But, as noted, you may not be in an majority in appreciating that from the demonstration. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133/80 "2010-03-19T21:36:59Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I have a feeling I’m wrong (I really shouldn’t be arguing with an astronaut). But I always thought that the hammer and feather would fall at the same speed not because of gravity, but because it’s a vacuum and thus there’s no air resistance. Well, it’s both, of course. Gravity is what’s doing the pulling. Galileo thought that gravity attracts all things at an equal rate, so everyone would fall at the same rate except for air resistance. This is demonstrating that that’s true - take air resistance out of the picture and a hammer and feather fall at the same rate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-a-leak-on-the-moon/532133.md?page=5)