Elon Musk reveals toilet trouble on SpaceX’s first private mission, promises update, pizza-warming oven and WiFi

By Monica Athnasious

Published Sep 22, 2021 at 11:42 AM

Reading time: 1 minute

22828

Elon Musk took to Twitter on Monday 20 September to reveal that there had been some “challenges” for the Inspiration4 crew regarding the toilet used on-board SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft—which first took off Wednesday 15 September and landed the following Saturday evening. After tweeting that he had met with the crew, the SpaceX CEO began answering questions from users revealing there were issues with the bog and promising updates.

In a response to one user, Musk wrote that for future flights there would “definitely be upgraded toilets. We had some challenges with it this flight.” Also writing that there would be “a little oven for heating food and Starlink WiFi” after details surfaced that the crew ate cold pizza and were unable to send as many photos or videos of Inspiration4 because of lack of accessibility to ground stations where NASA had priority. The WiFi for future flights would be connections made through SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.

One of the civilian passengers on Inspiration4, Jared Isaacman, explained to Insider in July 2021 that Crew Dragon’s—a variant of Dragon 2—toilet facilities were positioned on the spacecraft’s ceiling and encompassed by a glass dome that showcased a 360-degree view for passengers when using the toilet. Basically, you could look out into space while you bake a loaf. “It’s not a ton of privacy. But you do have this privacy curtain that cuts across the top of the spacecraft, so you can kind of separate yourself from everyone else,” Isaacman told Insider.

He also added that part of the civilian astronauts’ intensive training for the flight involved learning how to operate the toilet on board.

The specific “challenges” are currently unclear, but according to SpaceX’s Benji Reed, the problem may be linked to the suction fan—the item responsible for the effective removal of waste. During a post-flight conference, Reed, leader of the human spaceflight programmes for SpaceX, stated, “We had a couple of issues that we worked [on], we did work something [out] on the Waste Management System but that was worked [out] fine and, you know, the crew was happy and healthy.”

Cold pizza and a toilet that doesn’t flush? Sounds like a really expensive easyJet flight to me.

Keep On Reading

By Charlie Sawyer

Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper accuses former soccer coach of sexual harassment in new docuseries

By Eliza Frost

It now takes 20 hours of work a week to survive as a UK university student

By Eliza Frost

UK to lower voting age to 16 by next election. A controversial move, but the right one

By Charlie Sawyer

Yung Filly’s legal troubles mount as the rapper faces two new sexual assault charges in Australia

By Charlie Sawyer

Lawmakers pressure Trump to provide evidence that Venezuelan asylum seeker Andry Hernández Romero is still alive

By Charlie Sawyer

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham hire a lawyer to battle misinformation amid growing family rift

By Charlie Sawyer

Johnny Depp plays the victim once more and anoints himself crash test dummy for #MeToo

By Eliza Frost

Rina Sawayama calls out Sabrina Carpenter’s SNL performance of Nobody’s Son for cultural insensitivity 

By Eliza Frost

Why is Taylor not Team Conrad in The Summer I Turned Pretty?

By Eliza Frost

How The Summer I Turned Pretty licensed so much of Taylor Swift’s discography for its soundtrack 

By Eliza Frost

Why isn’t Sylvanian Drama posting on TikTok? Here’s the legal tea

By Eliza Frost

Netflix’s new Trainwreck documentary exposes the rise and scandalous fall of American Apparel

By Charlie Sawyer

Introducing Berlin’s latest tourist attraction Cybrothel, where men can request AI sex dolls covered in blood

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty is getting a movie. Could it be here in time for Christmas?

By Eliza Frost

Black cat boyfriends are in to replace golden retriever boyfriends, but are they just emotionally unavailable men in disguise?

By Eliza Frost

Hailey Bieber’s new hands-free lip tint holder has everyone divided 

By Eliza Frost

Louis Tomlinson opens up about Liam Payne’s death and reflects on One Direction’s 15th anniversary

By Eliza Frost

All the Tea on the new app that lets women vet men and date safely

By Charlie Sawyer

Who is Zohran Mamdani, the staunch socialist primed to become New York’s first Muslim mayor?

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Chris Briney is at the centre of a new love triangle, but this time for an audio erotica story