[span class="Font_size_C Font_style_B Font_color_A"]WASHINGTON - The International Space Station's lone toilet is broken, leaving the crew with almost nowhere to go.
[/span] [div id="articleBodyContent" class="articleBody"] [span class="Font_color_B"][/span]So NASA may order an in-orbit plumbing service call when space shuttle Discovery visits next week. Until then, the three-man crew will have to make do with a jury-rigged system when they need to urinate.NASA says while one of the crew was using the Russian-made toilet last week, the toilet motor fan stopped working.[/p]Since then, the liquid waste gathering part of the toilet has been working on-and-off.[/p]Fortunately, the solid waste collecting part is functioning normally.[/p]Russian officials don't know the cause of the problem and the crew has been unable to fix it.[/p]The crew has used the toilet on the Soyuz return capsule, but it has a limited capacity. They are now are using a back-up bag-like collection system that can be connected to the broken toilet, according to NASA public affairs officials.[/p]"Like any home anywhere the importance of having a working bathroom is obvious," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said.
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