Posted by Observer9 on December 20, 2010 at 09:58 [67.248.58.172]
Hi, newish poster. Someone on the poop board suggested a space diaper story so I wrote one. I won't pretend to know anything about being an astronaut other than what I've randomly absorbed from museums and discovery channel and whatnot. I am posting the same story with a poop element on the pooping board. Sorry for the English units, I'm American.
The call had come shortly after the alarm went off, a panel had been damaged by a piece of space debris the size of a mosquito, though it was traveling at roughly 12,000 miles per hour. She'd been given an hour to prep which wasn't enough. It took 45 minutes to use a bathroom on a space station and emptying herself was her primary prep for spacewalks, other than getting dressed and preparing equipment and plans. You never knew how long a spacewalk would last and using the on-board toilets was better than the alternative to her. She looked at the alternative clamped down in the cabinet, a diaper. She was now in the process of changing into her “walk gear” and the diaper was a necessary piece of equipment. A full bladder was not a fun thing to have during pressure and gravitational changes.
For this walk she hoped it would go well and quick. She had not managed to relieve herself on the toilet.She wouldn't have dared go on a walk but she was one of two on board trained for spacewalks and for repairs. The other was currently using his other expertise, fixing computers. She finally got her nerves and put the special diaper on. Although, like a regular baby diaper it secured with flaps, it fit tighter like a pull-up. The whole structure of the diaper and its special extra-absorbent filler was meant to keep the urine contained and reduce the swelling of the diaper. The urine was apt to travel outside of the diaper in zero-g if it was loose and sometimes even bypassed being absorbed at all. As usual for men it was easier, keeping urine in a diaper with a powered, directional hose was easy. For women it was more difficult, like draining a funnel but in zero-g and in uncontrollable directions without some training.
Not everybody disliked the diapers as much as Angel did. Some even preferred the diapers to the toilets but that was not a good use of resources. It wasted diapers and it wasted water. Urine in a diaper was water stolen from the system.
Finally in her suit and her repair gear packed, she stepped in the airlock. She leaned against a slot and her tether and air supply was attached. She braced for the impact as her suit was pressurized. Her first times experiencing this in training she'd been mortified to need a new diaper so soon. The airlock was depressurized and opened. She walked out into space, and it was a slow twenty minute walk to the damaged panel not 15 feet away. Already she had to urinate and knowing the need would interfere with her walk she voiced over the intercom
“Permission to urinate.” Her voice was gravelly and muted. An even more gravelly and muted voice responded
“Uh, well that was quick, permission granted.” She eased her muscles and felt the relief and warm bloom in her diaper. The urine traveled in odd directions, she hoped none would escape. She was startled to produce a little warm air from her other end. A snickering voice came over the intercom.
“Permission to release flatulent not granted.” Angel grunted,
“Sorry, I didn't feel it coming.”
“Don't worry about it, just be careful of your air.”
He was right, she could feel a warm bubble climbing up her back.
Two hours later Angel finished the repairs and was glad. On the intercom.
“So on the next school room chat when they ask their favorite question what will you answer?”
“Which question is that?”
“How do you go to the bathroom?”
“We pee our pants!”
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