By The Associated Press
CAPE CAÑAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Astronauts leaving the International Space Station this weekend will have to wear diapers on the trip home as their capsule toilet broke.
NASA astronaut
Megan McArthur on Friday called the situation "suboptimal" but manageable
.
She and her three companions will spend 20 hours in the SpaceX capsule, from the moment the hatches close until their scheduled landing on Monday morning.
"Space flight is full of many little challenges," he said from orbit during a news conference.
“This is just one more that we will have and that we will attend to in our mission.
So we are not too concerned, "he added.
[Russian filmmakers who shot the first film in space return to Earth]
After a series of meetings on Friday, those responsible for the mission decided to bring McArthur and the rest of his crew back to Earth before sending their replacements.
That operation was postponed for more than a week due to bad weather and an unspecified medical problem for one of the crew.
SpaceX now aims to make that launch Wednesday night.
Photograph provided by NASA of astronauts, from left, Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough, Akihiko Hoshide, and Megan McArthur, posing with harvested chili peppers on the International Space Station on Friday, November 5, 2021.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet told reporters that the last six months have been intense up there.
The astronauts undertook a series of extravehicular activities to improve the station's electrical network, faced inadvertent start-ups of docked Russian vehicle engines that caused the station to rotate briefly, and welcomed a private Russian film crew - an unprecedented situation for the space station.
They also had to deal with the toilet leaking
, when they lifted panels on their SpaceX capsule and discovered puddles of urine.
The problem was discovered during SpaceX's private flight in September, when a tube dislodged and urine leaked under the floor plates.
SpaceX fixed the capsule toilet while it waited for liftoff, but said the one in orbit was unusable.
Engineers determined that the urine had not structurally damaged the capsule and was safe for the return flight.
The astronauts
will have to travel in what NASA describes as absorbent "underwear
."
[A Chinese rocket with three crew on board successfully takes off]
On the culinary side, the astronauts harvested the first chili peppers in space.
"A good morale booster," according to McArthur.
Last week, they got a taste of their vintage when they added green and red chili to their tacos.
"They had a rich, spicy flavor, a bit of a prolonged sting," he said.
"For some that was more problematic than for others," he added.
They had a rich spicy flavor, a little prolonged itch "
Astronaut Megan McArthur
Also returning with McArthur and Pesquet are NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
SpaceX sent them into space on April 23.
Their capsule is certified for a maximum of 210 days in space, and on Friday it will complete its 196th day of mission, so NASA is eager for them to return as soon as possible.
After his departure, the orbital position will continue to be occupied by an American and two Russians.
Although ideally his surrogates would have arrived before his departure - to share tips about life in space - Kimbrough noted that the remaining NASA astronaut will orient the newcomers.