September 2001

NASA/CR2001–208931

Design Concepts for Zero-G Whole Body 

Cleansing on ISS Alpha

Part II: Individual Design Project

Susmita Mohanty

International Space University

Professor Michael J. Rycroft

ISU Academic Advisor

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Host Institution

Dr. Michael Barratt

Placement Mentor
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September 2001

NASA/CR2001–208931

Design Concepts for Zero-G Whole Body 

Cleansing on ISS Alpha

Part II: Individual Design Project

Susmita Mohanty

International Space University

Professor Michael J. Rycroft

ISU Academic Advisor

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Host Institution

Dr. Michael Barratt

Placement Mentor

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Johnson Space Center

Houston, Texas 77058-3696
Preface

This document, originally published at International Space University in 1997, was a 

Master of Space Studies student’s project. While the specifics concerning the (not-yetbuilt) space station may be a little dated, the research results gleaned are still relevant 

and valid. Therefore we are publishing it as a NASA Formal Series document in an 

effort to make the data available.

This project has been carried out in the Flight Crew Support Division of NASA's 

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, USA, under the guidance of 

Dr. Frances Mount.

Available from:

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information National Technical Information Service

7121 Standard 5285 Port Royal Road

Hanover, MD 21076-1320 Springfield, VA 22161

This report is also available in electronic form at http://techreports.larc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/NTRS
Contents page no.

1 Abstract ...................................................... 1

2 Introduction............................................. 2-3

3 Design Brief............................................ 4

4 Skylab..................................................... 5-8

5 Mir .......................................................... 9-12

6 Feedback From Mir Astronauts................... 13-18

7 Space Shuttle ......................................... 19-21

8 SSF Zero-g Whole Body Shower ................ 22-30

9 ISS Alpha ............................................... 31-33

10 Information Analysis ............................... 34-48

11 Redefined Brief....................................... 49-57

12 Conceptualization................................... 58

13 The Final Concept .................................. 59-65

14 The Conclusion ...................................... 66

Abbreviations .............................................. 67

References ................................................. 68

Acknowledgments .................................. 69

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1 Abstract

1.1 The abstract

Johnson Space Center, the Mecca of manned Space Programs, is now abuzz with

preparations for the International Space Station—ISS Alpha. The work on the various

systems and subsystems for the U.S. Habitation Module is scheduled to begin in l998. 

As a prelude to that, the Flight Crew Support Division perceived the need to take a

closer and more critical look at the planning for the Whole Body Cleansing function

onboard the ISS.

This report is an endeavour to dig and delve all data available on Whole Body Cleansing 

mechanisms used in the past and the present, by the Russians and the Americans,

analyze it and come up with design concepts for products/ product systems for Zero-g 

Whole Body Cleansing onboard ISS Alpha, for typical stay duration of about 90 days.

This report takes a close look at the Skylab collapsible shower, the Mir shower/ sauna,

the full body cleansing methods currently in use onboard the Space Shuttle and Mir and 

at the Whole Body Shower designed and tested for Space Station Freedom. It attempts 

to "listen" carefully to what the Mir astronauts—Norman Thagard, Shannon Lucid and

John Blahahave to say about their personal hygiene experiences during their recent

long-duration stays on the Russian station Mir. The findings in the report call for a

change in paradigm. What is good for Earth conditions is not necessarily good for Zerog! It concludes that a shower is not a good idea for the ISS. The final concept that is

proposed reflects very strongly what the Mir astronauts would like to have and to use

onboard a station like the ISS. The report concludes with directions of how to take the

"idea" further and realize it in the form of a product system for Whole Body Cleansing

onboard the ISS.
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2 Introduction

2.1 The problem

In the weightlessness of Outer Space, performing tasks that are considered ordinary,

simple and routine on Earth can sometimes become problematic, difficult,

frustrating...perhaps even funny!

A simple task like taking a shower that would take let's say, just 5 minutes on Earth

might take a daunting 1 whole hour, even more! Besides, after each shower the

astronaut needs to not just mop/vacuum himself dry, but also lavish the same treatment 

to the shower enclosure and that is most undesirable because by the time he would

finish both, he would end up cold and uncomfortable!

Also, one simply cannot allow any water droplets from floating around and getting into

equipment onboard or for that matter into the eyes or into lungs of the crew onboard and 

put their health in jeopardy! Besides, the crew cannot spend valuable time vacuuming

escaping/floating water from the air and the installations onboard!!

On the other hand, "personal hygiene" is indispensable to keep the astronauts in good

shape and in good spirits!...in other words, for psychological and physiological reasons. 

The solution lies in designing appropriate products for all aspects of living and working

in an alien weightless environment...and that includes products in the category of "crew

hygiene". Needless to say, these products or product systems will have a pervasive

influence on the life of the crew...their living standards, their working habits ... their

overall well-being. And all that is vital to the success of our Space missions.

While designing for Zero-g conditions, one cannot and one should not be bound

to "Earth paradigms"; one needs to develop one's perceptions of the conditions of a

weightless environment, one also needs to listen carefully to what the astronauts

from the long-duration Space stays have to say from their experiences of living and 
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working in Space. All this is vital to the design process of any Space product or

environment and the design concepts for Zero-g Whole Body Cleansing will be no

exception to this rule if we are to provide Whole Body Cleansing mechanisms onboard

our International Space Station that will be liked and used by the crew onboard.
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3 Design Brief

3.1 The design brief

"The work on the various systems and subsystems including those for Personal Hygiene 

onboard the U.S. Habitation Module for the International Space Station (ISS) Alpha is

scheduled to begin in 1998.

Look into the existing and planned systems as well as methods for Zero-g Whole Body

Cleansing used on Space stations and freighters. The Skylab crew utilized a collapsible

shower that was found to be not optimum for extended missions. The Mir crews used a

shower for several years that was found to be less than optimum. The Mir shower was

used as a sauna in the last 2 years of its existence onboard before it was disposed off

(to make space available onboard Mir, for a gyrodyne, in 1995) in the Progress

spacecraft to be burnt in the atmosphere during re-entry. ISS will include a full-body 

cleansing function, which has been assumed to be a water spray shower. Based on

Russian inputs, this may not be the best solution.

Evolve design-concepts for Zero-g Whole Body Cleansing for long-duration 

missions which can be used for international crews onboard the U.S. Habitation

Module of ISS Alpha."
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4 Skylab

4.1 The Skylab collapsible shower

• A deployable, collapsible shower was provided in the experiment compartment of the 

Skylab.

Figure 4.1a Whole Body Shower onboard Skylab
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• The shower aboard Skylab was considered a pleasant experience but was very

time consuming, about 45 minutes from start to finish.

• The Skylab shower was an enclosure that used continuous airflow as a gravity

substitute to move the water over the crewman. However, airflow through the shower 

was insufficient to prevent water retention on the crewmember. Some water was

also retained on the shower walls as well.

• A 6 pound capacity water bottle was filled from the Waste Management

Compartment (WMC) water heater, pressurized with nitrogen, and attached to the

grid ceiling at the shower location.

The nitrogen gas pressurant expelled water from the bottle through a transfer hose

and a crew-operated hand-held spray nozzle.

• A soap dispenser provided the crewman with 8 millimeters of liquid soap for each

shower. During the shower, this dispenser was fastened to the ceiling with Velcro.

A suction head removed water from the crewman and the shower interior. The

suction head was connected by hoses to the centrifugal separator, which deposited

the wastewater into a collection bag. A blower pulled the air from the separator

through a hydrophobic filter that protected the blower.

Figure 4.1b Shower system schematic
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4.2 Other elements of the Skylab PHS

• Personal hygiene for the Skylab crewmembers was supported in the Waste 

Management Compartment (WMC). The WMC included:

- a fecal/urine collector,

- a handwasher, 

- stowage for personal hygiene items and

- a drying station.

• Each crewmember was provided supplies for personal care and grooming.

• The fecal/urine collector provided for both urination and defecation. Urine was

collected into an inlet cone (only men were aboard Skylab). For defecation, a fecal

bag was installed in the fecal collector mounted on the wall of the WMC. The use of 

a lap belt during defecation was considered essential.

• Approximately 2 wipes were used after each defecation and placed in the fecal bag. 

Then the bag was sealed and placed in the waste processor for vacuum drying.

• The handwasher was recessed in the WMC wall. Washing hands was difficult

because of water splatter. Alternatively, crewmembers would use the water source in 

the handwasher to wet a washcloth for body cleansing. The handwasher also

provided a squeezer which removed excess water from washcloths into a bag.

• The drying station provided cruciform slit utility restraints. Towels and wash cloths

were restrained here to dry for future use. The figure below shows the towel and 

washcloth drying restraints aboard Skylab.

Figure 4.2a Towel and washcloth drying restraints
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• Standard non-personalized kits were provided for all crewmembers. Hygiene items

were restrained in the kits with elastic straps. Included in the kits were the following

items:

– windup shaver 

– safety razor

– razor blades

– shaving cream

– styptic pencil

– safety swabs

– hair brush and comb

– trim comb

– nail clippers

– toothbrush 

– toothpaste 

– emollient 

– antiperspirant stick 

– mirror 

Towels, washcloths and wipes were provided for cleaning and drying. The flame

retardant caused the towels to be less soft and not as absorbent, to the frustration of the 

crew. 

The toothpaste was ingestible but due to taste, crewmembers preferred to spit into a

wipe. 

The trim comb was used with comb and scissors for haircuts. 

Nails were trimmed in the WMC so that clippings were caught by the ventilation screen.

Shaving was difficult and time consuming, and some crewmembers chose to let their

beards grow.

Bar soap was used with the handwasher and liquid soap was used in the shower.
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5 Mir

5.1 The shower on Mir

• The shower In the Kvant 2 module of Mir was removed in April 1995 to make

room for a gyrodyne.

• It was used as such until two years prior to removal at which time it use was limited

to saunas only.

• Air flow carried water to the shower bottom into a separator where hydrophilic

surfaces and centrifugal devices were used for air-water separation.

• When used as a shower, hot (40 to 45 degrees Celsius) and ambient water can be

mixed for temperature selection. Air temperature was controlled at 35 to 43

degrees Celsius, and velocity was 0.5 to 1 meter/second.

• Minimum water consumption 2.5 kilograms

• Rate of water consumption 0.2 to 1.9 kilogram/minute

• A cosmonaut would on an average spend about 45 minutes for the shower and 

pre/post shower operations like actuating the systems for heating bath water and

disinfecting the shower.
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Figure 5.1a A prototype of the Mir shower

• To disinfect the shower, it was heated to 60 degrees Celsius for 2 hours with hot air 

flow.

• Power consumption by the shower unit for air and water heating during a shower 

was 1 kW.

• There was no water suction wand to remove excess water, so toweling was the only 

method for removing water that clung to the shower enclosure and the crewmember.

• An alkaline liquid cleanser for shower included the active ingredient amine oxidealkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride. It produced almost no foaming and could be 

impregnated into washcloths and mittens.

• A bag for hair washing contained a special non-soap shampoo and wipes for

removing the shampoo from the scalp.
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5.2 The shower as a sauna

• About 2 years prior to removal of the shower, crewmembers used the shower

enclosure for an air shower (sauna) about once a week, with warm or hot air flow,

followed by a rubdown with a moist towel.

• To use as a sauna, the fan and heater were turned on. This mode requires no

waiting for water to heat, and there is less cleanup of water afterward.

5.3 Full body cleansing as done now on Mir

• Full body cleansing is accomplished using wipes and towels. Crew are allotted 3

towels per day, 1 wet towel and 2 dry towels. These are pink bath sized towels. Wet 

towels are damp with no additives.

• In addition, wet and dry wipes, gauze material about washcloth size, are available 

as needed. Wet wipes are impregnated with a special lotion and disinfectant.

5.4 Other elements of the Mir PHS

• The Mir Personal Hygiene Subsystem consists of

1. toilets for body waste management,

2. a handwash units and shower (now removed)for full and partial body 

cleansing,

3. personal hygiene kits for personal grooming and care.

Two personal hygiene enclosures, one located in the Mir core module and the

other in the Kvant 2 module, enclose a toilet and a handwash unit. The core

module toilet has been mothballed, but is available as a backup.

• Each toilet has two urinal hoses for sitting or standing urination for men and women. 

The toilet has a fixed urine cup attached to a flexible hose as the design is not 

intended for physical contact with the cup. No additional absorption devices for urine 

are provided for emergencies or EVA.

• The handwash units have transparent enclosures with rubber-lined openings for

hands and face. Each use nominally consumes 0.3 liters of water from the built-in 

dispenser.

For use, the crewmember inserts hands and face into the washer. A sprayer and

temperature mixing valve are located inside it.

Airflow is used to remove the wastewater. The unit is wiped off with a special cloth

after use, and requires cleaning after several uses. After every 24 uses it is cleaned

with a disinfectant.
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However, the handwash units are no longer used. Instead crewmembers use

wash cloths wetted with water from the Rodnik water dispenser.

• Personal hygiene items are provided in a soft kit which can be attached to the wall.

At least the following items are provided:

electric razor

safety razor

blades

shaving cream 

after shave

comb

nail clippers

toothpaste (with tethered caps) 

toothbrush

Items are secured in the kit with pockets and other means so that upon opening they 

don't float away. But some items, such as combs, occasionally do escape from the

kit.

For oral hygiene, crewmembers can use a toothbrush with forced water and

toothpaste supplies. There is a mouth ejector for removal of waste, but

crewmembers just use tissues and expectorate into them when brushing teeth.

Crew can also use fingercots impregnated with toothpaste rather than using a

toothbrush with added toothpaste.

Toothpicks and chewing gum are also supplied. Chewing gum is supplied for use

twice after meals daily to aid in the removal of food particles from the teeth.

Grooming of nails can be performed in the handwash unit. Shaving can also be

performed in the handwash unit or using an electric shaver with a suction hose

attached. Hair cutting can be performed with a clipper on a vacuum cleaner suction 

hose.
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6 Feedback From 

Mir Astronauts

6.1 Feedback from Norman Thagard

Here are excerpts from Norman Thagard's experience of the Personal Hygiene System

onboard Mir during a long-duration stay of several months.

Q. We understand that, during your mission, the shower or sauna was

removed. Did you have a chance to take a sauna before it was removed?

N. I used the sauna one time, because I wanted to say that I had done it. Then it

was chopped up, literally, with a machete from the Soyuz survival kit. The sauna was

too big to fit through the hatches and into the Progress without chopping it up. It was

nice, but it certainly wasn't something I felt I had a driving need to do.

The hygiene system was composed of handwipes in dry and wetted form. The towels

were cloth towels. They came in cellophane bags. You were allotted one wet towel and

two dry towels a day, and I found that to be an excellent system. The only complaint I

would have is you should have had two wetted towels a day, because you were

scheduled for two 1-hour exercise sessions. I found that I was having to use the dry

towels and then squirt water in them for the second exercise session, and that is not

nearly as convenient as using these pre-wetted towels.
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Q. Are you saying that if the sauna weren't there, you wouldn't have missed it 

at all?

N. I wouldn't have missed it.

Q. How about the Russian crew?

N. They would have missed it.

Q. They found favour in it?

N. Oh yeah! Volodya used it a lot. I don't think Gennady used it all that much, but

Volodya did enjoy it. Russians feel very strongly about their saunas.

Q. And you felt that the system of wipes adequately handled full body 

cleansing?

N. The pre-wetted towels, yes. I felt they were superior to what we have on Shuttle, 

where we have washcloths and towels that you have to wet. That's never going to work 

as well as having these pre-wetted towels.

Q. Given your experience, what hopes would you have for a shower on the

USOS?

N. It would be nice to have a shower, but if the shower's going to be at the expense 

of a huge operational overhead, I don't think it's going to get much use. If I knew that I

was going to have to spend 30 minutes. for instance, cleaning up a shower after I used

it, that would probably deter me from using it, I would think. No, a shower would be

extremely desirable as long as it had low operational overhead.

Q. Did the sauna have an operational overhead?

N. Not much.

Q. It didn't take much cleaning?

N. No. Just turn on the fans and the heaters and go.

Q. If you were given a choice on the USOS of there being a sauna or not, your 

recommendation would be no sauna?

N. My recommendation would be to poll the other folks because I don't think my one 

opinion is adequate.

Q. When you used the sauna, did it significantly modify the humidity level in

the station?

N. No.

Q. Was the shower capability in the Mir sauna entirely disabled or was it just

not used?

N. It was not used.

Q. They could have operated it as a shower when you were there?

N. I am sure they could, because nothing had changed in the hardware.

Q. I have heard that the water regeneration system from sanitary hygiene

water had not been as effective as they had thought it would be.

N. Could be.
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Q. Where did you perform full body cleansing-

– in the crew quarters,

– in the hygiene compartment or 

– in the sauna enclosure?

N. Either in the toilet area, which was certainly where Volodya always did it. In fact, 

the wetted towels were stowed in cloth bags right outside this toilet area. I either used

the toilet area or my little sleep station.

Every 3 days, you get this so-called sports underwear, but basically it is a lot more like a 

regular old T-shirt and a pair of running shorts. What you do is you wear this one set,

and at the end of 3 days, that set becomes one of your two exercise outfits. Since one

might exercise twice in a day, I would normally keep a couple of old pairs as my

exercise gear and, on a given day, I never had to put on wet sports clothes.

Q. For your personal hygiene, did you use a NASA supplied kit?

N. I did though there were Russian supplied kits. The one thing that was in the

NASA kit that I really liked was the soapless shampoo.

Q. How often did you use the shampoo?

N. Early in the mission, I tended to use the shampoo about once a week.1 was worried

that it wouldn't last the whole mission. After a while it was pretty clear that it would last

longer than I thought, so I'd use it a couple of times per week, especially if I knew there 

was going to be TV to the ground.

Q. Did you try all the articles in the Russian personal hygiene kit at one time

or the other?

N. I used their plug-in electric shaver. Apart from that, I didn't use much of the

Russian gear since I had my own US supplied kit.

I think we ought to look into their system of personal hygiene: I found it to be a good

one. We ought to consider supplementing it, so that you can get two of those wetted

towels a day instead of just the one.

Q. Are there any items in the Russian kit that you did not think would be

functional?

N. No. I thought it all worked, but then why use it when I already had something with 

which I was familiar.

Q. Did you also have the NASA shaver or just the Russian one?

N. Yes, I had the NASA shaver and it worked fine. About a week before the Shuttle got 

there, however, I was trying to tap out the hairs that accumulate in a shaver and it flew

apart. I never found all the parts.

Q. You felt that if you were supplied only the Russian personal hygiene kit, it

would satisfy all your needs?

N. Yeah. They provided everything. But obviously, your preferences are for things

with which you're familiar. Since I had the US kit that was identical to kits I have flown on 

previous flights, that's what I used.

Q. Do you have any comments comparing the Russian provisions to your past 

experience with the Shuttle provisions?

N. For the crew stuff?
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Q. Yes.

N. You could go up there and do all right with the Russian stuff.

Q. Were the wetted towels just wetted with water, or was there some

formulation that was used?

N. Volodya told me that in fact there were other chemicals in it. I was told I shouldn't 

just leave the wetted towels out to dry, because there were some volatiles in them that

would affect the atmospheric regeneration system over time. I usually put them back in

the cellophane bags, and then threw them in the trash.

Q. What about washcloths? Were they also wetted? 

N. We didn't really have washcloths; we had little wipes. They were just like the

towels; there were dry varieties and wet varieties. They were like little gauze pads...like

little gauze squares.

Q. How many of these little wipes did you get in addition to the towels?

N. There was no restriction on the number of wipes.

Q. How about the Russian shampoo?

N. Well, I was told when I left that there was already some soapless shampoo

onboard, though I never found it. I remember Gennady asked to borrow my bottle of

NASA shampoo a couple of times. I had two bottles. I wound up giving one of them to

Gennady. So even though we were told there was some Russian shampoo already

onboard, Gennady didn't know where it was and neither did I.

Q. The NASA shampoo came in a bottle?

N. It came in little plastic cylinders.

6.2 Feedback from Shannon Lucid

Here are excerpts from Shannon's debrief after her return from a 188-days stint onboard 

Mir. She replaced Norman Thagard and in turn was replaced by John Blaha.

Q. Moving on to personal hygiene. Were supplies adequate? Was there

anything that you would have preferred to have seen that you didn't have in the

hygiene kit? Did you prefer the Russian hygiene kit or the American one? Could

you elaborate on that?

S. I was happy with what we had. Unfortunately we ran out of stuff in August. We 

ran out of dry towels. Dry towels were nice, but we ran out. You could use wet towels as 

dry towels, but it made it hard when you were cleaning hair, because it just didn't dry up 

the rinse-less shampoo as well. And you could make the wet towels dry out and use

them as dry towels, but they had a residue on them because they had some kind of a

cleaning agent. We just didn't understand why we had all these wet towels. Then when

Progress came we had more wet towels, no dry towels and no little wet wipes. We didn't 

quite understand that.

They have a shirt and a little cotton knit type short. I changed one of those halfway

through the week. I used two a week, until we were running real low and then we went
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to one a week. Then the blue jumper that I wore everyday--I wore the same one

everyday for 188 days. Also, I was surprised it didn't get.......

Q. It didn't stand up by itself?

S. It might have. It was pretty stiff, but it worked out O.K. Then I used both the

American and the Russian shampoo .... the rinse-less shampoo. I really couldn't tell any 

difference. I didn't prefer one or the other. They were both nice. It made your hair not

oily. I just thought it would be good to use 2 different ones, You know, not to have the

same chemical in your hair all the time.

Q. You used Russian pre-wetted towels?

S. Yes, a couple of times a week. And then I had lots of U.S. body baths, you know 

those silver things. The Russians loved those too. And so I would use about one of

those baths a week, because I would fill it up and then just refill it and use it. Those just 

worked out real nice. After exercise, I would just take a handful of the water and put it

around and take a towel and wipe it off. I felt clean.

Q. We had some comments from Norm on preferences on the shower versus

the sauna on ISS. Due you have any feeling pro one or pro the other? Obviously,

the shower is not there...

S. Frankly, I don't think that I would want either one because it would be too much

of a mess to clean up. That's just my own personal preference, I would rather take a wet 

towel or just use a handful of water like I did than have to clean up something

afterwards. I guess I am sort of lazy. And I felt clean, and I know it cleaned the guys up. 

After exercise, (because you know you can tell when a person has exercised), they 

would go wipe themselves off with a wet towel or use the body bath. and you could tell

that they were nice and fresh.

Q. Clean?

S. Yes. I thought it to be totally adequate.

6.3 Feedback from John Blaha

John Blaha was the third American astronaut to stay onboard Mir for several months. He 

said that, with time, he "adapted" and "learnt" how to take a good shower in Space

during his long-duration stay onboard the Mir Space Station.

He used the U.S. Personal Hygiene Kit for 95% of the time and thus did use the one the 

Russians gave him, but very little.

When asked to comment on "the Russian pre-wetted towels" versus "the American

method of wetting towels", he responded saying, "The Russian prewetted towels were

wonderful. After a workout they were good for a quick bath. I loved them. They were

fantastic."

When it was time for a "real bath", he would first apply a beat of soap from the American 

pouch wash, and then apply a beat of water using the American drink bag and then rub

with a damp towel. At the end of this exercise, he said, "I felt very clean. It felt like a real 

shower. I used the pre-wetted towels and wet wipes at ambient temperature."
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John Blaha pointed out that the pre-wetted stuff that they were provided onboard Mir

was excellent, but for some people they proved to be uncomfortable due to the fact that 

they had to used at ambient temperature which for them was "cold". So he said it would 

be a good idea if one could heat that stuff up to a desired/comfortable temperature

before use.

He said that before returning to the Earth, he showed the next American astronaut, Jerry 

Linenger (who replaced him on Mir for the next long-duration stay) how to take a shower 

in Space without a shower.
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7 Space Shuttle

7.1 Full body cleansing on Shuttle

• The Shuttle crew can sponge-bathe with the Personal Hygiene System (PHS) hose

(20 feet long) located in the Waste Collection System (WCS) compartment. Water is 

squirted onto a washcloth using the hose.

• Crew prefer to use the hygiene port provided at the galley because it provides hot

water. The hose for the hygiene port is very long and can be extended to the WCS 

compartment for cleansing and grooming.

• The crew is provided with a no-rinse pouch assembly:

– No-Rinse body bath and

– No-Rinse shampoo.

No-Rinse Body bath requires two ounces of cold water and six ounces of hot water

to be added. This can last two days and be reheated if desired. Crew can squeeze

the soapy water onto a washcloth to use for body cleansing.

• Two washcloths and one towel per day are also provided to assist crewmembers in

body cleansing. The washcloths are typical COTS items. Due to high linting of COTS 

towels, the towels are similar to dish towels -- not much nap but highly absorbent.
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Figure 7.1a How No-Rinse Body Bath and No-Rinse Shampoo work
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7.2 Other elements of Shuttle PHS

• A handwash station attached to the galley has been flown on early missions but is

no longer provided.

• The WCS compartment has a door, privacy curtains, a PHS hose, a urine collector,

stowage for WCS maintenance and toilet tissue, a detachable mirror, and the WCS, 

or toilet, itself.

• To the right of the toilet there is an operating handle and control panel to control the 

air flow. A vacuum venting system vents air and vapors and dries fecal waste and

associated toilet paper.

• The urinal accommodates both males and females by use of a male or female

designed attachable cap (caps are color coded by crewmember).

• To access the WCS, the door is opened and the privacy curtain can be drawn to

afford privacy. Sufficient space is provided to permit changing of clothes as well.

• Detachable towel restraints (similar to Skylab) are located in the WCS to allow

drying of towels and washcloths.

• The WCS requires periodic manual sanitation of the urinal and toilet seat and

outlying areas with biocide and dry wipes.

• Personal hygiene items are packed in the Personal Hygiene Kit (PHK) to suit the

personal requests for each crewmember. The PHK provides care for the skin, teeth, 

hair, face and nails.

For skin care, lip balm and skin cream are provided.

For dental care, toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss per personal taste are

provided.

Hair care is supported by combs/brushes and No-Rinse Shampoo, a COTS medical

supply product--no other brands are permitted. A hair care product intended

specifically for African-American crewmembers is also provided on request.

Face care provisions include shaving equipment for men and make-up for women.

Men can select from either electric or safety razors. Shaving cream and styptic

pencils are also available if requested. Women have a variety of make-up products

they may select. If all, or a large number of make-up items are selected then the

items are placed in the custom made make-up kit. Hair restraints (bands and

barrettes) are included upon request. Nail care is limited to nail clippers.

• Additional hygiene products provided are:

deodorant

cotton swabs (Q-tips) 

Ziplock bags 

disposable gloves 

dry and wet wipes 

contact lens kit
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8 SSF Zero-g 

Whole Body Shower

8.1 The Zero-g Shower Development Program

In 1985, the Man-System Division at the Johnson Space Center, in the wake of

development of systems and subsystems for Space Station Freedom (SSF), initiated a

program for the development of a Whole Body Shower (WBS) suitable for operation in a 

microgravity environment. Supporting this development effort was a systematic research 

program focused on 4 critical design aspects:

– human factors,

– biomedical,

– mechanical,

– electrical and 

on the interfaces between the whole body shower system and the other Space Station

systems like -

– the water reclamation system and

– the air revitalization system.

A series of tests had been conducted to help define the design requirements for the

Whole Body Shower. Crew interface research had helped identify major design

parameters related to enclosure configurations, consumable quantities, operation

timelines, displays and controls, and shower and cleanup protocols.

Mechanical research provided data on relative humidity, air and water temperatures

and flow rates, liquid and gas separation, and system efficiency.

Electrical research helped characterize and quantify the power requirements for an

optimized system.
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Biomedical research not only provided data relevant to the identification and control of 

micro-organisms introduced into the system by human usage but also led to a new

area of researchthat of studying the effects of biofilm within the shower system.

8.2 The WBS test configuration

Structurally, the whole body shower system evaluated in this research was composed of 

a shower stall and the hardware module. Figure 8.2a depicts the mechanical

configuration as well as the instrumentation test points within the shower system.

Figure 8.2a Mechanical configuration of the Whole Body Shower System

A fiberglass prototype for the shower stall (SS-2) was used for research and testing on 

the KC-135. A display and control panel in the shower stall provided the test subjects

complete control of the showering process. The unit was also equipped with quickdisconnect fittings for the water and vacuum lines leading from the hardware module.
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The hardware module contained the equipment required to operate the shower

system. Components of the module included the ion-exchange unit (DU-1) with filter

package for processing the regular tap water into a deionized state, as will be used on

the Space Station; recycled water prepressurized tank (RW-1); water heater assembly

(WH-1); air heater assembly (AH-2); air blower (AB-2); and vortex gas-liquid separator

(VS-2). The whole body shower system was designed to utilize the power sources which 

would be available aboard Space Station Freedom (28 Vdc and 120 Vac, 400 Hz). 

Moreover, the design included all the necessary safeguards to protect the test subjects

in the event of an emergency.

8.3 Scope of the Whole Body Shower 

Development Program

The research activities carried out in the first two phases of the Whole Body Shower

Development Program consisted of tests and evaluations designed to collect data

relevant to establishing the following:

• compatibility between the user and the shower equipment,

• selecting a cleansing agent for use in the shower system,

• understanding the micro-organism environment within the shower system and

• determining if the recycled shower wastewater processed by the water reclamation

system could be safely used.

Human test subjects were used during the research in order for the investigators to

evaluate the man-machine interaction process. Information on the personal responses

and preferences of the users proved very beneficial in meeting the overall program

goals.

A total of 14 test subjects (7 males and 7 females) participated in these evaluations.

Each test subject showered in the WBS every 48 hours. The test subjects were provided 

wet wipe towelettes and baby wipes for unlimited use between showers, as needed for

personal comfort and hygiene. During the showering process, the air pressure,

temperature, and velocity, relative humidity, carbon dioxide build-up, water consumption 

and cleansing agent consumption were monitored and data collected every 2 minutes.

Microbiological samples were taken from the shower wastewater and from the surface

of the WBS system.

The photographs that follow vividly show the fiberglass prototype that was tested

onboard the KC-135, the accessories like restraints etc., what happens to water in

microgravity and close-up of the shower and suction heads.
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9 ISS Alpha

9.1 Russian segment PHS

• In general, personal hygiene provisions for the ISS Russian Segment will be the

same as for Mir. Items for the personal hygiene kit are also expected to be similar.

• The hygiene enclosure will include the following:

– a handwash

– a toilet

– mirror 

– soft rubber straps and handrails and

– a pocket for toilet accessories.

• The toilet will be the same except that the waste collection receptacle is smaller, less 

form fitting and fixed.

• The handwash will be similar in appearance although smaller, and the operations

and procedures will be different. A handwash will be supplied in the Service Module

(SM) and the Life Support Module (LSM).

• Plans for the ISS Russian Segment (RS) include a sauna styled thermal chamber

with a cylindrical rigid body, air duct, fan and air heater. A towel wetted with hot

water from the Rodnik water supply will be used for cleaning and steaming. 

Temperature settings for the air heater are 60, 70 and 80 degrees Celcius.

Saunas will be permitted once per week with a 30 minute duration.
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9.2 U.S. segment PHS

• The ISS U.S. Personal Hygiene Subsystem (PHS) provides:

– facilities, 

– equipment,

– supplies, 

– temporary stowage for personal cleansing and 

– contingency waste collection for urine and feces in the event of system failure 

up to 5 days.

• The PHS facilities consist of the Waste Management Compartment (WMC) and the

Full Body Cleansing Compartment (FBCC).

• The WMC provides crewmember privacy and restraint for both liquid and solid

waste collection. It comprises of: 

– a Commode Urinal Assembly (CUA).

– a handwash unit and

– stowage.

The CUA collects, stabilizes and pretreats feces, emesis, menstrual waste and toilet 

paper.

The handwash allows the following: 

– face, eye, hand and arm washing,

– oral hygiene,

– shaving and nail trimming.

Hot and cold water can be mixed at the handwash to the desired temperature.

Stowage is provided for tissues, toilet paper, wipes and cleansing agents. Cleansing 

agents are dispensed in either replaceable or refillable containers.

• The FBCC provides for crewmember showering in a closed compartment adjacent

to the WMC. The shower allows crewmember control of water flow, air flow, and

water temperature. The method for removing excess water from the body and the

compartment is expected to be a suction wand for each crewmember. Restraints for 

stowage of wash cloths, brushes and cleansing agents are supplied.

• Personal Hygiene Items include:

– Personal Hygiene Kit (PHK),

– make-up kit,

– feminine hygiene kit,

– contact lens kit (if required),

– body cleansing wipes (both wet and dry), 

– whole body cleansing agent,

– tissues,

– grooming aids (such as hair clippers) 

– hair dryer,

– sleep eye-covers,

– disposable ear protectors (for sleep).
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For personal waste management the crew will be equipped with: 

– toilet paper,

– emesis bags

– fecal bags,

– urine collection and absorption items like male and female funnels, 

– respiratory filters and disposable gloves.

The contents of the PHK are still being defined, but are expected to be basically the

same as for Shuttle, with the possible addition of mouthwash, if desired. PHK

contents are COTS items selected by crew preference sufficient for a 90 day period.

• Contingency urine/fecal collection includes the Urine Collection Device (UCD) for 

males, the Maximum Absorption Garment (MAG) for females (and males if desired), 

and a contingency fecal bag.
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10 Information Analysis

10.1 The Skylab shower drawbacks

• A 6 pound capacity water bottle was filled from the Waste Management

Compartment (WMC) water heater for showering purposes. It took a maximum of

45 minutes to heat 4 pounds of water from a cold start.

The water that came out of the heater was very hot—hotter than what one

would want for a shower; but by the time the 6 pound capacity water bottle got 

filled up the water in the bottle was a bit too cool for a shower. So one of the

astronauts wondered if the water temperature would have been just warm enough

for a good shower if during each filling, they just filled up the bottle a little less full!

When asked if 4 pounds of water would suffice for a complete shower, the

astronauts were not too sure because they were already at a marginal water 

quantity anyway. One astronaut even wondered if one could get 4 pounds of hot

water out of the heater and go in the food compartment and squirt the rest in from

there to total up 6 pounds of pretty hot water! Then he remarked that, "I don't think

it's going to be too hot for the astronaut wanting to take a shower because he can

always wait a second till the water cooled off to the right temperature." Thus, watertoo-hot was not a problem, water-too-cold was surely a problem.

• The shower aboard Skylab was considered a pleasant experience but was very

time consuming, about 45 minutes from start to finish.

• Sometimes using the suction head for drying oneself up after the shower did also

become a little frustrating. So the astronauts would simply resort to just wiping off

the water because that was simpler and quicker!
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• Another observation that deserves a mention here, is that the astronaut never got as 

much water in the collection bag (as expected) as he squirted out of the water bottle 

probably because of the following reasons:

– it would just evaporate, 

– most of it he got up with the towels and 

– a lot was on the body.

• After washing and rinsing, water collection required for cleanup took 20 to 30

minutes. The cleanup was very time consuming and at times even frustrating.

One of the Skylab astronauts who took the most showers had a suggestion that to

make showering simpler--just turn on the water and take a bath and whatever gets

caught in the vacuum is great and whatever doesn't you just leave in there and blow

the fan in there at night and evaporate!! In fact, for that mission, they blew the fan in 

there at night the times they used it and it got very dry and that meant that they had

less cleanup time which was desirable for everybody and yet probably didn't

hurt the total system.

• Getting the water up off the sides of the shower with the suction head was a

problem. The shower vacuum wand suction was inadequate to handle the shower

drying job required. Whatever the astronaut could not get with the suction head

scrapper, he would have to mop up with a towel. Even the process itself was not

very comfortable from an operational standpoint.

• During the shower cleaning process, the astronaut would end up getting cold.

That was one of the reasons the shower was not used frequently. The problem was

that when the astronaut was in there vacuuming himself and also vacuuming the

shower, water drops that had come off him and that were on the side were then cold. 

So when he would back into it, it was like bumping into the cold sides of the shower.

• Safety was also a concern. One of the astronauts was reported saying during a

crew debrief that, "One thing, I noticed in taking a shower was that at first I tended to 

use the water sparingly because there wasn't too much to begin with and after a

while you said to heck with it. I'm just going to use it so I sprayed it all over and

several bursts like that and I did inhale it. So I think if you did get too much water 

floating around like that because of the fine spray it did create kind of a mispattern 

in the volume of the shower and it was objectionable to inhale it."

• It has also been reported that water droplets floating around also sometimes

stick together to form water blobs which have an affinity for body sockets like

the eyes, ears, nose etc. Even that can be very dangerous. For example, if a big

blob of water got into an eye socket it would be pretty difficult to wipe it off

because water in zero-g adheres very well to the skin and is not so simple to wipe

off.

• Besides, even the Miranol soap that was being used with the shower was highly 

concentrated. The astronauts using it for the shower complained that it would stay 

on them and stink for a couple of days after one took a shower whenever he got

warmed up, worked on the bike or anything like that. In other words, the odor and

feel after showering were considered undesirable. Toward the end of the third

manned period, the liquid soap was depleted and a bar soap was substituted. This
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may have contributed to the blower failure, as the bar soap would quickly break

down the hydrophobic filter and, in time, clog the separator.

• There were also some comments from the users onboard about the shower curtain 

feeling cold when touched.

• Another thing that the shower had against it was that it was so dry in the Skylab

workshop that the astronauts did not sweat much. The only thing that made them

really sweat was the resistance exercise. It was so clean out there that they didn't 

need a shower much!

• On day 263, the crew reported that the blower was inoperative, probably the result of 

water passing through the filter into the blower, and the shower was not used again.

10.2 The drawbacks of the Mir shower

• The time consumed for one shower ritual aboard Mir can be averaged as

following:

Heating the water for a shower that

lasted 3 to 4 minutes 40 minutes

Taking a complete shower 05 minutes

Drying and dressing 15 minutes

Drying off the shower with towels 20 minutes

Disinfecting the shower 02 hours

Total time required 3 hours and 20 minutes

• There was no water suction wand to remove excess water, so toweling was the 

only method for removing water that clung to the shower enclosure and the

crewmember. A layer of water, typically dirty water, sometimes built up on the body, 

as well as the shower walls causing some discomfort and a lack of cleanliness

during a shower. An outside air breathing hose could be used if desired, but was not 

necessary.

• Showering was not performed very often because of water leakage and the

difficulty and time necessary for cleaning and water collection.

10.3 Astronaut debriefsinferences drawn

The American long-duration stay experiences onboard the Skylab and onboard Mir and

also the Russian inputs give valuable insight to the designers, engineers and human

factors specialists about the critical factors that should be kept in mind while designing

products and product systems for ISS-Alpha.
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The inferences drawn from the debriefs of the Skylab and Mir astronauts can be

summarized as follows:

• The biggest drawback of having a shower onboard is the operational overhead

that goes with it. After showering and rinsing, cleaning up the shower takes about 30 

minutes. If an astronaut has to spend such a lot of time for cleaning up a shower

after using it, that would deter him from using the shower.

• Two out of the three American astronauts who have been onboard Mir feel that 

a shower is not necessary for a 90-day stay in Space (i.e. onboard ISS-Alpha);

we should watch out for the responses of the future American astronauts who

are/will be staying on Mir for long durations.

• One out of the three above mentioned astronauts said that a shower would be

desirable only if it had a low operational overhead.

• One needs to break away from "Earth paradigms" because living and working in a 

weightless environment is very different and what's good on Earth is not

necessarily good in Space; on the contrary, one needs to look at the lifestyles of

the astronauts and cosmonauts and learn from their experiences.

• Each of the astronauts adapted very well to the zero-g environment very well as far 

as personal hygiene was concerned; and like John Blaha said, once you are out

there, you "learn" how to do it by doing it and improvising till you like it.

• The Russian pre-wetted towels were something that each of the 3 American

astronauts liked very much; in fact they all found it to be superior to what they

have on the Shuttle i.e. wetting a dry towel by squirting water on it.

• However, one needs to deal with the following facts that the prewetted towels once

dried were not reusable and that one cannot simply leave them out to dry because

there were some volatiles in them that adversely affect the atmospheric regeneration 

system.

• There were no complaints from the astronauts regarding the shampoo and the soap; 

so one can continue to use the same for ISS-Alpha; it would also be a good idea

to try to come up with some "herbal soap and shampoo" that will work as

good as or perhaps even better than the chemical based cleansers; some

Shuttle astronauts have reported the need to use the shampoo twice to get their hair 

to feel as clean as they do on Earth.

• Shannon Lucid, when asked if having a laundry onboard the ISS is a good idea,

said that it would actually be a botherit's better not to; Norman Thagard proposed

that the Russian system of giving 1 wet and 2 dry towels a day need to be changed 

to 2 wet and 2 dry towels per day keeping in mind the fact that there are 2

exercise sessions per day.

• The sauna is more of a cultural issue while the personal hygiene kit is more of a

personal preference issue.

• The Russians think a shower is not a good idea for ISS.
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• It would be a good idea not to have identical hygiene stuff on both the sides i.e. 

the Russian and the American because all astronauts and cosmonauts, as is

true with human nature, look for a change once in a while3⁄4so by not having

identical soap, shampoo etc. one can get the Russians to come over to the

American side for a bath once in a while and vice versa.

• Shannon Lucid reported that during her mission they ran out of dry towels and when 

Progress came they had more wet towels, but no dry towels; so we should have a

system that eliminates the possibility of running out of dry or wet towels at

any point of time during the mission.

• Norman Thagard said that when he left for Mir he was told that there was already

some soapless shampoo onboard, but he never found it; since stowage is a

problem, the system that we go in for on the ISS should facilitate the need to

store soap/shampoo outside of the system.

• John Blaha had a good suggestion regarding the pre-wetted towels; he said that

some people don't like to use them at ambient temperature which for them is

"cool/cold" so there should be a provision to warm the prewetted towels.

• Shannon Lucid said that the current Russian system of whole body cleansing for

long-duration missions "was totally adequate and made one feel nice and fresh"; 

Norman Thagard said that we ought to look into the Russian system of personal

hygiene because he found it to be a good one and that we ought to consider

supplementing it so that the astronauts get two of the wetted towels a day

instead of just one; John Blaha said that the bath that he took using the

Russian system complimented with the American shampoo/bodybath and

drink bags made him feel very clean and it felt like a real shower.

10.4 Task flow

• The following pages (photos 6 to 15) give a vivid picture of what the task flow 

must be like when a shower is used under microgravity conditions. The photos 

are from the fiberglass shower prototype (designed for SSF) testing on the KC-135. 

Following the series of photographs is a panel showing what would be the "ideal 

task flow" for full body cleansing on ISS-Alpha. This is the task flow that one should 

aim for while designing a whole body cleansing system for the astronauts onboard

the U.S. Hab module in ISS-Alpha.
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11 Redefined Brief

11.1 Redefined design brief

The initial brief has been refined and elaborated from a set of broad objectives into a

more detailed list of product, user and environmental requirements. And this has been

done keeping in mind the data collected anyalyzed from

• the whole body cleansing methods used on Space stations/freighters so far,

• the Skylab and Mir crew debriefs and

• the extensive experimental research carried out on a Whole Body Shower designed

for Space Station Freedom.

Evolve design concepts for Zero-g Whole Body Cleansing onboard the U.S. Habitation

Module of the International Space Station (ISS) Alpha and elaborate the chosen concept 

to a preliminary level which will serve as a vantage point from where it can be taken

further and detailed out for prototype making and testing.

• It should cater to the international crew onboard ISS.

• It should be compatible with the “ideal task flow" diagram shown in section 10.4;

only then can one be sure that the astronauts will use it.

• It should take into account a duration of 90 days onboard ISS.
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In size and configuration, it should be compatible with the rack dimensions of the U.S. 

Hab Module of ISS so that it's convenient to transport to/install in Space.

It should be easy to use, clean, maintain and repair in Space.

It should be compact, light and compatible with power consumption requirements

onboard.

It should be in tune with the astronaut feedback that we have so far received from the 

astronauts of long-duration missions.

It should be reliable, user-friendly and safe.

It should make the astronaut feel clean, fresh and warm; in other words it should

satisfy the physiological and psychological requirements of the users.

It should allow the astronaut to take a bath wherever he wishes and does not force him

to perform the full body cleansing function inside a dedicated enclosure; in other words, 

it should be a flexible system.

It should be an elegant design solution.

It should not be time consuming. The operational overhead should be negligible.

11.2 Design concerns and constraints

The following pages will graphically show the prime design concerns and constraints

and will also take a look at the anthropometric considerations involved.
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12 Conceptualization

12.1 Concepts

The following pages record the conceptualization phase. In this phase alternative design 

solution principles and design variants were generated, evaluated, eliminated and then

the final concept was selected keeping in mind the redefined brief criteria.

Several possibilities like the snail bag concept, the hausel dispenser idea, the shower

with automatic cleaning and flushed urinal, the bean bath concept etc. were explored 

and analyzed on the basis of a set of design criteria like astronaut (user) preferences, 

aesthetics, ease of operation, ease of cleaning and repairing, anthropometric

comfort, privacy, and flexibility.

One even tried to take a look at the "in" and "out" points of a shower system and found

that to be pretty complicated; Interfaces as well as the intelligence of the system were

also considered.
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13 The Final Concept

13.1 The final concept

The final concept that was chosen has been shown graphically in this section of the

document. The salient features of the final concept are as follows:

• It proposes the use of one dedicated rack for the function of whole body cleansing 

keeping in mind that privacy is desirable in the case of mixed crew composition and 

also to cater to cultural variants since the crew onboard ISS will be an international 

crew; it will have a sliding privacy curtain which may or may not be used during

any cleansing process.

• However, it does not restrict the whole body cleansing function to be

performed only within the dedicated space; thanks to the hausel dispenser idea,

an astronaut/cosmonaut can also choose to go over to any other part of the

station, e.g. his/her crew quarter, for the whole body cleansing task.

• The hausel dispenser will incorporate hot and cold water needle dispensers

which will be compatible with the Shuttle drink bags; each astronaut should be

provided with a quota of these drink bags sized appropriately as bath bags for

the whole duration of the flight as a part of his personal hygiene kit package.

• The hausel dispenser will be flushed into the curve of the rack so as not to hurt or 

interfere with the task being performed inside the rack enclosure; it will also

incorporate a depression on the top which will be built into the cover of the dispenser 

and which will serve as a hand hold.

• The foot hold will be such that it can have variable positions as shown; it could also 

be one of those detachable - stowable foot holds.

• It incorporates the hausel dispenser idea for whole body cleansing; this dispenser

will allow the astronaut the following selection possibilities:
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• These options will be made feasible by designing the appropriate system for it; also, 

one will have to design a microprocessor-based programmable interface to

make the selection cater to the astronauts' needs and desires; for reasons of safety

the interface should also include an alarm button for emergency/accident situations.

• The orientation will conform to the 1-g attitude that the rest of the station conforms 

to; the rack will be positioned next to the toilet rack and it will be in a so-called 

vertical orientation.

• It will incorporate a large and real mirror specially made of a light material.

• Below the mirror will be Velcro patches to attach the "personal bag" of the

astronaut; this bag 

– will be transparent

– will be made out of a light duck-back kind of material (that does not retain any 

water on it)

– will be compartmentalized into two sections--one for fresh 

clothes/lotions/creams/PHK etc. and the other for used clothes

– will use zippers with two runners for each of the 2 sections

– will have the two sections connected by Velcro and hence can be detached 

from each other if desired.
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design concepts for zero-g whole body cleansing

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• The sound box will be positioned above the mirror (see drawing).

• With the personal bag and the foot hold out of the rack, and with the privacy curtain

open, it will be very easy to clean the whole rack with a portable vacuum

cleaner periodically during the housekeeping.

• When not in use and with the privacy curtain open, this rack will give extra' space

onboard for other activities if desired.

• It will have fluorescent lighting with dimmer control flushed with the rest of the 

contours so that the astronaut doesn't get hurt by a protruding light fixture; the light 

cover should be of a special material that doesn't heat up to dangerous

temperatures.

• Between the lighting fixture and the hausel dispenser, a window (with an external 

electrically operated safety cover) should be incorporated; a connection to the

outside can serve as an effective means of relaxation within a confined environment; 

and if the window can give an earth view that would be excellent.

• Around the window one should provide cross-cleats, Velcro patches and elastic

straps for microgravity restraint.

• The interior and the product colours and textures should be carefully selected to

match the moods and the functions for which the rack is intended and such that they 

blend well with the decor of the rest of the station.

• Last, but not the least, provision must be made to incorporate the air revitalization 

system into this rack for ensuring a good, smooth, clean and comfortable air flow.
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14 The Conclusion

14.1 Conclusion

The final concept described and drawn in the previous section should now be taken up

for detailing, both from an engineering standpoint and from an industrial design

standpoint to come. up with an optimum system for Zero-g Whole Body Cleansing

onboard ISS Alpha.

It will also have to be tested onboard the KC-135 because exposure to a microgravity

environment will help identify the flaws, facilitate modifications and ensure smooth

operation of the final system onboard the ISS.

It is also crucial that during the design, development, testing and fabrication of this 

system, not only should engineers, designers and human factors experts be included in 

the team, but also the astronauts who have had long-duration Space stay

experience--that is vital to the success of the design process because the astronauts

will be the real users of this system.
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Abbreviations

CUA Commode Urinal Assembly

EVA Extravehicular Activity

FBCC Full Body Cleansing Compartment

ISS International Space Station

LSM Life Support Module

MAG Maximum Absorption Garment

PHK Personal Hygiene Kit

PHS Personal Hygiene System

RS Russian Segment

SM Service Module

SSF Space Station Freedom

UCD Urine Collection Device

WBS Whole Body Shower

WMC Waste Management Compartment
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References

DOCUMENTS

1. "Comparison of Mir, Shuttle and International Space Station 

Habitability", pg. 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 

Document ref. no. JSC27242 

Produced under contract by Lockheed Martin Engineering Sciences, under subcontract 

to the Johnson Engineering Corporation, for NASA Johnson Space Center Flight Crew 

Support Division, Houston

2. "Skylab", pg. 10-23 to 10-28

Document ref. no. NASA TM X-64814

MSFC Skylab Mission Report-Saturn Workshop

Skylab Program Office, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center,

Alabama, Oct. 1974

3. "Development Program for a Zero-g Whole Body Shower"

pg. 1, 2 and 13,

Garcia, Rafael and others--NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center,

Houston, TX, 1985

4. "Zero-g Whole Body Shower Development-Final Report",

Volume 1 -- Phase 1 Test Results, pg. 5-1 to 5-3

Document ref. no. JSC23014

Garcia, Rafael and others, Space and Life Sciences Directorate, Man

Systems Division, NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston,

TX, June 1988

CREW DEBRIEFS

1. "SL-3 (Skylab -3) Crew Debriefing-Systems", tape #1,

side #l, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA

2. Debriefs of Norman Thagard (approved version), Shannon

Lucid (draft sent for approval) and John Blaha (draft), Flight

Crew Support Division, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA
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Acknowledgments

Frances Mount

Mike Barratt

Don Harris

John Connolly

Phyllis Grounds

Rafael Garcia

Janis Moths

David Fitts

William Jones

Harold Reimers

Chuck Wheelright

Ann Aldridge

Kathy

Carol

Sylvia Rice, Amy at the Customer Service Desk for photos and videos

Linda, Mary Wilkinson and others at the Media Research Lab,

Carol Hoover, Debbie and other librarians

Linda, Brenda and Agatha at the Graphics/Printing studio

Martha, Judy, Claudette, Candes, Linda and Brenda

Toby at the Computer Lab

and

the Mir astronauts

Shannon Lucid

John Blaha

Norman Thagard

and

Ram and Vidhya

Natalie and Cuong

Ali, Prashant, Inoka, Shanak, Som, Mai, Andy, Alladinwho made

Houston a pleasant experience

Barbara, Thomas and Klaus--my buddies...my crew!
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September 2001 NASA Contractor Report

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Design Concepts for Zero-G Whole Body Cleansing on ISS Alpha; Part II: Individual 

Design Project

6. AUTHOR(S)

Susmita Mohanty* 

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION 

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13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

NOTE: This document was originally published in 1997 as a International Space University Master of Space Studies student's project. 

While the specifics may be a little dated, the results gleaned are still relevant and valid.

Johnson Space Center is now abuzz with preparations for the International Space Station. The work on the various systems for the 

U.S. Habitation Module will begin in l998. As a prelude, the Flight Crew Support Division perceived the need to take a closer, more 

critical look at planning the Whole Body Cleansing function for ISS. This report is an endeavour to retrieve all data available on 

whole body cleansing mechanisms used, past and present, by the Russians and the Americans, analyze it and create design concepts 

for products/product systems for zero-g whole body cleansing on ISS Alpha, for typical duration of about 90 days. This report takes a 

close look at the Skylab collapsible shower, the Mir shower/sauna, the full body cleansing methods currently in use onboard the Space 

Shuttle and Mir and at the Whole Body Shower designed and tested for Space Station Freedom. It attempts to "listen" carefully to 

what the Mir astronauts (Norm Thagard, Shannon Lucid and John Blaha) have to say about their personal hygiene experiences during 

their recent stays on Mir. The findings in the report call for a change in paradigm. What is good for Earth conditions is not necessarily 

good for Zero-g! It concludes that a shower is not a good idea for the ISS. The final concept that is proposed reflects very strongly 

what the Mir astronauts would like to have and to use onboard a station like the ISS. The report concludes with directions of how to 

take the "idea" further and realize it in the form of a product system for Whole Body Cleansing onboard the ISS.

14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF 

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16. PRICE CODE

International Space Station; Space Shuttle; Mir; cleaning; cleanliness; zero gravity;

showers; human body 76

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