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Was there really a shuttle toilet training device with a camera looking up at the user's fundament? This seems a bit undignified to say the least.

Organic Marble
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2 Answers2

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Yes, this was the Waste Collection System (WCS) Positional Trainer, located in Building 5 at Johnson Space Center, adjacent to but not part of the Shuttle Mission Simulator Fixed and Motion Bases.

The trainer was located in a small room with a code-locked door. The room contained a conventional toilet, a functional replica of the shuttle toilet, and the WCS Positional Trainer. (The conventional toilet was behind the gray door to the left of the image).

enter image description here

Due to the small size of the seat opening in the shuttle toilet and the necessity to achieve a positive seal between the user and the seat so that the airflow worked properly, correct positioning of the user on the seat was critical.

The WCS Positional Trainer had a camera and light in the seat as shown below.

enter image description here

The image from the video camera was displayed on the monitor in front of the user. A placard on the wall gave instructions for use.

enter image description here

This room was a highlight of any informal tour of the training facilities.

References:

Personal photos except photo of seat is a screenshot from the video below, which I recommend watching for more information.

Organic Marble
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    A german Shuttle astronaut told in a speech that the Shuttle commander asked every crew member before flight if the toilet training was done successfully. – Uwe Dec 09 '19 at 15:12
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    I am so disappointed that no scifi space captain has ever asked prospective crew or passengers were toilet trained. – Starfish Prime Dec 09 '19 at 16:12
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    @StarfishPrime at least in 2001 there was an procedural placard outside the toilet door on the Aries. – Organic Marble Dec 09 '19 at 16:21
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    So, is there a sample image that shows what the "proper position" is supposed to look like? :) – Jim L. Dec 10 '19 at 01:01
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    @JimL. AFAIK the idea is to be centered over the hole. – Organic Marble Dec 10 '19 at 01:57
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    Interesting, what happens if an astronaut needs to do No.1 and No.2 simultaneously? Was the system designed for that option? That must have required quite an acrobatic skill. – Sergiy Lenzion Dec 10 '19 at 07:24
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    @LeoS to urinate, you used the hose visible on the functional trainer, not the hole in the seat. Each crewperson had a personal adapter for the hose. – Organic Marble Dec 10 '19 at 12:52
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    @OrganicMarble IIRC that was a toilet compartment which spun up to provide local artificial gravity – Carl Witthoft Dec 10 '19 at 13:56
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    @CarlWitthoft in the book yes, in the movie no. https://imgur.com/a/1DwLql1 – Organic Marble Dec 10 '19 at 13:56
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    Like every other aspect of astronaut training, there was actually some formal lecture time assigned to this training "event." The most important takeaway that I can remember, however, was "And, remember, don't allow anything to fall onto the camera lens!" But, seriously, becoming "centered" was not a trivial task, due to the rather small orifice that was provided! – Digger Dec 10 '19 at 16:33
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    @OrganicMarble Was that really a closed loop television system? Some of us wondered about that...although, truth be told, the entire crew experience at NASA had a way of chipping away at any notions of personal modesty one may have one possessed... – Digger Dec 10 '19 at 16:37
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    @Digger I was hoping you'd stop by and comment on this. – Organic Marble Dec 10 '19 at 16:38
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    @StarfishPrime Most scifi spaceships have some form of artificial gravity, so presumably they could just use an ordinary toilet that doesn't require any special training... (2001 being a notable exception.) – Darrel Hoffman Dec 11 '19 at 14:44
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    BTW @OrganicMarble 's point is that in 2001 the famous "toilet placard" is on that shuttle spacecraft, not in the spinning-wheel station. BTW this being the internet age, you can, of course, speak or type "close up of the toilet instructions in 2001" anywhere and instantly see it and get full details. – Fattie Dec 11 '19 at 16:37
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Yes. See the book Packing for Mars by Mary Roach for a detailed and entertaining account. The book is a journalistic journey through the field of human factors in spaceflight.

Vikki
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Alan Barksdale
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