New toilet at a cost of $19 million

Less than a week before Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral Saturday evening, the Russian-built zero-gravity toilet aboard the space station broke down.

Until Discovery docked Monday, the two Russian cosmonauts and NASA's Garrett Reisman were using the toilet aboard the Soyuz escape vehicle that's always parked at the space station, as well as using the "manual mode" to flush the broken one.

"The reason a broken toilet could potentially cause an evacuation is because the space station only has one," said Moskowitz.
That's about to change. Later this year, another shuttle mission will bring up and install a newer, more efficient second toilet, again built by the Russians, this time at a cost of $19 million.
And that will effectively transform the space station from a one- to a two-bathroom apartment, albeit a phenomenally expensive one with an unbeatable view. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,362562,00.html