| Flushing the Mission
Toilet troubles on the International Space Station (ISS) could force Russian cosmonauts to return to Earth early, a Russian official told Interfax news agency Tuesday. “It’s true, we have a problem with the flushing system. This is a serious matter,” warned Vladimir Solovyov, chief ground control official for the Russian section of the ISS. “In such circumstances there’s even the possibility of an emergency departure from the station.” The main ISS toilet broke down last week, forcing the crew, two Russians and one American, to use back-up facilities. The US shuttle Discovery delivered spare parts Monday, as well as an extra seven astronauts. Repairs are scheduled on Thursday and Friday, Solovyov said, Interfax reported. |
Just so the facilities don’t back up. 🙄
And I would expect faster service from the plumbers if the parts arrived on Monday! 😯
Especially if the number of tenants went from three to ten.
But maybe the plumbers are out and about on other service calls.
I suppose, though, that the same folks who delivered the parts also brought along a PortaPotty their own facilities to share with the ISS crew.
| Polygamist sect clarifies marriage policy
“The church is clarifying its policy on marriage,” said Willie Jessop, a spokesman for the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He told reporters the church would advise FLDS families “neither request nor consent” to the marriage of underage girls, though he stopped short of saying the church ever violated the law. “In the FLDS church, all marriages are consensual. The church insists on appropriate consent,” he said. The change in policy comes after a Texas judge issued an order Monday allowing parents of hundreds of children seized from the sect to begin picking up their kids. […] The logistics of retrieving the remaining children may not be so simple, though, since some parents have children at different facilities across the state. Under the judge’s order, the Department of Family and Protective Services will still have the right to visit and interview the children. These unannounced visits could entail medical, psychological and psychiatric examinations, and the parents must not intervene. Also under the order, the parents must attend and complete parenting classes. The families must remain in the state of Texas and notify the department within 48 hours of any trips more than 100 miles from their homes. |
