Last year, Peggy Whitson made history after spending 665 days in space – more than any other NASA astronaut. Ms Whitson spent most of her time in space on board the International Space Station, and now the astronaut has revealed some of the downsides of the spacecraft. Ms Whitson explained that the toilet on board the ISS wasn’t great. She said: “Urinating’s relatively easy. Number two…is more challenging because you’re trying to hit a pretty small target.”

The ‘toilet’ on the ISS is made up of a small silver can with a plate-sized hole on the top, which uses a vacuum to suck the waste away. Astronauts must carefully aim into the can, and once they’re done, the poo is sealed up in a plastic bag. But the process doesn’t always go smoothly. She explained: “*After it starts getting full, you have to put a rubber glove on and pack it down*.” And occasionally, poos make a bid for freedom and float away, forcing the astronauts to catch them.

If everything goes to plan, however, the waste bags are blasted off the ISS. Ms Whitson added: “We send ’em on a trajectory that will purposely burn up.” As for the urine, about 85 per cent is recycled into drinking water, while the rest becomes waste.