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What’s the worst bathroom emergency you’ve had while traveling? Missed a rest stop? Airplane lavatory out of service? Well, that’s nothing compared to the NASA and international astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), who had to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in diapers after their SpaceX capsule toilet broke. After nearly 200 days orbiting Earth, these astronauts were facing more than just re-entry turbulence—they were dealing with the ultimate leaky loo.

And to make matters worse? This wasn’t just any routine mission. These astronauts had just grown and eaten the first-ever chili peppers harvested in space. That’s right—the spiciest meal in the solar system, with no functioning restroom in sight, according to NPR. Talk about a cosmic misfire!

A leaky loo and a spicy dilemma

The problem was discovered weeks before their scheduled return to Earth. While aboard their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, the astronauts found urine pooling beneath the floorboards. A faulty tube had leaked urine out of the toilet, rendering it unusable for the ride home. While SpaceX engineers fixed the toilet’s number one problem in the capsule still on Earth, the crew in orbit would be making the long journey home without the luxury of a working bathroom.

The engineers first confirmed the capsule was still safe to fly. So what was NASA’s solution for the astronauts? “Absorbent undergarments.” That’s science-speak for adult diapers. The 20 hours in space diapers made their triumphant return trip from the ISS to Earth much less glamorous than it sounds.

The four astronauts—NASA’s Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough from the United States, France’s Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency, and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide from JAXA—were in for quite the ride. After eating those spicy space-grown chili peppers (which McArthur described to NBC as having “a nice spiciness to them, a little bit of a lingering burn.”), they probably weren’t thrilled about the timing of the toilet troubles. Space tacos to space diapers might not have been the ending they imagined for their historic mission.

An un-glamorous, but still triumphant return

Despite the toilet troubles, the astronauts managed their return with their usual grace. They’d spent almost 200 days in space, conducting spacewalks, installing solar panels, and even hosting a private Russian film crew. And while space is full of excitement and cutting-edge science, it’s also full of less glamorous moments—like relying on backup diapers when the toilet breaks.

In the end, astronauts face challenges big and small, and this crew handled it like the professionals they are. NASA’s Megan McArthur said to NPR, “Spaceflight is full of lots of little challenges. This is just one more that we’ll encounter and take care of in our mission.” Whether it’s spicy tacos or broken toilets, these astronauts show us that even in the most uncomfortable situations, they can still get the job done.

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Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.