This Week On NASA: $23 Million Space Toilet, Estée Lauder Serum, And More Aboard Cygnus NG-14 Cargo

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, a private cargo spacecraft will take off from Virginia carrying loads of fresh supplies to the International Space Station, including science experiments, Estée Lauder skincare, and a brand new space toilet.

The mission, known as Cygnus NG-14, will carry 7,624 lbs of cargo to the ISS on the 14th flight of the robotic Cygnus spacecraft from Northrop Grumman and the 13th mission of the resupply spacecraft. Cygnus will launch atop an Antares rocket Sept. 29 at 10:27 p.m. EDT (0227 a.m. GMT Sept. 30) from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The Cygnus spacecraft was named S.S. Kalpana Chawla by Northrop Grumman as a tribute to astronaut Kalpana Chawla, one of seven astronauts killed in the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster.

"Humanity faces many challenges today, and I'm proud to be part of a community that accepts challenges on a regular basis that turns problems into solutions and opportunities into reality," David Brady, assistant program scientist for the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said during a prelaunch teleconference Sept. 24.

Alongside technological experiments and even a newly upgraded space toilet, officially named the Universal Waste Management System, the nearly 8,000 lbs of cargo transported to space by Cygnus would include crew supplies, including food. The cargo will be transported aboard the space station to assist the Expedition 64 crew, while SpaceX's Crew 1 astronauts will soon make use of some of this cargo, as they are scheduled to launch on Oct. 23.

Among the significant experiments and equipment sent with this launch will be the $23 million space toilet, which was created with astronaut feedback. NASA officials said this toilet is 65% smaller and 40% lighter than the toilet currently on the space station.

It was meant to maximize the usage of the toilet for the female crew, and according to NASA, it spent a great deal of time working with crew members to develop the use of the commode.

A radish-growing project known as Plant Habitat-02 will also be included in the cargo; the Onco Selectors investigation is focusing on cancer therapies; a novel water recovery system trial; a specialized camera showing what it is like to be onboard the space station in 360-degree virtual reality; bottles of Estée Lauder skin care serum; and much more.

You will see the launch live on NASA TV starting at 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT Sept. 30) or at the Ustream site of NASA Wallops, starting at around 5:30 p.m. EDT.