Ten things to take on your next trip to space What do you need to make life aboard the ISS bearable – even pleasant? The International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Roscosmos. By all accounts, going to the toilet in space is horrid. NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson said it was the most challenging thing about the International Space Station (ISS). Still, at least they have toilets. On the Apollo missions, astronauts used plastic bags. Things have got better since Whitson’s time. Last year, NASA introduced its new space toilet, with an “improved seat and funnel design for increased cleanliness and crew comfort”.