Series that Catches Up with Reality
Engineer’s Triumph: Howard Volovitz receives a prestigious contract from NASA and designs a human waste removal system for microgravity conditions for the International Space Station (ISS). The system successfully passes approval and is sent into space.
Fatal Error: Soon after launch, Howard reviews his drawings and horrifically discovers a tiny but critical mistake in the specifications of the distribution valve. He realizes the system will fail after roughly 10 flushes. As the heroes aptly note, the waste will end up in the turbine, and the consequences will literally “scatter” throughout the station.
Rescue Operation: In a panic, Howard gathers Leonard, Sheldon, and Raj in his apartment. He installs an exact replica of his toilet there and dumps in front of his friends a box of random junk — the exact same set of parts that the astronauts have at their disposal on the ISS. This scene is a brilliant parody of the film “Apollo 13”.
Testing: The guys rack their brains on how to fix the construction using only makeshift tools. To test the pipe’s flow capacity and the mechanics, they use Howard’s mother’s signature meat roll.
Finale: Despite all brainstorming sessions, the physicists still can’t find a solution. At the end of the episode, the guys watch a broadcast from the ISS, where the astronauts grumpily report an “emergency situation” to Houston and are forced to make an unscheduled EVA into open space while the toilet is in use.
