Shuttle: A Look At The Humdrum

Exploring space has always been a quest to find answers to life's burning questions, like: What happens when we get old? What lies beyond our small blue planet? Are we alone in the universe?

But what about the more mundane aspects of space travel? What do you eat? Where's the bathroom? CBS News Correspondent Steve Hartman investigated.

He talked with Bonnie Dunbar, a veteran of five shuttle flights. She has spent 50 days in space and knows the most intricate details of shuttle operation.

Dunbar showed him the dehydrated creamed asparagus, the sleeping bags attached to the wall ("you float in, feet first," Dunbar said), and the space-age toilet kit, also attached to the wall (with velcro).

They also toured the zero-gravity toilet. How does it work, with no gravity? Air flow. It has strong fans that pulls the liquid and the solid away. The fans, Dunbar says, are "not uncomfortably strong."

In summary, reports Hartman, as apartments go, it's a tad inconvenient. But in space, as on Earth, who needs amenities when you've got location, location, location?