A Maximum Absorbency Garment (MAG) is a piece of clothing

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

 NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 astronaut

Astronaut

An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....

s wear during liftoff, landing, and extra-vehicular activity (EVA)

Extra-vehicular activity

Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...

 to absorb urine

Urine

Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

 and feces

Feces

Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...

. It is worn by both male and female astronauts. Astronauts can urinate into the MAG, and usually wait to defecate when they return to the spacecraft. However, the MAG is rarely used, since the astronauts use the facilities of the shuttle or station before EVA and also time the consumption of the in-suit water. Nonetheless, the garment provides peace of mind for the astronauts.

The adult-sized diaper

Diaper

A nappy or a diaper is a kind of pant that allows one to defecate or urinate on oneself discreetly. When diapers become soiled, they require changing; this process is often performed by a second person such as a parent or caregiver...

 with extra absorption material is used because astronauts cannot remove their space suit

Space suit

A space suit is a garment worn to keep an astronaut alive in the harsh environment of outer space. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extra-vehicular activity , work done outside spacecraft...

s during long operations, such as spacewalks that usually last for several hours. Generally, three MAGs are given during space shuttle missions, one for launch, reentry, and an extra for spacewalking or if reentry is tried again. Astronauts drink about half a gallon of salty water before reentry since less fluids are retained in zero gravity. Without the extra fluids, the astronauts might faint in Earth's gravity, further highlighting the potential necessity of the MAGs. It is worn underneath the Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment

Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment

A Liquid Cooling Garment is a form-fitting garment that is used to remove body heat from the wearer in environments where evaporative cooling from sweating and open air convection cooling does not work, or the wearer has a biological problem that hinders self-regulation of body temperature.A...

 (LCVG).

History

During the Apollo era, astronauts used urine and fecal containment systems worn under spandex trunks. The fecal containment device (FCD) was a bag attached directly to the body with an adhesive seal, and the urine collection device

Urine collection device

A urine collection device or UCD is a device that allows the collection of urine for analysis or for purposes of simple elimination...

 (UCD) had a condom-like sheath attached to a tube and pouch. Women joined the astronaut corps in 1978 and required devices with similar functions. However, the early attempts to design feminized versions of the male devices were unsuccessful. In the 1980s, NASA designed space diapers which were called Disposable Absorption Containment Trunks (DACTs). These addressed the women's needs since it was comfortable, manageable, and resistant to leaks. These diapers were first used in 1983, during the first Challenger

Space Shuttle Challenger

Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...

mission.

Disposable underwear, first introduced in the 1960s as baby's diapers then in 1980 for adult incontinence

Incontinence

Incontinence or Incontinent may refer to:*Fecal incontinence, the inability to control one's bowels*Incontinence *Incontinent , a 1981 album by Fad Gadget*Urinary incontinence, the involuntary excretion of urine...

, appealed to NASA as a more practical option. In 1988, the Maximum Absorbency Garment replaced the DACT for female astronauts. NASA created the name Maximum Absorbency Garment to avoid using trade names. Male astronauts then adapted the MAG as well. In the 1990s, NASA ordered 3,200 of the diapers of the brand name Absorbencies, manufactured by a company that has folded. In 2007, about a third of the supply remained.

Usage

The MAGs are pulled up like shorts

Shorts

Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...

. A powdery chemical absorbent called sodium polyacrylate

Sodium polyacrylate

Sodium polyacrylate, also known as waterlock, is a polymer with the chemical formula [-CH2-CH-]n widely used in consumer products. It has the ability to absorb as much as 200 to 300 times its mass in water. Acrylate polymers generally are considered to possess an anionic charge...

 is incorporated into the fabric of the garment. Sodium polyacrylate can absorb around 800 times its weight in distilled water. Assuming the astronauts urinates, the diaper would only need to be changed every eight to ten hours. The MAG can hold a maximum of 2000 ml of urine, blood, and/or feces. The MAG absorbs the liquid and pulls it away from the skin.

Media attention

These garments gained attention in February 2007, when astronaut Lisa Nowak

Lisa Nowak

Lisa Marie Nowak is a former American naval flight officer and NASA astronaut. Born in Washington, D.C., she was selected by NASA in 1996 and qualified as a mission specialist in robotics...

drove 900 miles (around 1450 km) to attack Air Force officer Colleen Shipman out of jealousy for her former lover. It was stated in a police report that Nowak said she used the diapers to avoid pit stops during her journey. However, Nowak denied these claims and testified that she did not wear these diapers during her trip.