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Artemis Astronauts More than Halfway to Moon, Putting Earth in Rearview
The four astronauts are set to set a human distance record as they prepare for a lunar flyby and a Pacific splashdown.
- Late Friday, astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II Orion spacecraft reported a burning smell from the onboard toilet. Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency described detecting "some sort of burning odor" in the hygiene bay.
- Engineers suspect ice is blocking the vent line, preventing urine from flushing overboard. Mission Control instructed the crew to use backup urine collection bags while troubleshooting the frozen line.
- NASA astronaut Christina Koch, the self-described "space plumber," called the toilet "probably the most important piece of equipment onboard." The crew uses a system previously tested on the International Space Station.
- Mission Control evaluates the situation as not a "major concern," with the spacecraft performing "remarkably well." Flight controllers confirmed the astronauts are safe and "trained to manage through the situation."
- On Monday, April 6, the Artemis II crew will fly within just over 4,000 miles of the lunar surface during their closest approach. The mission serves as a vanguard for NASA's plans to return humans to the moon by 2028.
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Artemis II toilet acts up again as astronauts speed toward the moon to break Apollo 13 record
Until the bathroom is fixed, mission control has instructed the astronauts to break out urine collection bags. The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned following Wednesday's liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since.
·Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources319
Leaning Left53Leaning Right37Center117Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 26%
C 56%
R 18%
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