US EditionAstronauts get closer to the moon on Artemis II mission as space toilet issue draws attention
NASA said the crew has vented about half the urine tank and is using backup collection bags while engineers test the blockage.
- On Monday, the four-person NASA Artemis mission crew will reach the moon, traveling more than 252,000 miles from Earth. Despite the mission's success, astronauts are troubleshooting a persistent venting issue with the wastewater tank on the Orion.
- Following Wednesday's liftoff, the toilet system malfunctioned during the historic 10-day spaceflight; engineers suspect ice is blocking the wastewater line, preventing urine from flushing overboard.
- Mission Control continues playing wake-up songs, including Saturday's selection, "Pink Pony Club," while astronauts reported a profound shift in perspective. "The Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger," pilot Victor Glover reported.
- Judd Frieling, the ascent flight director at Johnson Space Center, noted the team is adjusting the Orion to heat the tank. Mission Control instructed the crew to utilize collapsible contingency urine devices, known as CCUs, until the vent clears.
- As they zoom around the moon on Monday, the crew will photograph the mysterious lunar far side. "The darker parts just aren't quite in the right place," NASA astronaut Christina Koch said, describing the unfamiliar view.
12 Articles
12 Articles
It's 'Not the Moon That I'm Used to Seeing'
Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. On the downside, their toilet is on the blink again. The three Americans and one Canadian are set to reach their destination Monday,...
The Artemis II expedition will soon arrive at the moon. The question now is whether the astronauts can hold on. There is a problem with the toilet, reports Sky News.
Almost 320 thousand kilometers from Earth, the Artemis II mission enters a crucial phase: the Orion capsule has in fact reached two thirds of the journey to the Moon, while the crew...
Mission Artemis Ii: New Problem with Toilets, Urine Freezes, the Unusual Solution Found by Engineers
The problems encountered by Orion illustrate the challenges of adapting terrestrial technologies to space, where every detail counts.
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