{"id":42056,"date":"2026-04-05T16:53:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T16:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=42056"},"modified":"2026-04-05T16:53:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T16:53:30","slug":"toilet-troubles-plague-artemis-ii-as-it-speeds-toward-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=42056","title":{"rendered":"Toilet Troubles Plague Artemis II as It Speeds Toward the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The moon-bound Artemis II crew members are ready for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts, but one problem remains. The onboard toilet is giving them trouble. Again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an issue with dumping the waste out of the toilet,\u201d Artemis II Flight Director Judd Frieling told<\/a> reporters Saturday morning. \u201cAnd so it appears to me that we probably have some frozen urine in the vent line.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As AP reports<\/a>, the three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around it before heading back to earth.<\/p>\n

It is the first moon-bound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA\u2019s Apollo program left off, however the toilet system is still refusing to cooperate with mysterious \u201csmells\u201d emanating from the facility alongside possibly clogged plumbing.<\/p>\n

The AP report notes:<\/p>\n

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Until the Orion capsule\u2019s bathroom is fixed, Mission Control has instructed the astronauts to break out more of the backup urine collection bags. The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned following Wednesday\u2019s liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since. A version of the Artemis II toilet was tested on the International Space Station several years ago.<\/p>\n

Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard. The toilet is still open for No. 2 business.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Debbie Korth, NASA\u2019s Orion program deputy manager, confirmed the astronauts reported a smell coming from the bathroom privacy curtains, which is buried in the floor of the capsule with a door for entry and egress.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpace toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can really understand .. it\u2019s always a challenge,\u201d she said, noting the space shuttle toilet was also often on the fritz.<\/p>\n

John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said it is human nature to be interested in the space commode, and even though it is \u201cin a good state right now,\u201d he\u2019d like it to be working at 100 percent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re OK,\u201d he said of the astronauts. \u201cThey trained to manage through the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is not the first time this NASA mission has been plagued by human waste disposal problems.<\/p>\n

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