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Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts are preparing for their historic lunar flight to go even deeper into space than the Apollo astronauts.
On the other hand, their toilet is flashing again.
Three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination on Monday, photographing the moon’s mysterious surface as they zoom in. It is the first crew to go to the moon in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA’s Apollo program left off.
“The earth is really small, and the moon is getting bigger and bigger,” reported pilot Victor Glover.
Until the bathroom of the Orion capsule is repaired, the mission controller ordered the astronauts to bring out several backup urine collection bags. The so-called lunar loop malfunctioned following Wednesday’s liftoff and has been ignored ever since. A private version of Artemis II was tested on the International Space Station a few years ago.
On the third day of Artemis II’s mission, members of the Orion spacecraft shared what they had heard about seeing Earth from space. Artemis II astronauts devoted 20 minutes to taking pictures through the lunar window.
Engineers suspect that the ice may block the line that prevents urine from flowing into the water at all. The toilet is still open for business number 2.
Debbie Korth, NASA’s Orion deputy administrator, said the astronauts also reported an odor coming from the bathroom, which was buried in the capsule floor with a door and curtain for privacy.
“Space toilets and lavatories are something that everyone can really understand … it’s always a challenge,” he said, noting that the space shuttle’s toilet was also often on the fritz.
John Honeycutt, chairman of the mission’s management team, said it’s human nature to be interested in a space commode, and while it’s “in good shape right now,” he’d like it to be 100 percent functional.
“They’re good,” he said of the astronauts. “They are trained to handle this situation.”
Artemis II is poised to set a human distance record, traveling more than 400,000 kilometers from Earth before making a U-turn after the moon and heading home without stopping or entering lunar orbit. The record is currently held by Apollo 13.
The Canadian Space Agency celebrated the country’s role in the mission, speaking from Quebec with astronaut Jeremy Hansen as he headed for his lunar rendezvous. Hansen is the first non-American citizen to fly to the moon.
“Today is making history in Canada,” said Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell. “As we watch him take this brave step into the unknown, let his journey remind us that Canada’s future is written by those who dare to find more.”
NASA’s Artemis II crew makes its first trip to the moon
In a live televised interview, Hansen said he had seen “unusual” views from NASA’s Orion capsule.
Hansen, Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch are the first astronauts on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission of three in 1972. Koch and Glover are the first female and first Black astronauts to walk on the moon, respectively.
Their nearly 10-day mission — which ends with a splashdown in the Pacific on April 10 — is the first step in NASA’s bold plans for a sustainable lunar base. The space agency aims to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2028.
