Loo trouble in space? NASA Artemis II launch flawless - but hours later, toilet issue hits astronauts
NASA's director of flight operations Norm Knight said the glitch stemmed from a controller issue
NASA's Artemis 2 mission shot off beautifully on Wednesday. However, within hours of launching, four astronauts reported a glitch in the space toilet of the Orion spacecraft.
Mission specialist Christina Koch flagged an issue while starting up part of Orion’s waste system – which NASA calls the Universal Waste Management System — that deals with urine collection, mentioned a report by Space.com.
"The toilet fan is reported to be jammed," NASA spokesperson Gary Jordan said during live mission commentary. "Now the ground teams are coming up with instructions on how to get into the fan and clear that area to revive the toilet for the mission."
What caused the malfunction?
According to NASA's director of flight operations Norm Knight, the glitch stemmed from a controller issue. While astronauts could still use the toilet for solid waste, the urine system was temporarily out of action — forcing the crew to rely on backup options.
Hours after Koch reported the issue, flight controllers walked her through a series of troubleshooting steps. A few tense moments later, she confirmed the system was working again.
"Houston, Integrity, good checkout," Koch said after trying the fix.
"Happy to report that toilet is go for use," Mission Control's Capcom Amy Dill radioed Koch. “We do recommend letting the system get to operating speed before donating fluid, and then letting it run a little bit after donation.”
Although the brief malfunction aboard Orion may have been inconvenient, but it’s a far cry from earlier lunar missions.
No onboard toilets in Apollo mission
During the Apollo program, astronauts had no onboard toilets at all, relying instead on plastic bags for both urine and solid waste.
Orion’s toilet, by contrast, is a compact but modern system — closer to those used on the International Space Station — built into the floor of the capsule.
Artemis II mission: Inside Orion spacecraft
Although Orion spacecraft is bigger than NASA's Apollo capsules, it is still cramped — the interior has been compared to that of two SUVs, mentioned Space.com's report.
Technically called the “hygiene bay,” the toilet is about the size of an airplane lavatory. It uses foot restraints to help astronauts stay in place which uses airflow to draw solid waste away from the body and into a collection device.
Speaking about the system to Space.com– Blaine Brown, Lockheed Martin's director of Orion spacecraft mechanical systems – described it as “absolutely an important component on this ship.”
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