NASA’s Artemis II crew faces toilet trouble on moon mission, using contingency bags after a $23m system clogs due to a chemical reaction in space.
HOUSTON: A multi-million dollar toilet has malfunctioned on NASA’s Artemis II spacecraft returning from the Moon. The crew is now using backup bags for urine disposal.
The $23 million Universal Waste Management System has a clog in its wastewater tank, preventing flushing into space. NASA believes a chemical reaction in the urine treatment system is to blame.
Flight director Rick Henfling confirmed the toilet remains operational but the tank cannot be evacuated. “We’re having to fall back to some other alternate means,” he said.
The four astronauts are now using personal “collapsible contingency urine disposal devices.” The separate fecal disposal system is working correctly.
Astronaut Christina Koch reported a “burning heater smell” from the system. She had previously helped troubleshoot the issue hours after liftoff from Cape Canaveral.
“I’m proud to call myself a space plumber,” Koch said in a briefing. She called the toilet “probably the most important piece of equipment on board.”
The problem has persisted despite initial troubleshooting. It has become a constant topic at press conferences at Texas’s Johnson Space Center.
NASA initially suspected frozen filters but ruled out ice. The spacecraft was rotated to face the sun and heaters were activated without success.
“The latest theory is related to some of the chemistry,” Henfling said. He suggested a reaction preventing biofilms may be creating clogging debris.
The Orion toilet is similar to the International Space Station’s but its first deep-space crewed use. Apollo astronauts used special bags for waste.
The toilet is located beneath the floor in the cramped, three-meter-high capsule. It is the only private space on board and uses suction for microgravity.
Feces are compacted in disposable bags for return to Earth. The spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
NASA’s Lori Glaze said engineers will “get to the root” of the problem after landing. The mission continues toward its scheduled Friday splashdown.