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Space Toilet

All articles tagged with #space toilet

Lunar loo earns praise from Artemis 2 commander amid moon mission
space-exploration4 months ago

Lunar loo earns praise from Artemis 2 commander amid moon mission

Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman defended the mission’s space toilet, calling it a “wonderful toilet” after a vent-line clog briefly limited venting of urine into space; NASA is investigating the root cause (possible chemical reaction in wastewater) while noting the system is a significant upgrade over Apollo-era privies. The Orion capsule, named Integrity, launched April 1, orbited the Moon around April 6, and returned to Earth on April 10.

Artemis 2's Space Toilet Hits a Snag, NASA Investigates UWMS Blockage
space5 months ago

Artemis 2's Space Toilet Hits a Snag, NASA Investigates UWMS Blockage

Artemis 2’s Universal Waste Management System on the Orion spacecraft is showing multiple toilet problems, including a jammed urine-collection fan, a burning odor, and difficulty venting stored urine. NASA says the system remains usable but relies on contingency urine bags while engineers search for a root cause—currently suspected to be debris clogging a filter rather than icing—before Orion returns for full analysis after splashdown. The hiccups, while inconvenient, are a critical debugging step for refining the waste-management system for future Moon and Mars missions.

Artemis 2’s space bathroom is a private, door-equipped upgrade from Apollo’s bags
space5 months ago

Artemis 2’s space bathroom is a private, door-equipped upgrade from Apollo’s bags

Artemis 2 will fly four astronauts in NASA’s Orion capsule with a private, doored bathroom—a major upgrade over Apollo’s plastic-bag waste system. The hygiene bay uses a Universal Waste Management System similar to the ISS, with individual urine funnels and privacy curtains; urine is not recycled on this short 10-day mission, but solid waste will be stored in bags and returned to Earth. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—are slated for a roughly 10-day lunar flyby around April 1, highlighting a pragmatic contingency plan that even includes backup urine bags if the primary toilet malfunctions.