NEW Now you can listen to Fox News articles! The four astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission have traveled more than halfway to the moon since launching Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center, but a recurring issue has emerged. For the second time since launch, Orion’s toilet is malfunctioning. “During the night, we tried to vent the wastewater tank that’s attached to the toilet.” We encountered issues with it, likely from a suspected blockage we believe was probably caused by ice. Judd Frieling, the Artemis II flight director, explained during a Saturday news conference that they instructed the crew overnight to use their collapsible backup urine devices. The astronauts had faced a similar toilet issue on the mission’s first day. The spacecraft’s moon toilet broke down after launch and continues to be a persistent problem. TRUMP BOOSTS MOON MISSION HYPE AS ARTEMIS II GEARS UP FOR LAUNCH AMID PRESSURE FROM PRIOR SETBACKS. Debbie Korth, deputy manager of NASA’s Orion program, stated that the toilet remains functional. “You know, this is a test flight.” “We’re working out how these systems integrate, but it’s functional and we have backups to complete the mission,” she said. NASA confirmed the toilet remains usable for astronauts’ solid waste. ARTEMIS II LAUNCH CAPTIVATES COLLEGE SOFTBALL GAME AS PLAYERS GAZE SKYWARD IN AWE. “Space toilets and bathrooms are something everyone can easily relate to .. it’s always a challenge,” Korth said. John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said the public’s interest in the Orion toilet was “kind of human nature.”
