Artemis II Now Flush with Success After Mid-Space Toilet Problem Solved

The moon-bound Artemis II mission crew contacted their NASA controllers just hours after launching Wednesday and told Houston they had a problem; their (ahem) onboard toilet would not work.

USA Today reports the astronauts worked with the mission control team to address the Orion spacecraft’s faulty facility after an issue arose post-launch and plumbing advice was urgently sought, the agency said.

Specifically, the toilet fan, which removes odor and airborne particles from the restricted lavatory space aboard the 330 cubic ft Orion spacecraft, was not working.

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NASA said in a blog post the crew “reported a blinking fault light” – like a “check engine” light in a car – related to the toilet system prior to conducting an engine maneuver known as the apogee raise burn on April 1.

“Mission control teams successfully assessed the data and worked with the crew to troubleshoot and