Artemis II crew hits 152,000 mi, faces toilet glitch
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- NASA reported that the Artemis II crew has traveled more than 152,000 miles (245,000 km) from Earth, passing the halfway point to the Moon on the third day of flight.
- Artemis II crew said from the docking hatch that the Moon looks “a beautiful sight,” confirming they can now see the lunar surface.
- Orion’s onboard toilet malfunctioned after launch, with engineers suspecting ice blocking the vent line and the crew using backup urine collection bags.
- Mission control reoriented the Orion capsule toward the Sun to warm the vent line and melt the frozen blockage.
- Christina Koch reported a “burning heater smell” from the bathroom, while NASA’s downlinked images showed Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman working inside the capsule.
- Artemis II is slated to travel about 4,000 miles beyond the Moon, then return on a free‑return trajectory, potentially setting a new record for the farthest distance from Earth (>250,000 miles) surpassing Apollo 13.
Why it matters: The crew’s progress validates NASA’s Artemis program and its goal of a crewed lunar flyby, while the toilet glitch reveals a vulnerable life‑support subsystem that compromises astronaut comfort and mission reliability, underscoring the need for rapid engineering fixes for future missions.
