Artemis II astronauts encounter bathroom malfunction after Wednesday's liftoff
發佈日期: 2026-04-05 20:55
TVB News
Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts are preparing for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. However, they are suffering a crucial malfunction in the capsule's bathroom.
The three Americans and one Canadian are set to reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around.
It is the first moon-bound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA's Apollo program left off.
Until the Orion capsule's bathroom is fixed, Mission Control has instructed the astronauts to break out more of the backup urine collection bags.
The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned following Wednesday's liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since.
A version of the Artemis II toilet was tested on the International Space Station several years ago.
Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard.
Orion program deputy manager Debbie Korth said: "Bathrooms are something everybody can really understand. And we're flying it for the first time. Apollo didn't have that kind of technology in the vehicle. So it's always a challenge. They still have challenges on space station with toilets. It's just a very complicated thing to accomplish."
Still, the mission management team stressed the toilet is in a good state, but they'd like it to be working at 100% capacity and the astronauts are trained to manage through the situation.
Their nearly 10-day mission, ending with a Pacific splashdown on April 10th, is the first step in NASA's bold plans for a sustainable moon base.
The space agency is aiming for a landing by two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2028.
