Artemis II is going so well that we’re left to talk about frozen urine

The Orion spacecraft is currently on a remarkable 10-day journey, making its way deeper into space as it approaches the Moon. Overall, the mission is progressing exceptionally well, leaving mission briefings at Johnson Space Center in Houston with little critical news to report. As a result, the focus has shifted to an unexpected topic: the onboard toilet. In the early hours of the mission, there were some initial complications with the restroom facilities. Orion's toilet system required a specific amount of water to function correctly, but a shortage during the initial checks caused the pump to be unresponsive. Thankfully, after adding more water, the system operated as intended, but not without causing a stir online. However, another issue arose shortly after. Flight controllers discovered that urine collected in a small tank—about the same size as an office trash can—had frozen. While the toilet was still operational for solid waste, the same could not be said for liquid waste. To remedy this situation, the team adjusted Orion's orientation to maximize sunlight exposure on the urine tank and vent lines, which provided some relief but didn’t completely resolve the issue. As a temporary measure, astronauts are currently using bags for liquid waste collection until the freezing problem is fully addressed.