The mission Artemis II faced yet another technical problem in the Orion capsule’s bathroom system after waste frozen in one of the ventilation pipes on Saturday (4).
According to NASA, the urine froze inside the system, blocking the pipe and preventing the toilet tank from emptying. As a result, the astronauts had to temporarily resort to an emergency alternative, using plastic bags.
Hours later, teams on the ground managed to solve the problem. The capsule’s rotation exposed the affected area to sunlight, generating enough heat to melt the blockage. After emptying attempts, the system returned to normal operation.
In communication with mission control, astronaut Christina Koch reacted to the solution: “And the crew is happy! Thank you!” According to flight director Rick Henfling, the behavior of waste in the space environment still presents challenges.
Arrival on the Moon
The mission officially began this Monday (6). The Artemis II crew will work in shifts over the next six hours.
A Artemis II mission At 2:57 pm this Monday (6), it reached the record for the greatest distance ever traveled by human beings in space, surpassing the mark established by Apollo 13 in 1970.
The new record surpasses the 248,655 miles (about 400,171 kilometers) away from Earth, reached by the Apollo 13 astronauts during a return trajectory after a failed lunar mission.
On board, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor J. Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen celebrated the moment after being informed by the NASA team. They hugged and celebrated the historic feat, while Koch appeared smiling and taking notes during the broadcast.
Now, Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen are the four human beings who have reached the greatest distance from Earth ever recorded on a manned mission See the moment here.
