Yes, there were toilet issues on Artemis II. What to know

Artemis II astronauts returned from their mission to the moon on Friday, dramatically splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

The homecoming for the crew of four whose record-breaking lunar flyby revealed swaths of the moon’s far side – and included total solar eclipse – was a magnificent one. The mission ended in record-breaking fashion, but it wasn’t without challenges.

Engineers monitored concerns about the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield, and astronauts encountered issues with the toilet system.

The toilet was on the brink multiple times.

The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned was hit-and-miss after liftoff. Engineers suspect ice may have blocked the line that prevented urine from completely flushing overboard. The toilet remained open for No. 2 business.

Debbie Korth, NASA’s Orion program deputy manager, said the astronauts reported a smell coming from the bathroom, which is buried in the floor of the capsule with a door and curtain for privacy.

“Space toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can really understand .. it’s always a challenge,” she said, noting that the space shuttle toilet was also often on the fritz.

On Tuesday, NASA officials provided an update, saying the toilet remained operational, but there was an ongoing issue with evacuating the wastewater tank.

Engineers found that the wastewater vent was performing well below expectations, preventing proper venting of waste overboard. Because of this, the crew is having to rely on alternate waste management methods, such as the urine collection bags.

Fixes were made to other problems: a jammed fan and pump priming issues.

The wastewater issue did continue through landing, it remained stable and didn’t impact the space capsule’s safe return to Earth.