tech
Relief for astronauts as fault fixed on Nasa’s $30m Artemis II toilet
Mission control confirms ‘toilet go for use’ after glitch sorted
TL;DR
- A fault light on NASA's Orion spacecraft indicated an issue with the toilet at the start of the Artemis II mission.
- Mission control resolved the problem, confirming the toilet was operational.
- The $30 million Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) is a significant advancement in deep space toilet technology.
- Previous Apollo missions had primitive waste management systems, including a bag taped to the astronaut's buttocks for solid waste.
- The UWMS features a private toilet cubicle, a first for a space shuttle, with handrails and foot tethers.
- The new toilet uses a suction system to collect faeces into a bag, which is then compressed into a canister.
- For short missions like Artemis II, urine is vented and faecal waste is stored for disposal upon return to Earth.
- Sustainable waste management is critical for NASA's Artemis program, which aims for long-term space presence and preventing contamination.