A six-day trip that is about to get very interesting
Artemis II is now in the final stretch before its lunar flyby. The mission will not land on the moon, that job is reserved for Artemis IV, but it is still a big deal. Once the astronauts swing around the far side, they will become the humans who have traveled farthest from Earth.
That is only part of the point. Artemis II is also a systems test for future lunar missions, meant to verify life support, navigation, spacesuits, communications, and the other requirements of working with people in deep space. The fun part is history. The less glamorous part is making sure everything keeps functioning.
Orion entered the moon’s sphere of influence on Sunday night, meaning the moon’s gravity is now stronger on the spacecraft than Earth’s. The capsule is currently circling the moon. When it reaches the far side, about 7,000 kilometers from the lunar surface, communication with Earth will be cut off for about six hours.
That flyby is expected to begin Monday, April 6, at 2:45 pm EDT, or 7:45 pm in London. During that window, the astronauts will see the moon’s far side, a region no person has ever viewed directly with their own eyes. Apollo astronauts never got that chance, because this part of the moon was simply not accessible in the same way.
After the pass, Orion will use lunar gravity to sling itself back toward Earth. Splashdown is scheduled for April 10 in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California, on the mission’s 10th day. NASA is also streaming the flight through its official channels, for anyone who enjoys live coverage of other people being farther from home than any human has been before.
What the crew has done so far
Since the April 1 launch from Kennedy Space Center, the four astronauts aboard Orion have been sending back images that range from breathtaking to the kind of thing that makes social media briefly remember the existence of space.
One of the most talked-about photos showed mission specialist Christina Koch looking down at Earth through Orion’s main cabin window. Another Earth image, taken on April 2, quickly spread online because it called to mind the Apollo 17 Blue Marble photo from 1972. The comparison was not subtle, but then again, Earth from space rarely needs help making an impression.
The crew has also been photographing their destination. A picture taken on April 3 showed the Orientale basin on the far left, an area no human being had ever seen directly before. Koch called it "very unique" during a Canadian Space Agency conference, adding, "no human eye had ever seen this crater until today, when we had the privilege of seeing it." Until now, only robotic cameras had observed that region.
So far, the mission has stayed on course. The trajectory has remained precise, and no major corrections have been needed. The astronauts have stayed in steady contact with mission control in Houston, sharing technical notes, scientific observations, and the occasional more personal thought.
“The mood on board is very positive,” commander Reid Wiseman said after speaking with his daughters from space. “We’re up here, so far away, and for an instant, I was reunited with my little family,” he said during a live broadcast. “It was, quite simply, the best moment of my life.”
Yes, the toilet became a story
Of course, no major space mission is complete without a problem that is both technically important and deeply absurd. In Orion’s case, the issue is the spacecraft’s only toilet.
After the crew began the lunar portion of the mission, they detected a burning smell coming from the waste management system. Houston told the astronauts to limit toilet use while engineers looked into the cause. Not exactly the glamorous side of exploration, but space never promised glamour.
These systems depend on suction and ventilation to manage liquid and solid waste in microgravity, so even a small malfunction can affect both comfort and safety inside the capsule. Orion has already had at least two toilet-related failures. The crew fixed the first one, but another problem appeared soon after. NASA engineers think the latest issue may involve ice blocking one of the pipes.
After the initial review, NASA said the failures do not create a critical risk to the mission. The astronauts are trained for surprises, and this one is mostly an inconvenience, despite the internet treating it like a gala event.
“Space toilets and bathrooms are something that everyone can understand ... they always pose a challenge,” said Debbie Korth, deputy director of NASA’s Orion program. Bathrooms on the International Space Station have also had their share of trouble, so this is not exactly uncharted territory.
As for how astronauts actually handle bathroom needs, the method has changed very little since Apollo: adhesive-seal bags for solids, funnel-like devices linked to small bags for liquids, plus absorbent materials and filters to control odor and bacteria. The waste is stored in sealed compartments inside the spacecraft until it can be disposed of in a controlled way.
It is not comfortable. It is not elegant. It is, unfortunately, space travel.
