Shortly after liftoff on their journey to the moon, the four astronauts aboard Artemis II encountered a major problem: the spacecraft’s toilet stopped working.
The Orion spacecraft features a new, $30 million toilet designed to address long-standing complaints from astronauts about previous systems. However, early in the recent test flight, astronaut Christina Koch noticed a warning light indicating a problem with the new toilet.
The issue? The toilet’s urine collection fan was completely jammed.
Mission Control Turns Space Plumbers
NASA confirmed the astronauts could still use the toilet for solid waste, but they had to use temporary bags for liquid waste while engineers worked to resolve the issue.
When a $30 million toilet malfunctioned, flight controllers in Houston guided astronaut Koch through a detailed process to fix it. Acting as remote repair technicians, the ground team successfully restored the toilet’s function before the crew’s bedtime.
After careful review, Mission Control gave the crew the go-ahead, but with a very precise instruction: wait for the system to fully warm up before releasing any fluids.
I like to say I’m the space plumber – and I mean it! Astronauts like Christina Koch are trained to handle all sorts of tasks, and that sometimes includes fixing important things like the spacecraft’s toilet. They need to be ready for anything!
— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026
Looking back on the toilet problem, Koch explained it was likely the most critical equipment issue they faced. Everyone was relieved when they discovered it wasn’t serious – it just needed to warm up and get properly primed. They initially worried a motor problem might be the cause, but thankfully, everything ended up working perfectly.
Want to learn more about NASA? You can explore a fun Sailor Moon Easter egg spotted in mission control, or read about the controversial discussion surrounding potentially using nuclear weapons to deflect a large asteroid that could destroy a city.
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2026-04-04 19:19