\u201cThe Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger,\u201d the pilot Victor Glover reported after Artemis fired a key thruster to exit Earth\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n
The crew are the first astronauts bound for the moon in more than half a century, picking up where the Apollo programme left off in 1972.<\/p>\n
While the mission is already sending back valuable data and images, the crew have reported persistent problems with one of the Orion capsule\u2019s most crucial pieces of equipment: the toilet.<\/p>\n
Until the lunar loo is fixed, mission control has instructed the astronauts to continue using backup urine collection bags. The commode malfunctioned after Wednesday\u2019s lift-off and has only been working sporadically since then.<\/p>\n
Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard. (The toilet is still open for No 2 business.)<\/p>\n
A version of the Artemis II toilet was tested on the International Space Station several years ago but remains prone to dysfunction.<\/p>\n
Debbie Korth, the deputy manager of Nasa\u2019s Orion programme, said the astronauts had also reported a smell coming from the bathroom, which is buried in the floor of the capsule with a door and curtain for privacy. \u201cSpace toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can really understand … it\u2019s always a challenge,\u201d she said, noting that the space shuttle toilet was also often on the blink.<\/p>\n
The crew of Artemis II talk about their experience just after completing the translunar injection burn that is leading them towards the moon. Video: Reuters <\/p>\n
John Honeycutt, the chair of the mission management team, said he wanted the facilities working reliably for the crew. \u201cThey\u2019re OK,\u201d he said of the astronauts. \u201cThey trained to manage through the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The astronauts woke on Sunday to the tune of pop star Chappell Roan\u2019s inclusivity anthem Pink Pony Club and kicked off their day with a breakfast of scrambled eggs and coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorale is high onboard,\u201d the commander Reid Wiseman told Houston\u2019s mission control centre as the work day began after speaking with his daughters from space. \u201cWe\u2019re up here, we\u2019re so far away, and for a moment, I was reunited with my little family,\u201d he told a live press conference. \u201cIt was just the greatest moment of my entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The US space agency published an image taken by the Artemis crew that showed the Orientale Basin \u2013 sometimes known as the moon\u2019s \u201cGrand Canyon\u201d. Speaking to Canadian children live from space, the astronaut Christina Koch said the crew was most excited to see the basin, which resembles a bullseye.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very distinctive and no human eyes previously had seen this crater until today, really, when we were privileged enough to see it,\u201d Koch said during the question-and-answer session hosted by the Canadian Space Agency.<\/p>\n
The astronauts have had geology training to be able to photograph and describe lunar features, including ancient lava flows and impact craters. They all had to memorise the moon\u2019s \u201cbig 15\u201d \u2013 the 15 features that would allow them to orient themselves.<\/p>\n
The space agency had previously released images from Orion that included a full portrait of Earth with its deep blue oceans and billowing clouds.<\/p>\n
The next significant milestone is expected overnight Sunday into Monday, at which point the astronauts will enter the \u201clunar sphere of influence\u201d, where the moon\u2019s gravity will have stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth\u2019s.<\/p>\n
If all goes smoothly, as the Orion spacecraft whips around the moon, the astronauts \u2013 the Americans Glover, Koch and Wiseman along with the Canadian Jeremy Hansen \u2013 will have travelled farther from Earth than any human before.<\/p>\n
Apollo flights of the 1960s and 70s flew about 70 miles (112km) above the lunar surface, but the Artemis crew will be just over 4,000 miles at their closest approach, which will allow them to see the complete, spherical surface of the moon, including regions near both poles.<\/p>\n
![\"Explaining](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ZRX4GL33UJFW3LGI4B7FUULYOM.webp.jpeg\")
Explaining the Artemis II mission. Photograph: Nasa <\/p>\n
During the fly-by, which will last for roughly six hours, the crew will have to observe the celestial body with their naked eyes, along with cameras they have onboard. The journey promises views of the moon\u2019s far side that were too dark or too difficult to see by the 24 Apollo astronauts who preceded them.<\/p>\n
Apollo 13\u2019s astronauts missed out on a moon landing when one of their oxygen tanks ruptured on the way there in 1970.<\/p>\n
The Artemis II mission is part of an ambitious plan to repeatedly return to the moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent lunar base offering a platform for further exploration.<\/p>\n
Nasa is aiming for a landing by two crew members near the lunar south pole in 2028. \u2013 Additional reporting: Associated Press and Agence France-Presse <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Astronauts on the historic Artemis II mission are expected to reach the far side of the moon on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[61,60,91,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-384462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-nasa","11":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}