(Screengrab via X)
There’s one perhaps unusual problem the crew of NASA’s Artemis II has to be mindful of while aboard the spacecraft: their farts.
In an interview with CTV News, science and technology expert Dan Riskin addressed the potential repercussions of a space bathroom or flatulence catastrophe, particularly in light of the fact that Artemis II’s “lunar loo” temporarily stopped working April 3rd.
The crew called into Mission Control and was forced to remove the urine hose from the toilet’s cradle in order to reactive it, which fortunately did the trick.
Astronaut Christina Koch celebrated the feat, laughing about being the “space plumber.”
“I’m proud to call myself the space plumber,” she joked. “I like to say that it is probably the most important piece of equipment on board.”
Riskin explained the space bathroom process to CTV News: Solid organic waste is stored and returned to Earth while liquid waste is released into space.
Although Artemis II’s “lunar loo” is now up and running, he cautioned that the issue of farts remains, especially in a spacecraft that’s approximately the size of two minivans.
“The gases that come out when you pass gas are flammable,” he said. “It’s hard to make them go away. You’ve got methane and hydrogen. Like, that’s the Hindenburg” — a reference to the passenger-carrying German airship that was destroyed by a fire in 1937.
NASA even carefully curates astronauts’ meals to reduce flatulence as much as possible. Among the foods on its naughty list are Brussels sprouts, baked beans, cabbage and broccoli.
Riskin said the crew is likely taking notes of smells and scents to report back for future missions.
“There is an air scrubber, but how bad it smells, how much that’s happening … we’re going to find out,” he said. “That’s part of what they’re testing about the Artemis II spacecraft: How much does it stink like farts?”
The crew of Artemis II broke a 56-year-old record Monday, surpassing Apollo 13 and traveling farther in space than any humans have before.
They are now slated to return to earth and splash down off the coast of San Diego this Friday.
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