SMRTR Science & EngineeringApr 23, 2026Scientific American

NASA’s Artemis II was a major success—so why couldn’t the crew flush the toilet?

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NASA's Artemis II mission successfully carried four astronauts around the moon and back, but one problem stood out: a clogged urine vent line. Microgravity makes fluid behave unpredictably, and extreme space temperatures likely caused the blockage — challenges nearly impossible to fully test on Earth beforehand.

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