NASA releases Artemis 2 footage of crew jettisoning frozen waste
NASA just dropped some behind-the-scenes footage from the Artemis 2 mission, showing how astronauts got rid of their human waste during the trip home from a lunar flyby.
Instead of recycling like on the International Space Station, Orion's crew froze their waste, including pee and poop, and released it into space, a method designed for their quick 10-day journey.
Orion's sealed waste froze then released
On Orion, all waste was sealed in special containers to avoid leaks.
Once exposed to the freezing vacuum of space (think minus 100 degrees Celsius!), liquid waste may sublimate or freeze, while solid waste becomes dehydrated and sterile.
The crew then carefully released this frozen waste so it wouldn't mess with the spacecraft or create debris.
This works well for short trips, but NASA says future long missions, like going to Mars, will need smarter recycling systems.