Astronauts set to make historic lunar flyby, overcoming toilet woes

Astronauts on the Artemis II mission are poised to make history on Monday, becoming the first humans to venture beyond the far side of the moon since the Apollo era.

Artemis ii crew nears record-breaking journey

With NASA reporting satisfaction over the mission's progress, the three American astronauts and one Canadian are on track to break the record for the maximum distance from Earth, even as a total solar eclipse awaits them.

Commander Reid Wiseman and his crewmates - pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen - are dealing with an unexpected challenge, however: a toilet malfunction that has forced them to rely on backup urine collection bags.

According to NASA, engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that prevents complete flushing of urine overboard. The space agency has acknowledged that this issue with the lunar loo is not new, as a similar Artemis II toilet prototype tested on the International Space Station several years ago also struggled with dysfunction.

Despite these hurdles, the astronauts remain in high spirits, with Wiseman describing a moment of family bonding when he spoke with his daughters from space as