Memorable moments from the Artemis II mission: from a Microsoft Outlook outage to an emotional crater naming

Turns out that a common household issue is much more complicated when in space. The Artemis II crew is using a modern toilet system — the Universal Waste Management System — with privacy features, a major improvement over the Apollo missions.

Koch first reported an issue with the Orion capsule’s toilet, known as the Universal Waste Management System, according to a blog post by NASA. The crew “reported a blinking fault light” connected to the toilet system before conducting an engine maneuver known as the apogee raise burn on April 1.

“The toilet fan is reported to be jammed,” Gary Jordan, a NASA spokesperson, said during mission commentary. “Now the ground teams are coming up with instructions on how to get into the fan and clear that area to revive the toilet for the mission.”

On April 2, NASA wrote in a blog post that the spacecraft’s toilet had been repaired by the crew with remote assistance from mission control in Houston.

A different issue was resolved after the crew rotated the capsule to warm up the plumbing system, which cleared out the frozen urine that was clogging the pipe.

One of the Artemis II mission’s hiccups had nothing to do with propulsion or navigation.

Roughly seven hours into the spacecraft’s planned 10-day journey around the moon, Wiseman reported that Microsoft Outlook on his computer had stopped working. The issue surfaced during a livestreamed exchange with NASA Mission Control, where Wiseman described the problem and asked for help.

“I also see that I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working. If you want to remote in and check Optimus and those two Outlooks, that would be awesome,” Wiseman said.

The malfunction affected the crew’s personal computing device, or PCD, which is a tablet-like system used to access the internet, manage mission timelines, and handle communications. According to NASA, the device for Artemis II is a Microsoft Surface Pro.

Mission Control responded by remotely accessing Wiseman’s system after receiving permission. Shortly afterward, the team confirmed the fix.

“We wanted to let Reid know we are done remoting into his PCD 1,” a crew member said, adding that the system appearing offline afterward was “expected.”

NASA’s Artemis II mission reached a defining milestone on April 6, when its crew officially traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history.

The record-breaking moment came at around 1:57 p.m. ET, as the Orion spacecraft moved behind the moon and surpassed the distance set by the Apollo 13 mission. That earlier mission reached 248,655 miles from Earth under extraordinary circumstances after an oxygen tank explosion forced astronauts to abandon a planned landing and loop around the moon instead.

As Artemis II crossed that threshold, Mission Control played a prerecorded message from Jim Lovell, who was a part of the Apollo mission. He died last year at age 97

“Hello, Artemis II, this is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood,” he said. “I’m proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars for the benefit of all.”

“It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be, but don’t forget to enjoy the view,” Lovell added. “So, Reid, Victor and Christina and Jeremy, and all the great teams supporting you, good luck and Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth.”

From aboard Orion, Hansen responded.

“As we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration,” Hansen said.

The Artemis II crew marked the milestone of pushing farther from Earth than any humans before them with an emotional tribute.

Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen used the moment to honor the late wife of Commander Wiseman, who died of cancer in 2020.

“A number of years ago, we started this journey in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one,” Hansen told mission control. “Her name was Carroll: the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie.”

The crew decided to name a newly identified lunar crater the “Carroll Crater,” which is a visible “bright spot” located near the Glushko crater. The astronauts also named another crater “Integrity,” after their Orion spacecraft.

Mission Control responded to the tribute: “Integrity and Carroll Crater, loud and clear.”

NASA confirmed to Business Insider that an iPhone 17 Pro Max is aboard the Artemis II mission and that crew members have been using it for photos.

NASA said it is still processing more photos, but many are already available on NASA’s Flickr portal, including a pair of striking self-portraits shared over the weekend. In one image, Koch gazes out from the Orion spacecraft, her face silhouetted against the bright glow of Earth, while another shows Wiseman in a similar pose.

Based on the image settings on Flickr, the photos were taken with the phone’s front-facing camera, making them technically selfies. Other details available on Flickr show that the iPhone photos were captured with a 2.715mm lens at f/1.9 aperture with no flash. The crew also has a Nikon D5 camera.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.