Inside the first 24 hours on Artemis II after astronauts faced toilet issue
The long-anticipated Artemis II launch took place on Wednesday (April 1) and while it was successful, there were a few teething problems.
Nasa's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, joined by Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, embarked on a ten-day mission around the Moon.
While issues surrounding the Launch Abort System threatened the launch, it appears everything has gone smoothly as the team in Artemis aim to secure the best view of the moon's dark side that's ever been recorded.
The initial launch went to plan and the spacecraft is now orbiting our planet, though those on board did report an issue onboard just hours after takeoff.
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With nowhere else to go on the spacecraft, it's pretty crucial you have a working toilet - however, that was not the case for the four astronauts who set off into space.
To begin with, the astronauts told mission control: "Toilet is powered, waste tank emerged."
Then the crew were plagued with an amber warning light on the toilet, with mission control relaying they would need some time to figure out a solution.
The crew themselves managed to provide a fix for Orion's toilet and it's now said to be in a working order.
Reports say that the crew reported a 'blinking fault light and mission control teams successfully assessed the data and worked with the crew to troubleshoot and resolve the issue'.
Koch is being credited for being astronaut to save the day, and all onboard can all breathe a sigh of relief as that would have been a pretty bleak ten-day trip had the toilet not been fixed.
The Artemis crew is now getting ready for a pre-sleep period and will get four hours sleep, before waking up to adjust their orbit.
They will then get another four hours of kip, making the equivalent of what you'd get typically at home.
Astronauts are putting Orion's engines, navigation and life support systems through its paces to ensure everything is working perfectly before its launched into deep space.
If all those checks are satisfactorily completed, then the spacecraft's flight path will be accelerated through its main engine, which will put the astronauts on the right trajectory to the Moon.
However, if all systems are not right, then engineers could decide to abort the mission and bring the astronauts home early.
Personal items Artemis II astronauts have brought with them
Commander Reid Wiseman
Wiseman, a US Navy test pilot-turned-astronaut, is a single parent who is raising his two teenage daughters alone after he sadly lost his wife to cancer in 2020.
He's spoken to his children about the risks of the mission, with him saying to them while out on a walk: "Here's where the will is, here's where the trust documents are, and if anything happens to me, here's what's going to happen to you… That's part of this life."
Wiseman said he planned on taking a small notepad so that he can jot down his thoughts during the mission.
Mission specialist Christina Koch
Koch, an engineer and physicist, is a woman who has made many incredible milestones in her life.
Not only has she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 days aboard the International Space Station in 2019, but she's also taken part in the first-ever all-female spacewalk. And now, she's the first woman to ever travel to the moon and venture into deep space.
Koch is taking handwritten notes from people close to her for her personal item, which she has described as a 'tactile connection' to loved ones back on Earth.
Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen
This is the former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot and physicist's first time in space, making him the first Canadian to ever venture into deep space.
Hansen, who is married with three children, will carry four moon-shaped pendants for his wife and children, engraved with the phrase 'Moon and back' and set with their birthstones.
He will also be taking maple syrup and maple cookies on his lunar voyage, in true Canadian style.
Pilot Victor J Glover
Glover, a former US Navy fighter pilot and test pilot who became a NASA astronaut in 2013, is setting a milestone of his own by being the first ever Black person to travel to the moon.
He is married with four children, and served as pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew 1 mission, as well as spending nearly six months on the International Space Station as part of Expedition 64.
Already known as the most charismatic and 'sharply dressed' of the Artemis crew, Glover has said he will take on board with him a Bible, his wedding rings and family heirlooms, along with a collection of inspirational quotations compiled by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.
Callum Jones