Most important object Artemis II have is basic household item, says mission specialist
A humble toilet plunger is the current MVP of the Artemis II flight, according to the crew's mission specialist.
Earlier this week, humanity's ambition to return to the moon began as astronauts from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency were blasted into the sky for a 10-day trip around the moon.
The voyage will take the four-person crew around the far side of the moon and back to Earth in a test of the space agency's latest tech in preparation for the 2028 Moon landing.
The Artemis II mission alone cost $4.2 billion (£3.1 billion), while the entire programme is forecast to set NASA back close to $100 billion (£75 billion).
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And yet, the most valuable item onboard the rocket has not been the advanced deep space systems or even the crew members' iPhones, but instead a simple toilet plunger.
Here's why.
Because regardless of where you are, the office, at home or in space, when you've gotta go, you've gotta go.
And if your toilet is blocked or not working properly, then it's pretty bad news.
Moments after take-off, the crew noticed that the amber warning light was flashing on the toilet's Universal Waste Management System, a system which is used to collect the astronaut's urine.
While the toilet wasn't completely broken - the crew could still go for a number two - not being able to wee for 10 days is something which could've put the entire mission in jeopardy.
Fortunately, this scenario was avoided as someone had the foresight to pack a toilet plunger.
Speaking after the situation was resolved, crew member Christina Koch - now known as the Artemis II space plumber - confirmed that the household item had already proven invaluable.
"I like to say that [the plunger] is the most important piece of equipment in space," she explained, per BBC.
"We were all breathing a sigh of relief... It was a priming issue. Luckily, we're [now] all systems go."
"Happy to report that toilet is go for use," mission control later confirmed. "We do recommend letting the system get to operating speed before donating fluid, and then letting it run a little bit after donation."
What was the issue with the toilet onboard Artemis II?
The crew have the privilege of doing their business in a pretty pricey toilet, with the UWMS understood to have cost $30 million (£22.6 million) to create.
Designed to revolutionise space toilet technology, the new system allows crew to do their business in the privacy of a toilet cubicle. This may not sound like much to us, but it's a major upgrade from the previous waste management systems, which have included complicated contraptions and doing your business in sealed bags.
Brenna Cooper