It's 'Not the Moon That I'm Used to Seeing'

Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. On the downside, their toilet is on the blink again. The three Americans and one Canadian are set to reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom around. "The Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger," pilot Victor Glover reported, per the AP.

Until the Orion capsule's bathroom is fixed, Mission Control has instructed the astronauts to break out more of the backup urine collection bags. The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned following Wednesday's liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since. A version of the Artemis II toilet was tested on the International Space Station several years ago. Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard. The toilet is still open for No. 2 business.

Artemis II is poised to set a distance record for humans, traveling more than 252,000 miles from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon and heading home without stopping or entering lunar orbit. They're enjoying their views of the moon in the meantime. "The darker parts just aren't quite in the right place," NASA astronaut Christina Koch tells NBC News. "And something about you senses that is not the moon that I'm used to seeing."