NASA astronaut Don Pettit stated that when facing a toilet malfunction in cislunar space, contingency measures are essential. According to a report, Pettit disclosed details about the use of foldable emergency urine collection devices after the toilet on the Orion spacecraft, part of the Artemis 2 manned lunar orbit mission, experienced a failure.

Pettit posted on social platform X that following the toilet malfunction, the Artemis 2 mission had already deployed foldable emergency urination devices. He explained that the device is essentially a reusable, sealable, and drainable open container that uses capillary forces to manage urine without contact with air, similar to how a space cup controls liquid coffee. Pettit added that when a toilet fails in the cislunar environment, having a contingency plan is necessary, and the foldable emergency urination device can replace the need for approximately 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms) of disposable diapers.

After multiple delays, at approximately 18:35 Eastern Time on April 1, the Space Launch System carrying the Orion spacecraft launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with deafening roars and orange flames. It was reported that during a post-launch press conference, a concerning issue emerged: the only toilet on the Orion spacecraft had malfunctioned. Additionally, astronauts discovered other minor issues with the spacecraft. Minor electronic faults that occurred on the Artemis 1 mission reappeared. Comments noted that while these problems do not pose a threat to the mission, they highlight that the Artemis 2 mission is largely a test flight.

It is understood that the United States announced the Artemis lunar program in 2019 and completed the unmanned Artemis 1 lunar orbit test mission in November 2022. Artemis 2 is the first crewed mission under this program and marks the first U.S. crewed flight to the Moon since the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission in 1972.