问题反复重现的主因是废液排放程序。不同于国际太空站的封闭处理与回收模式，阿耳特米斯 II 会定期将废液排入太空，排放过程中可见微小亮片样颗粒随视窗外排流。某次排放提前中止，NASA 疑似为通风喷嘴结冰堵塞，并暂停机组人员以小便方式使用厕所以确保安全；Debbie Korth 指出尿液储存舱仅约相当于一个小型办公用垃圾桶，空间有限。排便仍可用防水袋收集，尿液另备有可折叠应急导流器（Collapsible Contingency Urinals）作备援。

历史上，1984 年「太空穿梭 STS-41-D」也曾因厕所排风口结冰而改用应急袋，显示冰阻塞是重复性的工程风险。为解决本次事件，NASA 将 Orion 调整姿态，利用太阳加热通风口几小时以融化冰，再次进行数次废液排放测试；最初仍有流量不足，后续于周末晚间由任务控制中心宣布可恢复全部厕所功能。该案例显示，深空任务中的废物管理趋势仍是：关键部件小故障可在任务中即时修补，但需兼顾空间约束、环境条件与冗余流程。

Artemis II’s Orion mission performed well overall on a 10-day timeline, but the Universal Waste Management System became the most notable recurring issue. The system is similar to the ISS model, using airflow in microgravity to move waste, with a urination funnel and hose plus a waste seat for bowel use. On flight day one, a pump issue appeared because the crew had not primed it with enough water, and Mission Control helped restore it. Although the fix worked, failures reappeared later, making the toilet the weak link even as other systems were stable.

The repeated failures were linked to wastewater venting rather than basic intake mechanics. Unlike ISS operations, Artemis II periodically dumps wastewater overboard; during dumps, glistening particles were seen streaming across Orion windows. One dump stopped early, and NASA assessed that ice buildup may have blocked the vent nozzle. Until resolved, astronauts were advised not to urinate in the toilet for safety. Debbie Korth said the urine tank is only about the size of a small office trash can, so capacity is limited. Bowel waste remained manageable via water-tight bags, and Contingable Urinals served as a backup for liquid waste.

NASA cited prior precedent from STS-41-D in 1984, when ice on the toilet vent forced shuttle crews to use bags as a workaround. In response, mission teams heated the Orion vent by orienting the vehicle toward sunlight for a few hours to melt ice. Test wastewater dumps followed: one showed limited flow, then later mission control confirmed a positive result. By late Saturday, the crew received a ‘go’ for all toilet uses. The episode shows a consistent engineering pattern: deep-space life-support tools can be recovered quickly in-flight, but reliability depends on thermal control, priming procedures, and robust backup pathways.