MISSION CONTROL BLAMES INSULATION, NOT STINKY SPACE PEE STRIKES AGAIN
A smell reported by astronauts onboard Artemis II on their way to the moon came from the rocket’s toilets.
Christina Koch, one of four on the NASA mission, sounded the alarm after detecting a ‘kind of burning heater smell’ coming from the lavatory on several occasions.
Back on the ground, mission control suggested that the culprit could in fact be the insulation on the door to the toilet, referred to as a hygiene bay or the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS).
The onboard quartet did not think this was the cause, but have for now been cleared to continue using the lavatory.
It’s not the first glitch reported on the Orion’s waste management system.
In the grand tradition of space exploration’s finest mysteries, Artemis II has boldly gone where no nostril wants to go, with astronauts bravely sniffing out what appears to be a ‘burning heater smell’ emanating from the rocket’s own throne room—NASA’s “Universal Waste Management System,” a name so dignified it almost distracts from the reality of floating in a tin can while your toilet gasses up the cabin. Mission control’s prime suspect? Insulation on the bathroom door, naturally, because when your space toilet starts smelling like last week’s burnt toast, the first thought is obviously the décor. Despite the astronauts’ polite eye-rolls and lingering doubts, the royal flushers have been given the green light to carry on, proving once again that in space, as on Earth, nobody can quite escape the bureaucratic stench of middle management’s explanations.
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Today’s Birthday
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Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins, Mister Guitar (1924)June 20, 2026
Atkins got his first guitar by making a trade with his brother, and it was arguably the best deal he ever made. Although he struggled with shyness and suffered from severe asthma—he had to sleep sitting up and often fell asleep still holding his guitar—he became an accomplished guitarist and went on to release several hit records, develop a signature line of guitars, and help create country music's "Nashville sound." What did "Mr. Guitar," as he came to be known, trade to get that first guitar?
Atkins got his first guitar by making a trade with his brother, and it was arguably the best deal he ever made. Although he struggled with shyness and suffered from severe asthma—he had to sleep sitting up and often fell asleep still holding his guitar—he became an accomplished guitarist and went on to release several hit records, develop a signature line of guitars, and help create country music's "Nashville sound." What did "Mr. Guitar," as he came to be known, trade to get that first guitar?Today’s Holiday
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West Virginia DayJune 20, 2026
West Virginia Day is a state holiday in West Virginia to celebrate its joining the Union in 1863 as the 35th state. The creation of the state was a result of the Civil War. The settlers of western Virginia defied the state's vote to secede from the Union, and on June 20 West Virginia formally entered the Union as an anti-slave state. The day is marked with ceremonies at the state capitol in Charleston and at the West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling. It was there that the conventions were held to declare West Virginia's independence from Virginia.
West Virginia Day is a state holiday in ARTICLE OF THE DAY
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Black TeaJune 20, 2026
Excluding water, tea is the most widely consumed drink on the planet, drunk either hot or cold by half the world's population. The vast majority of tea sold in the West is black tea, made from fermented leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Generally stronger in flavor and more caffeinated than the green and oolong varieties, black tea retains its flavor for several years and has long been an article of trade, serving as a form of currency into the 19th century in what countries?
Excluding water, tea is the most widely consumed drink on the planet, drunk either hot or cold by half the world's population. The vast majority of tea sold in the West is black tea, made from fermented leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Generally stronger in flavor and more caffeinated than the green and oolong varieties, black tea retains its flavor for several years and has long been an article of trade, serving as a form of currency into the 19th century in what countries?
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