'10-day space trip': Inside the tiny world of NASA Artemis' Orion capsule

NASA's multi-billion dollar Orion spacecraft may be a marvel of deep-space engineering, but on the inside, it is undeniably cramped. The four astronauts are sharing roughly 330 cubic feet of habitable volume—about the size of a minivan or a garden shed. While it offers 50% more room than the Apollo-era capsules, it is incredibly Spartan compared to the sprawling International Space Station.

For launch and re-entry, the cabin is dominated by four heavy, shock-absorbing seats. However, once Orion safely reaches orbit and the intense G-forces subside, the astronauts immediately fold away and stow these seats. Without gravity pulling them down to a “floor,” the crew can utilize the entire 3D volume of the capsule, floating from ceiling to wall to maximize their limited living area.

There are no dedicated bedrooms on a trip to the Moon. For most nights of the 10-day journey, the entire crew will sleep at the same time to maintain a synchronized schedule. To catch some rest, the astronauts simply attach their sleeping bags to Orion's interior walls. As Commander Reid Wiseman described the microgravity experience: “It's like climbing into my bed, and I'll feel warm and tucked-in… a metal-and-plastic bed.”

There is no refrigerator, no microwave, and absolutely no fresh food on Artemis II. The capsule's “kitchen” consists of a compact food warmer and a water dispenser. All meals are pre-packaged, either ready-to-eat or rehydratable using pressurized water tanks. The menu—which features crumb-free items like macaroni and cheese, shrimp, and tortillas—was rigorously pre-tested on Earth to ensure it could last 10 days without spoiling.

Hygiene in deep space is strictly utilitarian. The crew has no access to a shower for the entire mission, relying instead on wet towels, body wipes, and no-rinse shampoo to stay clean. They will also wear the same clothes for multiple days to save strict weight limits. For bathroom needs, they use a highly engineered Universal Waste Management System (UWMS)—essentially a vacuum toilet hidden beneath the floor near the main hatch, equipped with a simple curtain for a modicum of privacy.

Even on a short 10-day mission, maintaining bone and muscle density is vital. The capsule features a compact, free-floating resistance device for exercise. NASA engineers are closely monitoring these workouts, not just for the crew's health, but to see how the physical vibrations of four humans exercising affect the spacecraft's delicate steering, and how the life-support systems handle sudden spikes in carbon dioxide and humidity.

Venturing beyond the Earth's protective magnetic field exposes the crew to severe cosmic radiation. In the event of an unpredictable solar flare, the tiny capsule has a built-in survival mechanism. The astronauts are trained to quickly empty out their sub-floor storage lockers, using the dense mass of their stowed supplies and the spacecraft's hull to create a makeshift, heavily shielded radiation bunker where they can safely hunker down until the solar storm passes.