This post is nominally inspired by this one, last week, as well as this one, a week earlier.

…we approach the 40th anniversary of man’s most ambitious-ever projection of himself beyond his physical domain… July 20th at 10:56PM EDT marks the 40th anniversary of the first moon walk (which presumably concluded in the wee hours of July 21st, 1969).

In contrast to the triumphal atmosphere surrounding that event, I thought this was interesting, and symbolic:

One of two commodes aboard the international space station broke down, right in the middle of complicated robotic work being conducted by the two crews. The pump separator apparently flooded.

Mission Control advised the astronauts to hang an “out of service” sign on the toilet until it could be fixed. In the meantime, the six space station residents had to get in line to use their one good toilet. And Endeavour’s seven astronauts were restricted to the shuttle bathroom.

There have never been so many people — 13 — together in space.

The toilet repair work fell to Belgian [EU 'capital'] Frank De Winne and American Michael Barratt, who had to don goggles, gloves and masks. They ripped apart the compartment, working well into the evening. Mission Control finally instructed them to call it a day and resume the effort Monday morning.

Possibly related, given the date and other celestial happenings:

“I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
(Amos 4:10b)