The scene where the guys try to solve Howard's defective waste disposal system with spare parts that are also available to the crew on the International Space Station spoofs a similar scene in Apollo 13 (1995), in which NASA techs on Earth use objects also available to the Apollo 13 crew in an attempt to fix their failing carbon dioxide filtering system. This episode also has a scene where an astronaut calls to Houston to announce "a little situation" (analogous to the famous "Houston, we have a problem" line from Apollo 13).
In the background of the opening scene, Stuart removes comic books from an authentic Diamond Distributors shipping box. Until the post-pandemic re-organization of the comic book industry in mid-2020, Diamond was the exclusive distributor for all major comic book companies.
Tied with The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization (2008) for the longest episode title when it was first broadcast.
Title Reference: If Howard's toilet failed to function, the human waste of the astronauts would be floating around the International Space Station.
This episode was watched by 9.25 million people with a rating of 3.4 (adults 18-49).