A few days after astronaut Sunita Williams returned to Earth, NASA announced a $3 million Lunarecycle challenge. Please continue reading all the details.
NASA’s new mission: converting astronaut waste into water, fuel and fertilizer
NASA offers $3 million in rewards to anyone who can help them solve a very unique and smelly problem – how to deal with dozens of human waste left on the moon more than 50 years ago.
This is part of NASA’s new Lunarecycle challenge, inviting scientists, engineers, engineers and even the public to propose creative ways to manage and recycle human waste such as poop, urine and vomit. During the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, astronauts left the scrap behind to reduce the weight of the spacecraft and make room for important moon rock samples.
Now, as NASA prepares for the age of space exploration under Artemis program, they hope to clean up the moon and develop sustainable ways to deal with waste from long-term missions. That is the emergence of the Lunarecycle challenge.
Turn garbage into treasure
NASA hopes that winning ideas can not only help manage the remaining old waste, but also turn it into useful things like fertilizer, drinking water and even fuel. According to the agency, about 96 bags of waste were abandoned during the Apollo mission.
NASA calls the problem “galaxy farts, farts,” in a humorous tone, but it’s a serious challenge when it comes to future space travel. Long space travel, such as a trip to Mars, will require a way to reuse and recycle all items, including waste.
In space, it is not always possible to store garbage or bring it back to Earth, NASA says. That’s why they want technology that can break down waste into reusable materials. On the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts currently classify waste into bags and store them in bags until they return to Earth or burn during reentry.
But this method does not work for deep space travel. NASA said a crew of four astronauts could cause up to 2,500 kilograms of waste during a one-year mission. This can take up space, even be incorrectly managed, and can even be dangerous.
What happens to space poop now?
On ISS, there is no piping system. Therefore, the waste is packaged, either back to the earth or thrown out of the station. When it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it burns like a “shooting star”, but if you know what it is, it’s not too magical.
NASA is now reviewing ideas submitted by the March 31 deadline. The best solution will keep moving forward, and the winner will receive a $3 million prize. More importantly, their ideas may be used in future missions on the moon and beyond.
NASA’s message is clear: If we want to live and work for a long time, we need smart and sustainable solutions, even for poop.
