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Space Challenge: With prizes of up to R$17 million, NASA seeks solutions to transform human waste into useful resources during space missions.
Ever since NASA put the first astronauts on the moon in 1969, one question has remained unsolved: how to deal with human waste in space? Feces and urine may seem like small details compared to the magnitude of a space mission, but this waste problem is a serious concern. To prevent contamination and ensure the health of astronauts, NASA is now asking for help in solving this space challenge.
But what exactly is at stake? And why is there still no definitive solution to this? Let’s dive into the challenge that NASA has set and understand why it is so important for the future of space exploration.
The problem of waste in space
Zero gravity in space brings a number of complications. When we’re on Earth, managing human waste is easy, as gravity does the job of keeping everything in place. In space, however, the lack of gravity creates a completely different scenario.
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Os astronauts They can't just use toilets like we do here. What may seem simple becomes a much bigger problem when feces and urine are allowed to float freely inside a spaceship.
In NASA's early missions, such as the famous Apollo missions, engineers and aeronautical experts were unable to effectively solve this problem. To give you an idea, during the missions to the Moon, 96 bags of human waste were left on the lunar surface! Yes, that's right: along with Neil Armstrong's footprints and the lunar module, there are bags of trash there.
And now, with NASA planning to return to the Moon with the Artemis missions, this space challenge is back. Solving the space debris problem has become essential to ensuring that these missions can be conducted in a sustainable and safe manner.
NASA offers up to R$17 million to anyone who solves the waste problem
To address this issue, NASA launched the “LunaRecycle Challenge“, a game-changing competition in space waste management. The competition offers prizes of up to $3 million (about R$17 million) to anyone who can develop innovative technologies that can efficiently recycle or manage human waste during long-duration space missions.
The idea is simple: find a solution that allows us to transform human waste into useful products, helping to reduce the environmental impact during space exploration and also making life easier for astronauts. The challenge is divided into two categories:
- Prototype Build Track: Focused on building prototypes that deal with solid waste, transforming it into something useful.
- Digital Twin Track: Here, the focus is on developing virtual systems to simulate waste recycling on the lunar surface.
The contest aims to encourage solutions that are practical for both space and Earth. Yes, NASA’s ultimate goal is for innovative ideas generated for space to also be applicable here on our planet. After all, waste management is a global problem that affects both space and the Earth environment.
Why is solving the space waste problem important?
The answer may seem obvious, but the challenge of dealing with waste in space goes far beyond hygiene issues. On long space missions, such as future expeditions to the Moon and Mars, the amount of time astronauts spend in space will increase. This means that the volume of waste will also increase, making it crucial to create a sustainable and efficient solution.
NASA has always sought to operate sustainably in its missions, and this includes the way it handles waste. Amy Kaminski, NASA’s program executive for Awards, Challenges and Crowdsourcing, highlighted the importance of sustainability in this context. According to her, operating sustainably both on Earth and in space is one of the agency’s top priorities.
That’s why NASA is looking for new ideas that can help turn waste into resources. Creating systems that convert waste into water or energy, for example, could be revolutionary for long-term space exploration. And of course, solving this problem in space could also mean major advances in waste management here on Earth.
Participation is open to individuals, startups, universities and teams from anywhere in the world.
The most interesting thing about the LunaRecycle Challenge is that anyone can participate. Yes, you don’t have to be a renowned scientist or rocket engineer to have a great idea and compete for the prizes. The challenge is open to individuals, startups, universities, and teams from anywhere in the world who can come up with a creative solution to this waste problem.
Registrations can be made until January 30, 2025, through University of Alabama website, which is coordinating the competition in partnership with AI Spacefactory. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of space exploration, as well as develop solutions that can directly benefit Earth.
The LunaRecycle Challenge is further proof that NASA is always looking to the future and ways to make space exploration more efficient, safe and sustainable. Solving the problem of waste in space is not just a technical issue, but an essential step in ensuring that humanity can explore new worlds responsibly.
I know how to solve this problem of human waste in space
Really? Tell me a little about it.
Talk talk talk, just don't play in Brasilia
Just vaporize everything and use the remaining gas as an energy source.
Dude, great idea, but sign up for the project or someone will copy your idea and take the big bucks. LOL
There is no possibility for this, the pressure does not allow changing mass to gas.
It doesn't change the mass!!
You not only lost the 17m but you also lost 17m of Áurea with this comment
Congratulations you just won 17 million
Too much pressure in the rod pumps and the distribution hoses need to be serviced
The fashion now is for everyone to carry their BACKPACKS ON THEIR BACK, THE ROCKET COULD ALSO BRING THE SUBSTANCES TO EARTH, SOMEWHERE **** ON THE ROCKET.
We can use human waste like feces for artificial cultivation like for example in North Korea where they use human feces as a way for plants to grow scientists have proven that this works, and we can also use waste like urine can be used as an energy if transformed into gas