NASA Needs Help Solving One Of Space's Grossest Problems: Poop
Space travel isn't all stars and science. There's also poop—lots of it. Now, NASA is asking for help turning human waste, including astronaut feces, into something useful, so future crews won't add to the dozens of bags of waste already sitting on the lunar surface, left behind by previous Moon missions.
The LunaRecycle Challenge, a $3 million, two-track, two-phase competition, is NASA's latest push to make space exploration more eco-friendly. As the agency plans for longer-term lunar missions, they're facing a very down-to-Earth problem: how to recycle solid waste, from wrappers to bodily matter, in a way that supports life on the Moon without sending trash back to Earth.
It's true, there are currently bags of human waste, including poop, on the Moon. Specifically, the Apollo missions left behind 96 bags of waste to lighten the spacecraft for returning to Earth.
'NASA is committed to sustainable space exploration,' the agency said in a release, and that looks like figuring out how to minimize, process, and reuse all kinds of waste—including the gross stuff. The challenge asks teams to submit designs that convert trash into something useful, like building materials or science tools, while using as little electricity, water, and space as possible.
The LunaRecycle Challenge is split into two tracks. The Prototype Build track focuses on hardware designs for actual lunar recycling systems, while the Digital Twin track seeks high-tech, virtual models of recycling solutions. Both tracks aim to turn solid waste into feedstock for new materials that astronauts can use for science, repairs, or even living quarters.
While this challenge is aimed at solving a very specific lunar problem, NASA says the solutions could ripple back down to Earth. From cleaner recycling technologies to small-scale systems for remote communities, the agency hopes the project will inspire new approaches to trash management on our planet too.
Phase 1 is already underway, and although Phase 2's timeline hasn't yet been announced, it will involve successful submissions being judged by a panel of experts from government, industry, and academia. Participants won't get funding upfront—but if their ideas work, the prize purse is significant.
Weather.com lead editor Jenn Jordan explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.
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