NASA is offering a whopping $3 million to anyone who can get rid of human waste left by astronauts over 50 years ago.
It seems the issue of recycling isn’t just an earthbound matter as the space agency is searching for ways to become more sustainable above our atmosphere.
In order to find the solution, NASA is launching a competition with a coveted cash prize.
Known as the LunaRecycle Challenge, participants will be tasked with coming up with a viable idea for a new technology that has the ability to recycle waste from astronauts.
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In a statement on its website, NASA said: “NASA is committed to sustainable space exploration. As we prepare for future human space missions, there will be a need to consider how various waste streams, including solid waste, can be minimized - as well as how waste can be stored, processed, and recycled in a space environment so that little or no waste will need to be returned to Earth.
“The challenge also can influence and inspire better approaches and outcomes for terrestrial recycling-through entirely novel approaches, through processes that improve efficiency and reduce toxic outputs, and through smaller-scale technologies that could be deployed in communities around the globe.”
With 96 bags of human waste currently sitting on the moon, the space agency hopes to find a suitable way to handle it.
Amy Kaminski, who is the program executive for NASA’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program, said: “Operating sustainably is an important consideration for NASA as we make discoveries and conduct research both away from home and on Earth.
“With this challenge, we are seeking the public’s innovative approaches to waste management on the moon and aim to take lessons learned back to Earth for the benefit of all.”
Kim Krome, the acting program manager for the agency’s Centennial Challenges, and challenge manager of LunaRecycle, added: “I am pleased that NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge will contribute to solutions pertaining to technological needs within advanced manufacturing and habitats.
“We are very excited to see what solutions our global competitors generate, and we are eager for this challenge to serve as a positive catalyst for bringing the agency, and humanity, closer to exploring worlds beyond our own.”
The competition will be made up of two tracks - the prototype build track and the digital twin tracks - and applicants can enter into one or both of them.
The prototype build track focuses on designing and developing systems that can recycle waste on the moon, while the digital twin track is focussed on making a virtual replica of a system for recycling waste streams on the moon.
If you think you’re up to the challenge, you can apply here.