NASA offers three million dollars to whoever can solve a problem that Neil Armstrong started when he stepped on the moon: feces

NASA needs you. It is a recurring slogan in the most famous space agency on the planet, because, although we think that behind closed doors there are some of the brightest minds, sometimes they do not know how to solve problems and ask anonymous citizens for help. Without going any further, right now there is around twenty open projects to collaborate with them, although none like the one we are here to tell you about. NASA doesn’t just need you to solve it. If you find the key literally you will become a millionaire.

A “bullshit” problem. The agency has launched a contest that focuses all our attention: three million dollars in prizes for the one or those who help solve a problem that has dragged on for too long, and that now becomes relevant again once humans begin to explore the Moon again and, perhaps in a “short” time, Mars.

The puzzle: a solution is sought for human “waste” when we go for a walk in outer space. In other words, on today’s Moon, in addition to some robots, tardigrades, a family photograph and something else, it is normal to find a hundred bags of human excrement. Those who manage to find a solution already know what they are getting.

The intrastory. You may not remember it and something may go unnoticed, but in the first photograph taken on the Moon by Neil Armstrong there was a small secondary element. We are referring to a suspicious-smelling garbage bag, the first of many.

At that time and on the way to the Moon, the Apollo astronauts collected their urine in some kind of tanks, while anyone who needed to defecate carried out a somewhat different operation: tie a bag over the anus. These bags, along with other human waste and garbage, were taken to the Moon with the astronauts, who deposited them on the lunar surface to free up weight space for Moon samples.

Not just excrement. In fact, and as explains NASA In its contest, it is not only about what comes out of our body, but also about many other waste materials and garbage that accumulate during this type of missions.

Looking a little to the future, the problem worsens if we think about staying on the Moon as colonists on a base, where inorganic waste such as scientific equipment, clothing and food packaging could become a serious problem. This is precisely the problem NASA is asking for help with in its challenge. named as LunaRecycle.

Contest rules. Very clear: ideas and designs of technologies that are capable of recycling waste into useful products are requested. As explained by Amy Kaminskiexecutive of the agency’s awards, challenges and crowdsourcing program, “operating sustainably is an important consideration for NASA as we make discoveries and conduct research both away from home and on Earth.”

Not only that. As Kaminski detailswith the challenge in question we seek innovative approaches from the public “for waste management on the Moon, and we intend to bring the lessons learned to Earth for the benefit of all.”

Two parts. In this regard, the competition will be divided into two sections, “the Prototype Build Track program focuses on the design and development of hardware components and systems to recycle one or more solid waste streams on the lunar surface”, details NASA. “The Digital Twin Track program focuses on the design of a virtual replica of a complete system to recycle solid waste streams on the lunar surface and manufacture final products.”

Registrations and more. Those who have a truly innovative idea can sign up for the contest. through this link. In addition, it is possible to do it in one or both programs, and the money from it will be divided between the two agency schemes.

Little more, since as NASA explains in the statement, the challenge alone can be the solution for future long-stay trips and technological needs in advanced manufacturing and habitats. “We look forward to this challenge serving as a positive catalyst to bring the agency and humanity closer to exploring worlds beyond our own,” ditch the space agency.

Image | POT

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