The plan for NASA's Artemis program includes multiple moon missions, with the ultimate goal of establishing Artemis Base Camp, the first permanent outpost on the moon. While it's not the most glamorous part of space exploration, waste management is a crucial issue for humans in space. The cost of sending supplies to the moon is astronomical, so anything that can be recycled must be recycled.
To that end, NASA is calling for ideas on how to effectively recycle as much as possible on the moon through the LunaRecycle Challenge.
"Operating sustainably is an important consideration for NASA as we make discoveries and conduct research both away from home and on Earth," said Amy Kaminski, program executive for NASA's Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program. "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."
One interesting element of this challenge is that it has two different tracks. The Prototype Build track, unsurprisingly, requires a physical prototype. The Digital Twin track allows for the submission of a virtual replica of the proposed system, lowering the barrier to participation. NASA has allocated a $3 million prize purse for the challenge.
Previously: NASA won't be sending humans to moon again until at least 2026
