For humanity to become a spacefaring civilization, there are a sh*t-ton of problems to solve—one of which is how to deal with our poop. Already, there are nearly 100 plastic bags of human crap on the Moon alone.
To spark solutions, NASA launched the LunaRecycle Challenge, a $3 million competition "focused on the design and development of recycling solutions that can reduce solid waste and improve the sustainability of longer-term lunar missions."
"NASA is committed to sustainable space exploration," the space agency states. "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."
According to the space agency, innovations could also, um, trickle down to Earth and eventually lead to technology to help terrestrial communities efficiently and safely deal with their own poop.
Previously:
• An astronaut explains pooping in space, and on the Moon
