NASA proposes to develop a toilet for the lunar mission. The author of the best option will receive $ 35,000

NASA has announced a contest to create a toilet for the Artemis lunar mission, which involves landing people on the moon in 2024. The device should be as simple as possible to manufacture and use.

The last few years, people are increasingly talking about the colonization of outer space. In addition to Ilon Mask with his dreams of conquering Mars, NASA also plans to send people into space on an ongoing basis: in 2024, the Artemis mission starts, which provides for the creation of research settlements on the moon.

For such a large-scale project, serious infrastructure is needed, done to the smallest detail. One of such trifles is toilets, which should work in microgravity conditions and be comfortable for the first extraterrestrial colonizers.

Recently, NASA allocated $ 23 million to develop new technology for the toilet on the ISS, which can be used during long space missions.

As for the toilet for the moon – representatives of the American aerospace administration decided to announce a whole competition, and offered people rewards for the best space restroom design.

The device must fulfill a number of requirements: be lighter than 15 kg in terrestrial conditions, exceed a volume of 0.12 cubic meters, consume less than 70 watts of power, work with a noise level below 60 dB and be suitable for men and women of different complexions.

Anyone who offers the best option for such a device, while it will be easy and inexpensive to produce, will receive a reward from NASA in the amount of $ 35 thousand.

“We know how to create space toilets, but we understand that there are many innovations in waste management, from a flush toilet to anhydrous toilets and more”, – says NASA Lunar Loo Challenge Project Manager Mike Interbartolo.

According to him, the crowdsourcing community to solve such problems is a non-standard option and provides many prospects.

“Now the toilet is considered equipment provided by the government from NASA, so it has always been planned that NASA will provide a waste management system,” says Interbartolo.

You can submit your ideas to NASA until August 17 of this year.