It’s been almost 50 years since NASA last landed on the moon, and now the space agency is preparing for its next lunar mission.
NASA’s Artemis programme aims to land the first woman and the next man on the moon in 2024, and in the build-up the space agency is calling on the public to help design toilets that will work on the lunar surface.
NASA has launched a ‘Lunar Loo Challenge’ with commercial partner HeroX, with $35,000 (£28,000) in prizes to be won.
HeroX explained: “Lunar toilet design concepts should allow astronauts to urinate and defecate in both microgravity and lunar gravity.
“Microgravity is what is generally considered “zero-g” and is experienced as weightlessness. The g-force is not actually zero in microgravity; it is just very small. Lunar gravity is approximately one sixth of Earth’s gravity, so urine and feces will fall down.”
The toilets will be used for two astronauts for two weeks, according to HeroX.
It added: “Complete solutions will be ones that can support a crew of two astronauts for 14 days, while controlling odor, accommodating different types of waste (urine, feces, vomit, diarrhea, menses), and different gender users (female and male).”
Aside from urine and faeces, the toilets must also be able to accommodate vomit.
HeroX said: "Although the preferred method for capturing vomit will be emesis bags (“throw up” bags), bonus points will be awarded to designs that can capture vomit without requiring the crew member to put his/her head in the toilet.”
The $35,000 prize fund will be split between the top three submissions, with first place winning $20,000, second place $10,000 and third place $5,000.
The full list of specifications can be found here.
If you’re interested, you can apply on the HeroX website, with submissions closing on August 17th , 2020, at 17:00 ET (22:00 BST).
