NASA launched a crowdsourcing campaign on Thursday offering $ 20,000 to the person presenting the best design for space baths ahead of the agency’s 2024 flight to the Moon.
The agency issued its call to HeroX, a platform where organizations can use crowdsourcing to find “innovative solutions” to complex problems.
NASA is asking for help designing new space baths before its mission to the Moon in 2024.
(solarsystem.nasa.gov)
While space toilets are already in use on the International Space Station (ISS), they are specifically designed for microgravity, which means that people and objects appear to be weightless.
But a mission to the Moon would require a special design for the shuttle’s baths to operate in lunar gravity, which is about one-sixth of Earth’s gravity.
The design of the space toilet must meet certain specifications. For example, you must weigh less than 33 pounds in Earth’s gravity, measure no more than 4.23 cubic feet, consume less than 70 watts of power, and accommodate both sexes.
NASA is going to crash a spacecraft into a moon the size of the great pyramid
“While we may know how to make space toilets, we recognize that there are many innovations in waste management, from flush-free toilets to waterless toilets and more,” said Mike Interbartolo of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “So we wanted to expand our knowledge base by using this challenge to find the unknowns that might exist.”
“We look forward to seeing what the crowdsourcing community can bring immediately and bring different perspectives on what it takes for a toilet.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The agency is offering a first, second, and third place prize of $ 20,000; $ 10,000 and $ 5,000, respectively. The submission deadline is August 17, and the winner will be announced on September 30.
