NASA offering $3M to person who can solve Moon poop problem

By Dean Murray

NASA is offering $3 million to anyone who can clear the Moon of poop.

The LunaRecycle Challenge aims to address the issue of managing astronauts' feces, urine, and vomit during long-duration missions and on the lunar surface.

The contest aims to find a way to dispose of the 96 bags of waste left behind by Apollo astronauts, as well tackling waste issues for future lunar outposts.

One of the first pictures taken on the Moon in 1969 by Neil Armstrong featured a jettisoned trash bag, which may have contained human waste, including feces.

NASA is currently reviewing LunaRecycle Challenge proposals following the March 3 deadline for Phase 1 submissions.

The space agency explained: "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.

"The challenge also can influence and inspire better approaches and outcomes for terrestrial recycling—through entirely novel approaches, through processes that improve efficiency and reduce toxic outputs, and through smaller-scale technologies that could be deployed in communities around the globe."

NASA says details about the next phase of the contest, including timelines for announcing winners, will be shared on the challenge's website as updates become available.