NASA is seeking creative solutions to “recycle” or repurpose the dozens of bags of human waste left on the moon during the Apollo missions
NASA has launched a $3 million competition to tackle an unusual lunar problem: recycling 96 bags of human waste left on the Moon by Apollo astronauts. The “LunaRecycle Challenge” seeks technologies to convert decades-old feces, urine, and vomit into water, energy, or fertilizer for future missions.
Between 1969 and 1972, Apollo crews jettisoned waste to lighten their return load. Now, as NASA prepares for its Artemis program, the agency aims to minimize space pollution.
“NASA is committed to sustainable space exploration. As we prepare for future human space missions, we will need to consider how to minimize various waste streams, including solid waste, as well as how to store, process, and recycle them in a space environment so that they are returned to Earth as little as possible,” the agency said.