Think your recycling game is strong? NASA wants to put it to the ultimate test—by asking you to turn human waste into something useful… in space.
As part of the LunaRecycle Challenge, NASA is dangling a juicy $3 million prize for anyone who can solve one of the least glamorous problems of deep space travel: what to do with all the poop, pee, and puke astronauts produce on long missions. Yep, we’re talking full-blown bodily waste management—but make it interstellar.
Right now, there are 96 bags of human waste just chilling on the moon, leftovers from the Apollo missions. NASA’s new mission? No more dumping. They want innovative tech that can process, recycle, or repurpose astronaut waste into something helpful—think fertilizer, fuel, or even building material.
But don’t think this is just a gross science project. The space agency says it’s a critical step for sustainable space exploration. “Future space missions can’t just be about survival—they need to be smart, efficient, and waste-free,” NASA said. The technology developed could not only power future moon bases but also revolutionize recycling on Earth.
And here’s the kicker—NASA isn’t just looking for PhDs and billion-dollar companies. This is an open challenge, meaning garage inventors, rogue engineers, and off-grid geniuses are all welcome.
The first round of submissions is already under review. The ideas that make the cut will move on for further development—and one winning team will walk away with the $3 million prize.
So if you’ve got the guts (and maybe a strong stomach), now’s your chance to turn cosmic crap into scientific treasure.
