Since the logistics of supply ships to support a Mars mission are very difficult, the spacecraft needs to be as efficient and self-sufficient as possible. This challenge is all about finding ways to convert waste into base materials and other useful things, like propellant or feedstock for 3D printing. The challenge is looking for your ideas for how to convert different waste streams into propellant and into useful materials that can then be made into needed things and cycled through multiple times. While a perfectly efficient cycle is unlikely, ideal solutions will result in little to no waste. NASA could eventually integrate all the different processes into a robust ecosystem that allows a spacecraft to launch from Earth with the lowest possible mass.
The Challenge: NASA’s Waste to Base Materials Challenge asks the larger community to provide inventive approaches to waste management and conversion in four specific categories:
• Trash
• Fecal waste
• Foam packaging material
• Carbon dioxide processing
The Prize: Multiple winners in each category will each be awarded a prize of $1,000. Additionally, judges will recognize four ideas as “best in class,” each with a prize of $1,000. A total prize purse of $24,000 will be awarded.
Eligibility to Compete and Win Prize(s): The prize is open to anyone aged 18 or older participating as an individual or as a team. Individual competitors and teams may originate from any country, as long as United States federal sanctions do not prohibit participation (some restrictions apply).
IHE Ị GA-Ewepụ na edemede a:
- The prize is open to anyone aged 18 or older participating as an individual or as a team.
- NASA could eventually integrate all the different processes into a robust ecosystem that allows a spacecraft to launch from Earth with the lowest possible mass.
- NASA’s Waste to Base Materials Challenge asks the larger community to provide inventive approaches to waste management and conversion in four specific categories.
