“Spacepoop”, the poo of the space : this is the name of the very serious competition launched by Nasa on the site Hero X, on 11 October 2016. In space, the astronauts are forced to wear diapers for their needs. A system could be better, that pushes the us space agency to look for alternatives, making use of the internet.
The problem was again highlighted by the flight of Thomas Pesquet and two other astronauts to the international space Station, where they arrived on 20 November. To get there, they have spent 48 hours in a capsule without a toilet.
If the astronauts do not wear their combination continuously, it is a must when it exits in the space, and especially for their departure in space and their return to earth. Worse, in the event of an incident, they may find themselves stuck “up to six days” in their suit, says Nasa.
The layers represent a hygiene problem if they are worn for more than 24 hours. The Nasa dream therefore of a system “integrated with the spacesuit” that would collect the urine, faeces and menstrual loss for more than 144 hours, or six days. Important : the store without that they come into contact with the body of the astronaut, and without a need for me to use his hands for any manipulation.
The participation in the competition, which does not require any diploma of the engineer, or astrophysicist, is open until December 21. And if the idea of making the breaks in the toilet of the future Thomas Pesquet is not enough of an incentive, a prize of $ 30,000 is also in the game.
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