Lunar toilet: NASA will pay $ 20 to design a space restroom

The modern toilet is an engineering marvel, but it relies heavily on gravity. This makes it special equipment intended only for Earth. Peeing in zero gravity is a high-tech business, but NASA decided to challenge this and announced a competition for the best design of a space toilet. Writes about this BGR.

Photo: Shutterstock

NASA offers $ 20 for the best toilet design that will work not only in microgravity, but also on the surface of the moon. But even if you do not create a winning design, there are still significant rewards for second and third places that will bring $ 000 and $ 10, respectively.

Of course, the Moon is not completely devoid of gravity, but its attraction is only one sixth of what is on Earth. Under such conditions, the entire drain mechanism will have to be reviewed.

There are other restrictions, including size. The toilet cannot be larger than 4,2 cubic feet (0,1 cubic meters), and it should work relatively quietly, creating a noise of no more than 60 decibels. As for its capabilities, the toilet should be able to trap both feces and urine at the same time. There are also requirements for capacity, the toilet should be able to accommodate up to a liter of urine.

On the subject: Filmed for 10 years without interruption: NASA showed a unique video of the Sun

The Artemis mission to the Moon will be very different from the Apollo missions. At that time, human waste was not a big problem. Astronauts released collected urine into space from the command module and even left bags of feces on the surface of the Moon. So, having a proper toilet while on the moon is a big improvement.

The competition will be open until August 17, after which the acceptance of applications will be closed and the best design will be selected. There is no guarantee that NASA will use the exact design presented by the winner, but the space agency clearly hopes to get inspiration for its own moon toilet design, so you can still be part of the story, even if it's the story of the moon.

Read also on ForumDaily:

When and how the universe ceases to exist: scientists predict

In space in a balloon: a company in the United States will offer tourists a unique experience

NASA is looking for volunteers to lock them in a laboratory in Russia

NASA scientists discovered a parallel universe where time flows back

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.