Lunar Loo Challenge: NASA wants you to design a space toilet for missions to the moon

Team Udayavani, Jun 26, 2020, 3:17 PM IST

NASA is announcing the “Lunar Loo Challenge,” a competition in partnership with HeroX to come up with the best space toilet for the agency’s future human lunar lander.

The winner of the space toilet challenge could win $35,000 for the top concept.

Although space toilets are already in use, they are designed for microgravity only. Microgravity is when there’s weightlessness in space. But the new toilets need to be able to work in lunar gravity as well which is approximately one-sixth of Earth’s gravity.

In addition to the main Technical category, NASA and HeroX have also created the Junior category to encourage those under the age of 18 to submit their own ideas as well.

The top three participants in the Junior category will not receive cash but will receive public recognition and an item of official NASA merchandise.