Got an idea for dealing with space waste? NASA wants to hear from you
- Reference: 1727800031
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/10/01/nasa_space_waste_competition/
- Source link:
Dealing with trash generated by humans on space missions sustainably has long been an issue. The Apollo landing sites on the Moon are littered with waste left behind by astronauts more focused on the lunar module's ascent stage mass and transporting valuable lunar samples back to Earth than discarded garbage.
Despite the clutter on the International Space Station (ISS), the process is different. Crew members can load vehicles, such as the Dragon freighter, with items to return to Earth. Items to be discarded can be stashed in expendable spacecraft, such as the Russian Progress vehicles or Northrop Grumman's Cygnus, and sent to burn up in the atmosphere.
[1]
However, discarding waste during long-duration deep space missions or using lunar craters as landfills during lengthy stints on the Moon is not sustainable. Hence NASA's competition to develop alternatives.
[2]
In this instance, the agency [3]is looking for solutions for processing inorganic waste, such as food packaging, discarded clothing, or materials left over from science experiments. In the past, the space agency has considered solutions to reduce the volume and mass of waste. The new challenge is to find a way of reusing or recycling the waste somehow.
[4]Starfish Space to tackle orbital junk for NASA with SSPICY Otter
[5]NASA's Astrobees need a new buzz – any ideas for the space-dwelling bots?
[6]NASA, IBM just open sourced an AI climate model so you can fine-tune your own
[7]Intuitive Machines shoots for the Moon with NASA's $4.82B lunar relay jackpot
There are two tracks. One, the Prototype Build Track, is focused on designing and developing hardware for dealing with waste on the lunar surface. The other, the Digital Twin Track, is focused on creating a virtual replica of a complete system. NASA reckons the latter approach will lower the barrier of entry.
The challenge is focused on a hypothetical 365-day lunar mission, with processing that minimizes resource inputs (such as electricity and water) and unusable outputs (whatever is left over and deemed not usable after processing).
Registration opened on September 30 with a deadline of March 31, 2025. The winner will be announced in May. The challenge is also open to all, so international teams with ideas for dealing with mountains of Moon mess are welcome to apply. ®
Get our [8]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZvxxBp9tE5Fpir5r-4ZYcQAAAA0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZvxxBp9tE5Fpir5r-4ZYcQAAAA0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-seeks-innovators-for-lunar-waste-competition/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/26/nasa_sspicy_otter_starfish/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/26/nasa_astrobee_applications/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/25/nasa_ibm_ai_weather/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/18/intuitive_machines_lunar_relay/
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Agreed. Any waste is going to be stuff that we've transported at great expense to the Moon, or produced there. If we can't recycle or reuse it (yet), maybe it shouldn't be sent? But 'waste' would remain a store of future material and chemicals, even if we haven't figured out a way you use it yet.
They've even got dustbin lid covers
Bit of a Clanger if they don't use what natures already provided.
Food isn't a problem as there's already a supply of soup.
Name change
Just reclassify "landfill" as long-term unclassified storage and the problem is solved.
It's not rubbish - it's just stuff we can't use right now.
Re: Name change
Even if we never use it the trash, there is already a disposal plan in place: effortless, cheap and green incineration within 7 billion years.
Don't dump it in a crater, keep it close at hand
It isn't like the wind is going to blow the trash around or its gonna smell bad. I'd keep it stored nearby - classified by type like any good commercial junkyard. When things break or are no longer useful it isn't as though the entire thing is no longer useful. Maybe you can scavenge a component or two, or the casing it is in, to fix or build something else.
You'd need to shelter it somehow to keep it in decent condition - having it exposed to massive repeated temperature cycles would damage it but all you really need is something to keep the sunlight off it. Put solar panels on the roof sheltering it and the waste shelter does double duty - plus it won't be visible from Earth which would no doubt become a major complaint by Greenpeace if pictures of piles of lunar trash visible from Earth came out!
Re: Don't dump it in a crater, keep it close at hand
You'd need to shelter it somehow to keep it in decent condition - having it exposed to massive repeated temperature cycles would damage it but all you really need is something to keep the sunlight off it.
Or just make that part of the disposal process, but it'd still be potentially wasteful. But from the article-
In this instance, the agency is looking for solutions for processing inorganic waste, such as food packaging, discarded clothing, or materials left over from science experiments.
Crazy idea. Don't use inorganic, disposable clothing. Shred it, recover the fibres, reuse it. Maybe 'space age' materials aren't actually the best? Or food packaging. Figure on something like any of the many foil coated plastic packets used in MREs etc. Currently the foil layer isn't very thick, but how many layers of plastic+foil would provide some radiation protection? Remove any organic matter (ok, for MREs, inorganic) for the bioreactors, then tightly compress & bale it.
Kind of curious if the types of soft plastic used in retort pouches would provide any self-sealing ability and maybe reduce air losses. But then the challenge with how that material would perform in vacuum or very low temperatures. Or one of my favourite bits of NASA is their Lunarcrete research team. Starship could be a game changer shipping stuff by the tonne to the Moon. Maybe include solvent, and maybe use plastics as a plasticiser for Lunarcrete. I for one look forward to New Reading appearing on the Moon churning out bricks, but hopefully with fewer Quakers and more beer. Making that is, of course a challenge in itself but the Dutch did some research on beer in spaaace. Or the vomit comet. Carbonated beverages behaving differently in microgravity.
need we say more?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077066/
Came to say Quark!
Not the greedy little guy from DS9 either! Then just hurl the bags of garbage at the sun! See TV can solve all our problems...
Can we get a Philip J Fry icon?
Good news everyone!
I propose Pluto be used as a dumping ground.
Re: Good news everyone!
Luton is nearer, and only two letters different.
> Using a nearby crater as a landfill
Since Apple's DRM crapware is rapidly filling up the landfills on earth, we will soon start needing that precious space on the moon.
LOL
What delicate ecosystem of (checks notes) barren, sterile, vacuum wasteland will NASA be disturbing?
"Using a nearby crater as a landfill is not a sustainable way to live on the Moon"
Yes it is.