NASA Is Offering $3 Million to Solve a Problem That Started When Neil Armstrong Set Foot on the Moon: Poop
It’s not a trivial issue, especially as humanity considers the possibility of colonizing space.
NASA needs you. That’s a familiar slogan at the world’s most famous space agency. Despite employing some of the brightest minds, there are still problems that remain unsolved—issues so complex that NASA has to turn to the public for help. Currently, there are about 20 projects open for public collaboration, but none quite like this one. NASA not only needs your help to solve it, but it also has a proposition for you. If you succeed, you could become a millionaire.
A “shitty” problem. NASA has launched a competition offering $3 million in prizes to those who can help solve a problem that has persisted for years: managing human waste in space. With renewed efforts to explore the Moon and future missions to Mars, this issue is more relevant than ever.
The puzzle. NASA is seeking a solution for handling human waste during space exploration. In other words, alongside robots, tardigrades, a family photo, and other remnants, it won’t be unusual to find hundreds of bags of human excrement on the Moon. Those who find a solution know exactly what’s at stake.
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