One of the challenges of long duration space exploration is waste management. As waste streams are generated, unwanted trash items begin to accumulate in the cabin. During long duration missions, this aggregates into several tons of trash being stored inside the habitat, which makes orbital maneuvers more expensive and reduces the amount of habitable volume for the crew. NASA is taking a multi-pronged approach to waste management on long-duration spacecraft. This challenge will help support the development of the first approach, Trash-to-Gas. Trash-to-gas reactors are considered a sustainable approach to both near- and long-term waste management during long-duration space missions. The primary goal of this challenge is to create actionable design concepts for ash removal from a trash-to-gas reactor in microgravity.
Award: $30,000 in total prizes
Open Date: March 3, 2022
Close Date: May 12, 2022
For more information, visit: https://www.herox.com/trashtogas