Everyone poops and astronauts are human too.
NASA, an international space agency is inviting inventors of the world to design a toilet that works in both microgravity and lunar gravity.
The winner of the specialized toilet will get $20,000, with $10,000 for second place and $5,000 for third place.
NASA is also encouraging children under the age of 18 to apply in junior category where they will get prizes of public acclaim and NASA-themed merchandise.
The idea is to attract new and different approaches to design a toilet that work on the Moon’s gravity and solve the problem of human waste capture and containment.
For the unaware, the Moon’s gravity is about a sixth of the Earth. Hence, the toilet should include the specifications mentioned by NASA.
The last date of the contest is 17 August 2020. Also, NASA plans to give extra points to the designs that can capture vomit without having the need to put the head in the toilet.
By Sahana Iyer
