When we think of the brightest minds and the sharpest ideas, we often think of NASA. I mean, they helped put a man on the moon for Pete’s — or Neil’s — sake.
There is one thing the brains at NASA cannot quite figure out: how can astronauts poop in their suits without having to sit in it for too long?
Poop, pee, menstruate, whatever. The point is NASA does not know, and they are asking the whole world for help, and the whole world is getting really excited.
The organization has developed a contest called the Space Poop Challenge, and it calls on all innovators to come up with an idea for how to implement a waste-management system that is completely hands-free and works in a space suit. In zero gravity, of course.
The tall order gets a whole lot taller when you consider the fact that gravity is what pulls your — ahem — waste away from your body. Traditionally, astronauts have just worn extremely absorbent adult diapers while they are in their suits, but sitting in a dirty diaper long enough can cause rashes and life-threatening infections.
Other stipulations for the innovative solution are it must take less than five minutes to implement, must be able to fit in small spaces and must be usable for men and for women of varying shapes and sizes.
NASA has said some future missions may require up to five days in a space suit. Side note: that little prophecy is cool and exciting and scary. That’s a long time to sit in your own stuff.
The Space Poop Challenge has a $30,000 prize for the individuals with the winning solutions.
The prize money and extremely strange — yet necessary — nature of this challenge has caused a lot of people to form teams to work together to innovate answers. A scroll through the Space Poop Challenge website shows a blog and forum for teams to ask and answer questions for each other.
While it is silly to think about all of these people from across the country and the globe bonding over literal feces, it’s also sort of nice.
This year has been divisive as hell, and here is a goofy and peculiar — and gross — yet challenging and urgent issue that most everyone can take interest in. After all, everyone poops. We are united in our excrement.
Also, the distinct nature of NASA’s problem can stimulate excitement about its current and future missions. Since being federally defunded, NASA has fallen out of the spotlight in terms of current events.
So, thanks, NASA, for bringing everyone together over your extremely weird space suit issue. Also, thanks, everyone, for putting aside your differences to focus on what really matters: saving astronauts from sitting in their own poop.
meickhof@indiana.edu
@maggie_eickhoff
