Washington: Nasa has awarded $30,000 to three winners for designing new human waste management systems that would let astronauts urinate and defecate inside their spacesuit for up to six days. The top award of $15,000 for the Space Poop Challenge, went to Thatcher Cardon, a physician from the US, for his design of the MACES Perineal Access and Toileting System. It has two flaps in the crotch area that open out and a small valve through which waste can be expelled from the suit.
Team Space Poop Unification of Doctors won the second prize of $10,000 for their Air-powered Spacesuit Waste Disposal System. Hugo Shelley won the $5,000 award for designing SWIMSuit — Zero Gravity Underwear for 6 Day Use, which features a catheter design that can be used in microgravity. Spacesuits provide a self-contained life support system and are worn for launch and entry activities, as well as spacewalks, to protect the crew from the harsh environment of space and any unforeseen circumstances. As astronauts travel farther into the solar system, explorers may need to remain in their suits for several days.
Currently, astronauts living aboard the International Space Station typically wear a suit for several hours during launch or landing, and the crew can return to Earth in a few hours or less if necessary. For these occasions, astronauts wear a waste collection garment, similar to a diaper, under their spacesuits if they need to relieve themselves. However, the diaper is a temporary solution that does not provide a healthy option to protect astronauts for longer than one day. This challenge sought solutions for fecal, urine, and menstrual management systems for the crew.
