It seems that NASA’s preparations to send man to the moon with the Artemis mission are going from strength to strength.
There have been several initiatives promoted by the space agency for the development of technology aimed at facilitating the conditions to carry out the trip and provide the astronauts involved with the necessary tools to carry out the assigned tasks and solve the problems that may arise.
From expandable habitats based on origami to 3D printing to build bases on the Moon, creativity has been at the height of the proposals generated around this mission.
The last one contemplates a challenge posed by NASA aimed at university students in the United States where they are invited to solve the problem related to lunar dust.
Lunar dust is an element that adheres to almost everything, with an abrasive property that can cause damage to spacesuits, equipment, habitats and even the spacecraft itself, also generating errors in the readings made by the instruments, as well as alteration in the thermal properties of the equipment.
Through the 2021 BIG Idea Challenge, an ideas contest, NASA hopes to find the solution to this problem where the person whose idea is selected will receive funding of 180 thousand dollars to start their project and demonstrate its effectiveness in the resolution of the problem proposed by NASA.
It should be noted that, to be accepted, each of the projects presented in the contest must be focused on one of these aspects:
- Prevention and removal of dust on the moon landing
- Tolerance and removal of dust in space suits.
- The prevention, tolerance and reduction of exterior dust
- Tolerance and removal of dust in the cabin
Those who cannot submit an idea for this contest will be able to do so for the Lunar Loo Challenge in which a $ 35,000 prize will be offered to the team that designs the best and most practical lunar toilet.
