A few months ago, we wrote about a NASA and HeroX design challenge that would address a dirty, overlooked, but absolutely necessary component of space travel: human waste collection. NASA’s Space Poop Challenge had over 5000 submissions from a community of over 19,000 registered competitors from all over the world. In the end, there were three winners of the $30,000 prize, as well as 21 finalists who were also recognized.
The winning solutions were:
- “MACES Perineal Access & Toileting System (M-PATS)” from Dr. Thatcher Cardon, a family physician and flight surgeon.
- Air-powered Spacesuit Waste Disposal System from Team SPUDs (Space Poop Unification of Doctors) – Katherine Kin, Stacey Marie Louie, and Tony Gonzales
- “SWIMSuit”, zero-gravity underwear for six-day use from Hugo Shelley, a technology designer from England
While we might not see the exact winning designs being launched into outer space, NASA says that the ideas they’ve seen provided valuable information for its own designers and engineers. It’s likely that various elements from the winning designs will be found on upcoming Orion spacecraft headed to the final frontier.
Congrats to all the winners!
More info: NASA Space Poop Challenge…
Flashback: NASA is Looking for Help Designing a Space Suit that Collects Space Poop…