Win $30,000 by designing a way for astronauts to poop in their spacesuits

midian182

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Space travel poses a lot of problems for us humans. In addition to the extreme temperatures, vacuum, lack of gravity, radiation, etc. there are also our biological functions that need to be taken care of. Specifically: what’s the best way to go to the bathroom in a spacesuit?

Toilets on spacecraft use fan-driven suction systems to store solid waste until such time that it can be disposed of. But NASA wants a method that can be used in astronauts’ spacesuits.

In an emergency, the suits can provide clean air, shelter, water, and enough nutrients to keep a crew member alive for up to six days, but there still isn’t a way to adequately deal with bodily waste. Right now, the backup solution for suited astronauts who need to answer the call of nature is diapers, which get uncomfortable pretty fast once they're filled with feces, and can lead to infection when worn for longer than a day.

To solve the poo problem, NASA has turned to crowdfunding platform HeroX to source a system that can collect 75 grams of fecal matter and 1 liter of urine per day, for six days. Anyone who comes up with a hands-free solution that can operate in microgravity and prevent leaking oxygen could win bounties up to $30,000.

“As humans push beyond low-earth orbit to travel to the moon and Mars, we will have many problems to solve—most of them very complex, technical problems," said NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio in a video. "But some are as simple as 'How do we go to the bathroom in space?'"

Think you could come up with an answer? Check out the full criteria for the system and make sure you enter before 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 20. Who knows, astronauts could one day be crapping into a system you designed.

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There is nothing quite like pooping in a zero gravity environment... feeling that turd not drop away and instead just endlessly bounce off your butt cheeks.

This really is a serious challenge. Whoever comes up with an efficient fecal matter capture device and some sort of zero-G friendly anus cleansing system will be our hero, for sure.
 
That's EASY.

Similar to the piddle tube, you have a two stage "airlock".

One airlock canister evacuates air into space. Then the second lock is attached to the astronaut's anus.

He poops.

Then the second canister sucks the poop and pee into the first using a valve that can be depressurized.

Then the first airlock is now filled with poop and pee.

That airlock allows itself to be sucked out into space - which resets the depressurized space for moar poop and pee.

The poop and pee that has been jettisoned can now float through space till it gets to Uranus.
 
That's EASY.
Similar to the piddle tube, you have a two stage "airlock".
One airlock canister evacuates air into space. Then the second lock is attached to the astronaut's anus.
He poops.
Then the second canister sucks the poop and pee into the first using a valve that can be depressurized.
Then the first airlock is now filled with poop and pee.
That airlock allows itself to be sucked out into space - which resets the depressurized space for moar poop and pee.
The poop and pee that has been jettisoned can now float through space till it gets to Uranus.

Lets just make sure there is never a malfunction when both valves are open and the entire person goes through that valve...
 
That's EASY.
Similar to the piddle tube, you have a two stage "airlock".
One airlock canister evacuates air into space. Then the second lock is attached to the astronaut's anus.
He poops.
Then the second canister sucks the poop and pee into the first using a valve that can be depressurized.
Then the first airlock is now filled with poop and pee.
That airlock allows itself to be sucked out into space - which resets the depressurized space for moar poop and pee.
The poop and pee that has been jettisoned can now float through space till it gets to Uranus.

Lets just make sure there is never a malfunction when both valves are open and the entire person goes through that valve...

Thats not how that works; if anything all the breathable air would get sucked out (assuming that behind doesn't form a pressure seal at least...:/). But yeah, this is pretty much what I initially thought of. Either vent it all into space, or put it in some form of portable storage compartment.
 
He never mentioned the $30,000. I have a couple of good ideas running through my mind. With my eyes closed, I can literally see working animated 3d models of them operating. However without a guarantee giving me the rights them in the event one is considered. I'm hesitant about giving them away and trusting the system to be fair about it.
 
The bigger problem would be clean up after the fact. A cranky astronaut with diaper rash doesn't sound like the basis of a successful mission. The fact is that NASA better be working on an alternative method to accommodate the needs of the space traveler like better dietary control or maybe they simply need to send up old people! After all, most seem to complain about constipation and going for a number of days without the urge ..... no?
 
This doesn't seem to be a $30,000 solution.

Add more zeroes, or actually start evolving humans to have zero waste.

Or we deploy robots for spacewalks instead. Seriously, why can't them just apply the remote surgical robots to this problem.
 
That's EASY.

Similar to the piddle tube, you have a two stage "airlock".

One airlock canister evacuates air into space. Then the second lock is attached to the astronaut's anus.

He poops.

Then the second canister sucks the poop and pee into the first using a valve that can be depressurized.

Then the first airlock is now filled with poop and pee.

That airlock allows itself to be sucked out into space - which resets the depressurized space for moar poop and pee.

The poop and pee that has been jettisoned can now float through space till it gets to Uranus.

That actually would be an example of a bad idea. Used over 6 days, that is a significant change in mass. If the astronaut was free floating in orbit (worst case scenario), then their orbit would change slightly each time they took a dump. Orbital calculations are tricky enough, lets not complicate the rescue process by adding in a 'poo coefficient' to the rendezvous plans.
 
For whoever cracks it, will probably skip it from the CV to avoid being laughed at.

Takes certain mindset to even want to get into this, likely a person with issues, your Garrison character...

when-technology-attacks-thumb-12.jpg
 
The bigger problem would be clean up after the fact. A cranky astronaut with diaper rash doesn't sound like the basis of a successful mission. The fact is that NASA better be working on an alternative method to accommodate the needs of the space traveler like better dietary control or maybe they simply need to send up old people! After all, most seem to complain about constipation and going for a number of days without the urge ..... no?
Sorry, we're not sending you into outer space. Nice try though.
 
YEAH - because the astronaut will be floating in orbit for 6 days, or long enough to re-enter Earth's atmosphere...

But don't worry, cause running out of oxygen will kill him long before his lifeless husk ever begins to start the fiery fall.
 
That's EASY.

Similar to the piddle tube, you have a two stage "airlock".

One airlock canister evacuates air into space. Then the second lock is attached to the astronaut's anus.

He poops.

Then the second canister sucks the poop and pee into the first using a valve that can be depressurized.

Then the first airlock is now filled with poop and pee.

That airlock allows itself to be sucked out into space - which resets the depressurized space for moar poop and pee.

The poop and pee that has been jettisoned can now float through space till it gets to Uranus.


I saw what you did there at the end. LOL
 
This would be one giant gape for mans-hind.
You could call/reference it:
The Eternal Anus.
The Anus Extension.
Dunkin' Do-nauts
Doo Doo Honor me
Eva-Q-Mate or Evac-U-Mate
Relative Doo-mitity
Think of the Poo-sibilities
Third Hand in your can.
4G Breezeway.
The grosser grocer
The End times
Shat vac
End not want knot.
The Backlogger
DuPonts' DoPoonts
The Matt Damon Redeemer
 
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That's EASY.

Similar to the piddle tube, you have a two stage "airlock".

One airlock canister evacuates air into space. Then the second lock is attached to the astronaut's anus.

He poops.

Then the second canister sucks the poop and pee into the first using a valve that can be depressurized.

Then the first airlock is now filled with poop and pee.

That airlock allows itself to be sucked out into space - which resets the depressurized space for moar poop and pee.

The poop and pee that has been jettisoned can now float through space till it gets to Uranus.

So how do they wipe their ***? I'm sorry but being on a several hour EVA with **** on my *** is not exactly what I would be looking forward to. Especially if it happens soon after the EVA starts. Imagine those crusted dingleberries?
 
What condition are their bowels in when they poop? What are we talking about? A healthy log? Small deer pebbles? What? More liquid than solid? Soft and sticky? Different types of turd would require different ways of evacuation to work. I feel like if I sat down and put some thought into it I could come up with something, but it's imperative to know exactly what kind of material we're working with.
 
This is so ridiculous I doubt it will get done. How many ppl actually know what it is to do stuff in zero gravity. Oh yes the astronauts on the mir station know. Why dont we ask them
 
What condition are their bowels in when they poop? What are we talking about? A healthy log? Small deer pebbles? What? More liquid than solid? Soft and sticky? Different types of turd would require different ways of evacuation to work. I feel like if I sat down and put some thought into it I could come up with something, but it's imperative to know exactly what kind of material we're working with.
The answer is all of them, of course.
 
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