SPACE is truly the final frontier, for bodily functions at least.
NASA has launched a - wait for it - "Space Poop Challenge" in which the American space agency is seeking submissions from the public on the vital problem of number 2s while in orbit.
It's apparently not a joke, with a prize of US$30,000 up for grabs via crowd-funding platform HeroX for the best solution to manage waste for "a continuous duration of up to 144 hours".
"As humans push beyond low Earth orbit, travel to the Moon and Mars, we will have many problems to solve," says veteran NASA astronaut Richard Mastracchio in a video accompanying the project.
"I can tell you that spaceflight is not always glamorous...people need to go to the bathroom, even in a spacecraft. When you gotta go, you gotta go, and sometimes you gotta go in a total vacuum."
The current go-to for long spacewalks is adult nappies, but they're not suitable for astronauts spending long periods in space.
"Waste management systems should address fecal, urine, and/or menstrual waste management in a pressurised survival suit environment for six days while protecting the safety and health of crew members," the brief says.
Got a suggestion? There are three weeks left to enter so go for it at herox.com/SpacePoop.
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