The recycling of human excrement on the Moon, this subject which concerns NASA

The first test flight of NASA’s Artemis mission aimed at bringing humans back to the Moon took place at the end of 2022. If the challenge is great before the final launch of Artemis III, another challenge awaits. space agency: management of defections during space travel. Despite the scale of the problem, the competent authorities have still not found solutions to recycle astronauts’ excrement, underlines the media Wired in an article published on June 25, 2024.

Suction pipes

Since the beginning of the conquest of space, considerable efforts have been made to allow astronauts to relieve themselves despite the lack of gravity. “At the dawn of the space age, American crews simply taped a bag to their buttocks”, recalls Wired. Now, the International Space Station has a toilet equipped with a hose and suction head to remove urine and feces. The stools are then placed in a garbage bag, sent “in a kind of airtight container” and transported to the space station, details an article from It interests me, published on April 19, 2023.

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A year in space: life aboard the ISS

However, scientists have still not developed a system to eliminate all biological waste from humans in space and on the moon. “Waste management designs are still under study, but the goal of the NASA is to minimize any potential impact on the lunar surface”Michael Rapley, deputy director of the Human Landing System crew compartment at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, told Wired.

Microbial contamination?

The stakes are high. Fecal microbes “could pose a real threat to the lunar environment and to scientific activities carried out on the Earth’s natural satellite”warns Hugo Lopez, researcher at CNRS, in a study published on April 4, 2020 in the book Protection of cultural heritage sites on the moon.

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If the chances of these microbes interfering with extraterrestrial life are low, given the inhospitable nature of the moon, Wired puts it into perspective, this possibility remains possible. The space agency has until 2026 to find a solution, the announced launch date of Artemis III.