The LunaRecycle Challenge aims to find a way to dispose of the 96 bags of waste left behind by Apollo astronauts, as well as tackling waste issues for future lunar outposts

poo on moon

There are 96 bags of waste left behind on the moon(Image: Daily Star)
NASA is offering £2.3million to anyone who can clear the Moon of poo.

The LunaRecycle Challenge aims to address the issue of managing astronauts’ feces, urine and vomit during long-duration missions and on the lunar surface.

The contest aims to find a way to dispose of the 96 bags of waste left behind by Apollo astronauts, as well as tackling waste issues for future lunar outposts.

One of the first pictures taken on the Moon in 1969 by Neil Armstrong featured a jettisoned trash bag, which may have contained human waste, including feces.

astronaut

A new challenge aims to address the waste on the moon [stock pic](Image: NASA/ESA / SWNS)
NASA is currently reviewing LunaRecycle Challenge proposals following the March 3 deadline for Phase 1 submissions.

The space agency said: “As we prepare for future human space missions, there will be a need to consider how various waste streams, including solid waste, can be minimised-as well as how waste can be stored, processed, and recycled in a space environment so that little or no waste will need to be returned to Earth.

first picture taken on the moon

One of the first pictures taken on the Moon in 1969 by Neil Armstrong featured a jettisoned trash bag(Image: NASA / SWNS)
“The challenge also can influence and inspire better approaches and outcomes for terrestrial recycling-through entirely novel approaches, through processes that improve efficiency and reduce toxic outputs, and through smaller-scale technologies that could be deployed in communities around the globe.”

NASA say details about the next phase of the contest, including timelines for announcing winners, will be shared on the challenge’s website as updates become available.

An artist's impression of a lunar outpost

An artist’s impression of a lunar outpost(Image: NASA/ESA / SWNS)
In other NASA news, the two astronauts who were stuck in space finally returned to Earth in March.

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were up in space for more than nine months due to technical issues.

Their mission had meant to last just eight days, but the shuttle they were due to return on encountered some problems.

The duo was greeted by dolphins as they splashed down in the “Gulf Of America”.