In the coming years, NASA will be making the long-awaited return to the Moon, where they will be joined by numerous area firms and industrial partners. This will be followed by NASA and China sending out the very first crewed objectives to Mars and other areas in deep space in the next decade. This presents various challenges, not the least of which involves providing for astronauts basic needs while in flight. In keeping with the tradition of “fixing for area resolves for Earth,” devoted to addressing air-quality issues and Climate Change here at home.
Theres the “Waste to Base Materials Challenge: Sustainable Reprocessing in Space,” which looks for ingenious solutions for what to do about all the waste thats produced throughout long-duration spaceflights. Second, theres the “NASA Air-athon Challenge,” which is looking to foster high-resolution air quality details to enhance public health and security.
The Challenge of Sustainability
According to several objective propositions (including NASAs Journey to Mars and Moon to Mars), launch windows to Mars occur when Earth and Mars are closest to each other in their orbits (every 26 months). A big salami will take anywhere from a year to 18 months throughout these durations, which exercises to a total objective period of two to 3 years. Aside from air, water, and food, theres the matter of all the waste that a long-duration objective will create (human and otherwise).
Seeks Novel Ways to Sustainably Deal with Waste on Spaceship for Future Human Missions; Top Ideas to Share $24K Prize Purse. Credit: HeroX
Offered the logistics and sheer expense of sending out resupply missions to places in deep space, missions to Mars will require to be as self-dependent as possible. While solutions exist for supplying a steady (and even regenerative) supply of air, water, and food, waste is a cumulative problem with no sustainable services. The Waste to Base Materials Challenge is searching for methods to transform human waste, packaging, and various trash into things astronauts can utilize for the mission.
These include, however are not limited to, propellant, feedstock for 3D printing, and other beneficial materials that can be cycled through multiple times. With a prize purse of $24,000, HeroX and the NASA Tournament Lab (NTL) are looking for proposals for waste-management systems that will result in little to no waste. In the long-term, NASA imagines the possibility of integrating all of the proposed processes into a single robust environment that enables spacecraft to release from Earth with a minimal amount of supplies (consequently lessening launch mass).
” This is exactly what our crowd is poised to do: resolve intractable issues with an eye for performance and sustainability,” stated HeroX President & & CEO Kal K. Sahota. “I aspire to see the submissions.” All submissions will be assessed based on 4 specific categories:
TrashFecal wasteFoam product packaging materialCarbon dioxide processing
Multiple winners will be picked for each category, each of which will be granted a prize of $1,000. The judges will also acknowledge four ideas as “best in class,” which will likewise be granted a reward of $1000. The reward is open to anyone 18 or older, taking part as people or teams, and from any country, supplied U.S. federal sanctions do not prevent competitors (some additional restrictions might use).
For additional information or to sign up for the challenge, take a look at the Challenge Page at HeroX
Obstacle Seeks Novel Ways to Create Accurate, High-Resolution Air Quality Estimates; Top Ideas to Share $50K Prize Purse. Credit: HeroX.
Keeping Track Of Air Quality
In another crucial incentive competitors, NASA is looking for solutions for air-quality tracking, which is of crucial importance to breathing health today. Over the past century, urban growth, industrialization, and the growing consumption of nonrenewable fuel sources have actually resulted in growing issues about air pollution and climate change. In addition to elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), theres likewise the threat posed by elevated levels of surface-level nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particle matter (PM2.5).
Whereas NO2 lasts less than a day in the environment, it can cause respiratory issues, asthma issues, and the formation of other damaging pollutants, such as ozone (O3) and particle matter. PM2.5 describes particulate matter thats less than 2.5 micrometers in size, which can last for days to weeks in the atmosphere and can penetrate deep into human lungs, causing respiratory disease, lung cancer, and other significant health issues.
Presently, theres no single system in place that supplies the general public with on-demand, high-resolution data on surface-level air pollutants. Because of this, countless individuals worldwide are unable to make educated decisions and manage their exposure to airborne contaminants that might affect their health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4.2 million deaths a year take place due to exposure to outdoor air pollution, making it the leading environmental risk aspect for deaths around the world and the sixth-leading threat aspect general.
While many cities utilize ground displays to monitor and provide real-time data on air quality, they are pricey and suffer have big gaps in coverage. For this reason, NASA, HeroX, and data-science competition platform DrivenData have launched the NASA Air-athon Challenge. As DrivenData co-founder and head of Business Development Greg Lipstein stated in the competition news release:
” This is a difficult problem where better data tools can provide prompt information to countless individuals to assist them safeguard their health. The obstacle will evaluate services from a global community of experts, with the very best approaches instantly rising to the top of the leaderboard.”
Human activity is a significant reason for air contamination, much of which arises from commercial procedures. Credit: cherwell.org
With a total reward purse of $50,000, this obstacle aims to develop services that can utilize extensively offered, affordable sensing unit data and satellite images to supply local, daily air quality information to numerous countless individuals. These systems will need to generate day-to-day quotes of NO2 and PM2.5 throughout 5 km (3 mi) grids in 3 major metropolitan locations the Los Angeles South Coast Air Basin, U.S.; Delhi, India; and Taipei, Taiwan.
” This effort focuses on the health of entire communities,” included HeroX CEO Kal K. Sahota. “I aspire to see the ingenious ways the crowd can improve air quality information collection and improve public health.”
To assist NASA resolve these problems, the leading crowdsourcing platform HeroX has launched 2 brand-new reward obstacles. Theres the “Waste to Base Materials Challenge: Sustainable Reprocessing in Space,” which seeks innovative options for what to do about all the waste thats generated throughout long-duration spaceflights. Second, theres the “NASA Air-athon Challenge,” which is looking to foster high-resolution air quality details to enhance public health and safety.
These 2 challenges, which were introduced at the same time today, demonstrate how the challenges of area exploration and life in the world are inherently linked. By establishing sustainability solutions for long-duration missions to places in deep space, researchers are likewise producing applications for better living here in your home. By studying and characterizing other planetary environments in the hopes of comprehending them better (and finding life), we are finding out more about what makes Earth so special.
As the saying goes, “Solving for area resolves for Earth.” If humankinds future depend on space, we require the kind of understanding and solutions that will enable sustainable living, regardless of where that is!
Additional Reading: HeroX, DrivenData
Like this: Like Loading …
For this factor, NASA, HeroX, and data-science competitors platform DrivenData have released the NASA Air-athon Challenge. These two obstacles, which were launched simultaneously today, show how the challenges of area expedition and life on Earth are fundamentally linked.
