NASA has launched a contest for inventors to solve the toilet issue, and promises to award US$30,000 to the best “space poop” solutions.

Inventors have until Dec. 20 to submit designs for a personalized waste-wicking system that will handle everything, hands-free, for a period of up to six days.

“The old standby solution consisted of diapers,” said the description of contest details at www.herox.com/SpacePoop.

“However, the diaper is only a very temporary solution, and doesn’t provide a healthy/protective option longer than one day.”

Sometimes, astronauts have to wait even longer. The two men and one woman who packed themselves into a Russian Soyuz space capsule last month had to wait two full days between launching from Kazakhstan and arriving at the International Space Station.

The Soyuz is equipped with a portable toilet, which looks like an air-powered pee jug.

On future missions to deep space destinations like an asteroid or Mars, NASA suspects it could take up to 144 hours, or six days, to get to a proper toilet.

In emergency situations, astronauts may need to zip themselves into a fully pressurized, bulky orange spacesuit, complete with helmet and gloves.

“While sealed, it is impossible for an astronaut to access their own body, even to scratch their nose,” NASA said.

That’s where the inventors come in. Astronauts need some way to clear away urine, fecal matter and menstrual blood efficiently, or they risk infection.

The problem is that in weightlessness, fluids can blob up and stick to surfaces, while solids float in the air.

“You don’t want any of these solids and fluids stuck to your body for six days,” NASA said, recalling how easy babies can get diaper rash.

Currently, while at the International Space Station, astronauts use a toilet contraption that includes a vacuum and a tube to help evacuate fecal matter.

To urinate, they use a funnel attached to a hose that can be adapted for a sitting or standing position, and uses air to move urine away.

为了解决“太空排便”这个难题，美国宇航局发起了一场发明征集赛，最佳方案可获得3万美金奖励。

参与者需在12月20日前递交个性化的排泄物处理系统，该方案要能够解决所有问题、不用手且持续周期最多为6天。

www.herox.com/SpacePoop网站在比赛细则中描述道，“老办法是用尿布。”

“然而，这只是一个临时解决方案，尿布使用超过一天就没办法保证健康和防护性。”

有时候，宇航员甚至要等更久。上个月，两名男性和一名女性进入了俄罗斯联盟号太空舱，从太空舱在哈萨克斯坦发射到抵达国际空间站，期间他们必须等待两天。

“联盟号”配备了便携式厕所，它看起来像是一个空气动力小便壶。

未来太空任务的目的地是小行星或是火星之类更远的地方，美国宇航局估计宇航员可能要坚持6天才能找到一个合适的厕所。

在紧急情况下，宇航员可能需要将自己包裹在完全加压的、配有头盔和手套的笨重橙色宇航服中。

“因为宇航服是密封的，所以宇航员不可能触碰到自己的身体，连自己的鼻子都摸不到。”

这正是需要发明家的地方。宇航员需要有效清除尿液、粪便以及经血的方法，否则就有感染的风险。

问题是，在失重状态下液体变成水珠浮于表面，而固体漂浮在空中。

美国宇航局表示，“你不会想要任何这类固体和液体在身上停留6天时间。”这让人联想到婴儿很容易得尿布疹。

目前，宇航员在国际空间站使用的厕所装置包含帮助输导粪便的真空泵和管道。

他们小便时使用一个漏斗，这个漏斗连接的软管，使得坐姿或站姿都可使用，并通过空气将尿液清除。(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【尿布疹】niàobùzhěn diaper rash dermatitis of the thighs and buttocks of infants, supposedly caused by ammonia in the urine in the child’s diapers

    【装置】zhuāngzhì contraption a mechanical device, a gadget