If we are going to go on Mars, that's how we are going to have to handle the waste. If we go to Mars, that's how we are going to have to handle waste.

Sci-fi visions of going on Mars have everything imagined, from 3D printed habitat to terraforming, but no one really wants to talk as much about it in all these idealized fictions: unfortunately, everywhere where there are humans, there is trash.

NASA wants to find out how to get rid of all these freeze dried food packages (and everything else) before landing on Mars or venturing into the deep space. The space agency has just announced that it will look for concepts to eliminate space waste through its NextSTEP program, so that they can find new ways to compact and treat waste in order to managing the waste situation

. year, as a testing ground for waste management methods is the most obvious way to prepare for extended stays away from the Earth. The floating space station already receives approximately 13 tons of supplies from cargo replenishment missions each year and periodically sends about 2 tons to Earth in a commercial supply vehicle that brings it back to the surface or lets it burn in the air. 39; atmosphere. [19659002] Extreme efficiency measures must be implemented in order to make the best use of resources, as well as reduce, reuse and recycle water, breathable air and all that can to be useful at a distance. The trash is equal to the volume, and an excess of it hidden in a spaceship could signify both physical dangers and biological hazards obvious things that cause bacteria.

will be more room for recycling and reassignment. What NASA is looking for is a solution that can eliminate these risks and reuse as much as possible.

Companies selected for Phase A development will use their own resources to create a garbage disposal system concept. Design reviews with NASA will refine the concepts until they are ready to be prototyped. The prototypes of this phase will be demonstrated in the field. As early as 2022, a flight unit to test these concepts will be built, and candidates who will advance to Phase B will demonstrate their prototypes system on this unit aboard the ISS.

Mars and the deep space will be an even bigger challenge as astronauts will be too far away from the planet to receive regular cargoes or send bulging garbage bags on cargo ships. The Heat Melt compactor (pictured above) is under development to evaporate water from the waste before compacting it, and another emerging technology will turn the waste into methane for use as rocket fuel.

Now, it's something that has not yet been seen in a sci-fi movie. Still,

(via NASA)