NASA LunaRecycle Phase 1 Rules.pdf

NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge Phase 1

DRAFT Competition Rules Updated June 26, 2024

Table of Contents

Definition of Terms

Challenge Problem Statement

Challenge Background and Objectives Waste in Space Terrestrial Intersection The Promise of Digital Twins

Challenge Overview Competition Structure Prize Purses Competition Timeline

Mission Scenario Overview Mission Conditions and Activities Solid Waste Categories and Items Waste Items Form Factors Available Resources Additional Considerations Desirable End Products

Phase 1 Registration and Submissions Registration (Both Tracks) Phase 1 Submission (Digital Twin Track) Phase 1 Submissions (Prototype Build Track)

Judging Criteria

Legal Requirements In General Eligibility to Compete Eligibility to Compete and Win Prizes from NASA Team Roles and Responsibilities Intellectual Property Rights Insurance and Indemnification Delay, Cancellation or Termination

Appendix A: Phase 1 Submission Instructions (Digital Twin Track)

Appendix B: Phase 1 Submission Template (Prototype Build Track)

Appendix C: Expectations for Phase 2

Definition of Terms

Concept of Operations: A description of the operations of a system from a user’s perspective, through a complete production cycle, including cleanup and any activities required to prepare for the following production cycle.

Digital Twin: A digital twin is a set of virtual information constructs that mimics the structure, context, and behavior of a natural, engineered, or social system (or system-of-systems), is dynamically updated with data from its physical twin, has a predictive capability, and informs decisions that realize value.1 In this challenge, a physical system for recycling on the lunar surface does not yet exist; therefore, teams will design a digital twin that mimics an intended future physical system and includes data for the intended system and the expected bidirectional interaction between the digital twin and the intended system.

In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): Resource extraction from the surrounding vicinity of exploration. On the lunar surface, ISRU could include resource extraction from the local environment such as water and oxygen.

Judging Panel: A panel of professionals and subject matter experts from government, academia, and industry who will evaluate and score all submissions.

Manufacturing of End Products: In this challenge, manufacturing of end products is a process following the recycling process that results in a finished usable item.

Mission Scenario: A hypothetical scenario based on a real-world lunar mission. In this challenge, the Mission Scenario imagines a holistic set of waste management needs and conditions on the lunar surface.

Phase: A stage of the Challenge representing a key step in the development of the technologies. This Challenge will have up to two phases.

Recycling: In this challenge, recycling includes the processes to convert waste items into commodities, fuels, and feedstocks that can be used to manufacture end products for science, future exploration, and commercial use.

Solid Waste: Waste that will be addressed in this challenge. Solid waste does not include biological waste, hazardous waste, gaseous waste, or metabolic waste.

Solid waste categories and items that will accumulate in the hypothetical Mission Scenario are defined in Table X.

1 “Foundational Research Gaps and Future Directions for Digital Twins,” National Academies, accessed June 23, 2024, https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/foundational-research-gaps-and-future-directions-for-digital-twins.

https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/foundational-research-gaps-and-future-directions-for-digital-twins https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/foundational-research-gaps-and-future-directions-for-digital-twins

Team: An individual, group of individuals, or a group of individuals represented by an Entity that have officially registered and are approved to compete in the Challenge (U.S., Other International).

Challenge Problem Statement

In this Challenge, NASA seeks to incentivize the design and development of recycling solutions that can address solid waste streams and improve the sustainability of longer-term lunar missions.

Challenge Background and Objectives

Waste in Space

NASA is committed to sustainable space exploration.2 As NASA prepares for future human space missions, there will be a need to consider how various waste streams, including solid waste, can be minimized 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.

Recent NASA directives have specifically addressed the need for sustainability in these areas. NASA’s Moon to Mars Strategy identifies Maintainability and Reuse (RT-5) and Responsible Use (RT-6) as critical strategies fundamental to achieving long-term sustainability of space operations, as well as independence from Earth.3 More specifically, the strategy includes explicit operational goals to “minimize the disturbance to the local environment, maximize the resources available to future explorers, and allow for reuse/recycling of material transported from Earth (and from the lunar surface in the case of Mars) to be used during exploration” (OP-12).4

By utilizing open innovation strategies in this area, NASA has the opportunity to incentivize novel solutions to the challenges of waste in space and ensure the sustainability of future space exploration, industrial activities, and habitats.

2 “NASA’s Space Sustainability Strategy,” National Aeronautics and Space Administration, accessed June 23, 2024, https://www.nasa.gov/spacesustainability/.

3 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA’s Moon to Mars Strategy and Objectives Development (Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2023), https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/m2m_strategy_and_objectives_development.pdf?emrc=c21aff.

4 Ibid.

https://www.nasa.gov/spacesustainability/ https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/m2m_strategy_and_objectives_development.pdf?emrc=c21aff https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/m2m_strategy_and_objectives_development.pdf?emrc=c21aff

Terrestrial Intersection

As of 2018, solid waste streams (similar to those that will be addressed in this challenge) made up just over 50 percent of municipal solid waste in the U.S. This waste includes paper and cardboard (23%); plastics (12%); metals (9%); textiles (6%); and glass (4%).5 However, among these waste streams, only about 40% of waste is recycled. Moreover, that percentage is made up mostly of paper and cardboard;

approximately 70% of paper and cardboard is recycled, while for textiles (18%), plastics (8%), and metals (3%) the percentages are much smaller.6

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified several issues7 that impede successful recycling in the U.S. These include:

● Technology and Innovation: Recycling infrastructure is not always designed to handle the latest materials, packaging, and products, and communication between manufacturers and recyclers is lacking.8

● Economics: Historically, a significant portion of recycled materials have been exported internationally, but in 2018, China and other countries limited or stopped accepting U.S. recyclables. As a result, large recyclers have higher volumes of waste and fewer buyers for it, leading to the companies charging exponentially increased prices to U.S. municipalities.9

● Marketing and Consumer Education: Recycling rules vary by state and local jurisdictions, and it can be confusing and time consuming for consumers to properly recycle even simple items. Many consumers engage in “wish-cycling” (disposal of waste in a recycling bin with the hope that it will be recycled, when it cannot or is unlikely to be recycled),10 which results in contamination of the recycling stream.

5 “National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accessed June 23, 2024, https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#NationalPicture.

6 Ibid.

7 “The U.S. Recycling System,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accessed June 23, 2024, https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/us-recycling-system.

8 Ibid.

9 Michael Corkery, “As Costs Skyrocket, More U.S. Cities Stop Recycling,” The New York Times, March 16, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/16/business/local-recycling-costs.html.

10 “Wishcycling,” Wikipedia, accessed June 23, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishcycling.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling_bin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#NationalPicture https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#NationalPicture https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/us-recycling-system https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/16/business/local-recycling-costs.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishcycling

● Policy and Regulation: Standards vary by state and locality regarding misleading or deceptive recycling symbols, and the U.S. government has been slow to update rules and guidelines.11

● Measurement and Data: More consistent, standardized measurement methodologies are needed to measure recycling system performance, create realistic goals, and track progress.12

This challenge will focus on recycling approaches for materials very similar to materials that are difficult to recycle terrestrially. The challenge has the potential to highlight entirely novel approaches to recycling; processes that improve energy efficiency and water efficiency; processes that reduce un-usable outputs and toxic emissions; and smaller-scale solutions that could be deployed in communities in a more distributed way than recycling facilities today. Each of these has the potential to influence and inspire better approaches and outcomes for terrestrial recycling in the future.

The Promise of Digital Twins

According to a 2024 National Academies report, digital twin technologies hold “immense promise” in accelerating scientific discovery and revolutionizing a wide variety of industries. Digital twins typically include bi-directional interaction between a physical system and its virtual twin, creating a dynamic decision-making tool “that goes beyond what has been traditionally possible with modeling and simulation.”13 Specifically, by enabling predictive insights and effective optimizations and simulating dynamic system behavior, digital twins have the potential to “enhance operational efficiency, optimize production strategies, reduce time-to-market, and unlock new avenues for scientific and industrial growth and innovation.”14

The concept of a digital twin was born at NASA and increasingly represents a critical tool for designing and building physical systems and components that must operate in extreme environments like those found on the Moon. Digital twin technologies can significantly improve the development process by enabling development of breakthrough innovations, numerous virtual design iterations and configurations, and

11 Ellie Borst, “EPA Looks to Toss ‘Deceptive’ Plastics Recycling Symbol,” E&E News, May 15, 2023, https://www.eenews.net/articles/epa-looks-to-toss-deceptive-plastics-recycling-symbol/.

12 “The U.S. Recycling System,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

13 “Foundational Research Gaps and Future Directions for Digital Twins,” National Academies.

14 Ibid https://www.eenews.net/articles/epa-looks-to-toss-deceptive-plastics-recycling-symbol/ eliminating the need for makeshift physical prototypes, saving substantial time and costs.

Challenge Overview

The LunaRecycle Challenge is a $3 million, two track, two-phase competition focused on the design and development of recycling solutions that can reduce solid waste streams and improve the sustainability of longer-term lunar missions.

NASA has provided a Mission Scenario with technical details that teams must address in their solutions. In Phase 1, teams in each track will use a template (see Appendix A and Appendix B) to provide explanations, analyses, and data (as applicable) to describe their solutions. A judging panel will review the submissions and determine the Phase 1 winners according to the judging criteria described below.

This document details the challenge rules for Phase 1 of each track. The initiation of Phase 2 is contingent on the emergence of promising submissions in Phase 1 that demonstrate viable approaches to addressing the challenge. Additional details and rules for Phase 2 will be released if and when NASA launches Phase 2 for either/both tracks.

General expectations for Phase 2 (both tracks) can be found in Appendix C.

Competition Structure

The LunaRecycle Challenge will have two competition tracks:

● Digital Twin track, focused on designing a digital twin of a complete system for recycling one or more solid waste streams on the lunar surface and manufacturing one or more end products. Teams in this track must include the manufacturing of one or more finished end products in their design.

● Prototype Build track, focused on designing and developing hardware components and systems for recycling one or more solid waste streams on the lunar surface. Teams in this track may—but are not required to—include the manufacturing of one or more end products in their design. Teams in this track may end their process with the production of one or more commodities, fuels, or feedstocks instead of one or more finished end products.

Teams may compete in either/both competition tracks. Each track is expected to have two phases.

Prize Purses

The LunaRecycle Challenge will have a total prize purse of up to $3 million, including a total of up to $1 million available during Phase 1. Prizes are expected to be distributed as summarized in Table 1 and Table 2.

Table 1. LunaRecycle Challenge Total Prizes Across Phases

Digital Twin

Track Prototype Build

Track

TOTAL

Phase 1 $400K $600K $1.00M

Phase 2 $600K $1.40M $2.00M

TOTAL $1.0M $2.0M $3.0M

Table 2. Phase 1 Prize Purse Distribution

Digital Twin

Track Prototype Build

Track

Number of Winners Up to 8 Up to 8

Prize Per Winner $50K $75K

Total Phase 1 Prizes Up to $400K Up to $600K

Competition Timeline

For both tracks, Phase 1 is expected to last eight (8) months, including six (6) months for registration and submission. A tentative competition calendar for Phase 1 is summarized in Table 3.

Table 3. Phase 1 Competition Calendar

Tentative Date Activity

By September 30, 2024 Phase 1 registration begins

October 2024 - March 2025

Webinars and team recruitment activities Judges webinar/training

By March 31, 2025 Deadline for registration (both tracks)

By March 31, 2025 Deadline for Phase 1 submission (both tracks)

April 2025 Administrative reviews

May 2025 Judging

By May 31, 2025 Phase 1 winners announced (both tracks)

TBD Phase 2 rules announced

Mission Scenario

Overview

This Mission Scenario is a hypothetical example of the potential waste management needs of future NASA missions. This Mission Scenario contains information that is relevant for both competition tracks. Please see the specific questions for each track in the submission templates (Appendix A and Appendix B, respectively).

Mission Conditions and Activities

In this Mission Scenario, a crew of eight (8) people will land on the lunar surface and remain for 365 days. During this time, they will accumulate TBD kg of solid waste (see Table 4).

Recycling systems to address this waste may be located outside on the lunar surface and/or inside a pressurized habitat. If a system is designed for outside operation, it must be designed to take into account the outside gravity, atmospheric pressure, and temperatures described below. If a system is designed for inside operation, it must be designed for the inside gravity, atmospheric pressure, and volume constraints described below.

● Outside, on the lunar surface:

○ Gravity is 1.625 m/s2

○ Atmospheric pressure is 0.3 nanopascal (nPa)

○ Temperatures range from 50 K to 250 K

● Inside a pressurized habitat:

○ Gravity is 1.625 m/s2

○ Atmospheric pressure is 8.3 pounds per square inch absolute (PSIA)

○ Volume: The solution must fit within the space used by four (4) EXPRESS

(EXpedite the PRocessing of Experiments to the Space Station) Racks;

each EXPRESS Rack is 48.26 cm height x 41.91 cm width x 24.13 cm depth

● Extravehicular activities (EVAs) will be conducted by two (2) crew members approximately every other day for 6-8 hours per trip

● The settlement will be resupplied by TBD vehicle/mission approximately every quarter

Solid Waste Categories and Items

In this Mission Scenario, the settlement and activities are expected to accumulate TBD total (kg) of solid waste, as it is defined in this challenge. This waste can be broken down into several waste categories. Each waste category includes two or more items (see Table 4). Please note: Table 4 will be updated with additional details in the final version of the Phase 1 rules.

Teams in both tracks must choose one or more waste categories to address in the challenge and describe which waste items in that category their design will (or will not) recycle. For example, if a team chooses the Fabrics category, they must describe whether/how their design will (or will not) recycle each of the items in that category (Clothing and Towels/Wash Cloths). This does not mean that 100% of all items in a category are required to be recycled; it only means that teams must describe whether/how their design will (or will not) recycle all items. Teams may choose to address more than one waste category, and teams that do so will have an advantage in the judging because the judging criteria will take into account the net waste recycled in kilograms (see Judging Criteria section below).

Table 4.

Solid Waste Categories and Items

Category Item Commercial Equivalent

Approximate Material Breakdown Mass (kg) or % of Total

Fabrics Clothing TBD Cotton/cellulose 56% Nylon 6% Polyester 38%

TBD

Towels/ Wash cloths

TBD Cotton/cellulose 100% TBD

Food Packaging Overwrap TBD Polyester 13% Polyethylene 15% Aluminum 30%

TBD

Underwrap TBD Nylon 41% Polyethylene 33% Ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) 11%

TBD

Bulk Overwrap Bag (BOB)

TBD Nylon 41% Polyethylene 33% Ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) 11%

TBD

Rehydratable Pouch

TBD Nylon 41% Polyethylene 33% Ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) 11%

TBD

Thermal pouch TBD Nylon 13% Polyester 13% Polypropylene 56% Aluminum 18%

TBD

Packaging

Air Cushion TBD Polyethylene 100%

Bubble Wrap Filler TBD Polyethylene 100% TBD

Recloseable bags TBD Polyethylene 100%

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Bubble Wrap Bags

TBD Polyethylene 100% TBD

Structural Elements

Aluminum structure/struts

TBD Aluminum 100% TBD

Other Items TBD TBD TBD

EVA Waste Cargo Transfer Bag (CTB)

TBD TBD TBD

Other Items TBD TBD TBD

Foam packaging Zotek F30 TBD Zotek F30 100%

Plastazote LD45R TBD Polyethylene 100% TBD

Waste Items Form Factors

NASA plans to provide an image and/or description for a commercial off-the-shelf equivalent for each of the waste items described in Table 4. This information will be provided in the final version of the Phase 1 rules.

Available Resources

In this Mission Scenario, teams may assume the following with regard to resources:

● Electricity is available continuously for the recycling process. Teams should not propose any solutions for their own electricity generation, transmission, or energy storage separate from the recycling process; for example, teams should not propose a separate standalone solar system with battery storage as a way to power their system.

● Water is available for use in the recycling process. However, teams should seek to minimize their use of water in the recycling process.

● Outputs from the Recycling Process, such as waste heat, wastewater, or other outputs may be converted and/or re-used as inputs to the recycling process to increase process efficiency.

● Crew are available to operate, monitor, and maintain the recycling system, if necessary. However, teams are encouraged to minimize crew time needed for the recycling process.

● Lunar regolith is available for use in the recycling process. Lunar regolith in this

Mission Scenario is defined as LHS-1 Lunar Highlands Simulant, the specifications for which can be found at: https://sciences.ucf.edu/class/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2019/02/Spec_LHS-1.pdf. This document will also be made available on the challenge website. Teams may assume that any amount of regolith with these characteristics is available at the site of the recycling process. Teams do not need to address how the regolith is excavated or transported to the site of the recycling process; they must only address how it would be used in the recycling process (if they choose to use it).

https://sciences.ucf.edu/class/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2019/02/Spec_LHS-1.pdf https://sciences.ucf.edu/class/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2019/02/Spec_LHS-1.pdf

Additional Considerations

Teams should also consider the following:

● Teams should seek to minimize the amount (by mass) of unusable waste that is not recycled.

● Waste cannot be burned or incinerated in a process that releases any emissions or other harmful/toxic byproducts.

● Teams should seek to avoid any unusable waste that contains any per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). If the recycling process will result in any PFAS, teams must disclose them in their design.

● Teams should minimize processes that result in the creation of any microplastics, including in any wastewater from the recycling process.

Desirable End Products

NASA will have a need for a variety of end products that may wholly or partially utilize materials created from the recycling process. Table 5 highlights a number of examples of end products that would be desirable in a lunar settlement. Teams are also encouraged to imagine other end products that might be created through their proposed processes and solutions.

Table 5.

Example End Products Made from Recycled Materials that are Desirable in a Lunar Settlement

Product Key Characteristics

Utensils -Safe and non-toxic (able to be used to prepare and consume food) -Durable (will not break easily) -Recyclable

Towels -Safe and non-toxic (able to be used without irritation to the skin) -Durable (can be used repeatedly/over a specific period of time)

Small storage containers for food -Safe and non-toxic (able to be used for food storage)

Large storage containers for water, chemicals, or gasses

-Safe (to operate) -Avoids leaks or contamination of contents -Durable (can safely store a commodity for a significant period of time)

Tools (for example cable ties, straps, strap holders, harness hardware, wrench, driver replacements, screws)

-Safe (for a crew member to use) -Durable (can be used repeatedly/over a specific period of time)

“Simple Luxury Item” that would improve crew quality of life but not otherwise be transported to the Moon

Defined by the team/specific to the item…

Other Items imagined by the team… Defined by the team/specific to the item…

Phase 1 Registration and Submissions

Registration (Both Tracks)

All interested teams must register for the challenge by TBD and meet the Legal Requirements explained below.

The registration process will be administered by TBD. Registration will take place through <the challenge website or TBD.

As part of registration, teams must submit the following:

● Team Information, including a bio, headshot, other admin TBD

● Team Agreement and other legal documentation, as described in the Legal Requirements section below

Additional details regarding the process for registration will be available on the challenge website.

Phase 1 Submission (Digital Twin Track)

For the Digital Twin Track, teams must submit the following:

● A presentation file saved as a PDF that addresses the topics and requirements listed in Appendix A;

● A recorded presentation/explanation of the presentation; and

● An animated visualization file of their proposed recycling process

For the Digital Twin Track, each team may only have one (1) entry. Teams must submit their materials on the challenge website by TBD.

Phase 1 Submissions (Prototype Build Track)

For the Prototype Build Track, teams must complete the template in Appendix B for their submission.

For the Prototype Build Track, each team may have multiple entries. Teams must submit their materials on the challenge website by TBD.

Judging Criteria

The following is a summary of the Phase 1 judging criteria. Several criteria apply to BOTH tracks (Completeness, Innovation, Net Waste Recycled, and Efficiency of the Recycling Process). Some criteria ONLY apply to the Digital Twin Track (Digital Twin Architecture, Digital Twin Characteristics, and Quality of Digital Twin Visualization), and some criteria ONLY apply to the Prototype Build Track (Feasibility of the Solution and Development Plan for System Fabrication and Testing).

Completeness will be judged on a Pass/Fail basis. In order to receive a “Pass” score for completeness, teams must address all of the sections of the submission template for their respective track. PLEASE NOTE: Submissions that receive a “Fail” score for completeness will not be judged and will not be eligible for a prize.

All other criteria will be weighted according to the percentages listed in the table.

Table 6.

Phase 1 Judging Criteria

Criteria Description Digital Twin

Weight Prototype Build Weight

Completeness Did the team address all requirements and provide detailed descriptions and robust supporting data/analysis?

Yes/No (Pass/ Fail)

Yes/No (Pass/ Fail)

Innovation How innovative is the approach and proposed systems? How does it compare to recycling solutions already used terrestrially? How does it leverage advanced technologies?

20% 20%

Net Waste Recycled (kg)

What is the net amount of waste addressed across one or more waste stream categories

20% 20%

Efficiency of Recycling Process

What is the expected energy efficiency and water efficiency of the proposed process? How well does it minimize additional inputs and unusable outputs? How well does it minimize crew time?

20% 20%

Digital Twin Architecture

Is the design approach technically sound? Does it address all the necessary elements of a Digital Twin? Does it include all of the necessary engineering data and information?

20%

Digital Twin Characteristics

Does it address each of the required Digital Twin characteristics? How well does it address these characteristics?

10%

Quality of Digital Twin Visualization

How well does the visualization represent the overall Digital Twin?

10%

Feasibility of the Solution

How feasible will the design be to build and implement - both during the challenge and in a future NASA mission? How well does the team understand and articulate potential risks?

20%

Development Plan for System Fabrication and Testing

How well has the team planned for actually developing, building, and testing hardware if they move onto Phase 2 of the challenge? How well have they planned for the necessary personnel, budget, and other development needs?

20%

TOTAL 100% 100%

Legal Requirements

In General Teams are responsible for understanding and complying with these Requirements.

Eligibility to Compete

NASA welcomes applications from individuals, groups of individuals, and/or organization or entities that meet the eligibility requirements provided below.

In order to participate in the Challenge, each individual, whether acting alone or as part of a Competitor Team must identify their nationality.

• No individual competitor shall be a citizen of a country on the NASA Export Control

Program list of Designated Countries List Category II: Countries determined by the Department of State to support terrorism. The current list of designated countries can be found at http://oiir.hq.nasa.gov/nasaecp. Please check the link for latest updates. This includes individuals with dual citizenship unless they are a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder).

• While China is not a Category II designated country, pursuant to Public Law 116-6, Section 530, NASA is prohibited from participating, collaborating, or coordinating bilaterally in any way with China or any Chinese-owned entity. Team members who are citizens of China but not affiliated with a Chinese entity may be permitted to participate on a Team.

• Subject to the conditions set forth herein, foreign nationals and foreign national teams can participate in the Challenge. However, they are not eligible for a cash prize, and must acknowledge acceptance of this by signing and submitting a Foreign Participant Acknowledgement Form.

Eligibility to Compete and Win Prizes from NASA

In order to be eligible to win a prize:

1. Individuals must be U.S. citizens OR permanent residents of the United States, AND over the age of 18.

2. Organizations must be an entity incorporated in AND maintaining a primary place of business in the United States.

3. Competitor Teams must be comprised of otherwise eligible individuals or organizations AND led by an otherwise eligible individual or organization.

4. Team Leader must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

A Team may include foreign nationals and be eligible to win prize money as long as the foreign national signs and delivers a disclosure (separate form) wherein he/she discloses his/her citizenship and acknowledge that her/she is not eligible to win a prize from NASA, AND

. The foreign national is an employee of an otherwise eligible U.S. entity participating in the Challenge, I. The foreign national is an owner of such entity, so long as foreign citizens own less than 50% of the interests in the entity, II. The foreign national is a contractor under written contract to such entity, OR III. The foreign national is a full-time student, during the time of the Challenge, of an otherwise eligible entity which is an accredited institution of higher learning, AND the student is during the Challenge in the United States on a valid student visa and is otherwise in compliance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations regarding the sale and export of technology.

Team Members must furnish proof of eligibility (including proof of citizenship or permanent resident status, for individuals, and proof of incorporation and primary place of business, for entities) which proof must be satisfactory to NASA in its sole discretion. A Team’s failure to comply with any aspect of the eligibility requirements shall result in the Team being disqualified from winning a Prize from NASA.

U.S. government employees may enter the competition, or be members of prize-eligible teams, so long as they are not acting within the scope of their Federal employment, and they rely on no facilities, access, personnel, knowledge or other resources that are available to them as a result of their employment except for those resources available to all other participants on an equal basis.

U.S. government employees participating as individuals, or who submit applications on behalf of an otherwise eligible organization, will be responsible for ensuring that their participation in the Competition is permitted by the rules and regulations relevant to their position and that they have obtained any authorization that may be required by virtue of their government position. Failure to do so may result in the disqualification of them individually or of the entity which they represent or in which they are involved.

Teams will be ineligible to win the Prize if any Team Member is a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of their employment. This includes any U.S.

Government organization or organization principally or substantially funded by the Federal Government, including Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, Government-owned, contractor operated (GOCO) facilities, and University Affiliated Research Centers. No U.S. government funds may be used to participate in the Challenge. Any such entity or individual shall obtain prior written approval from their cognizant ethics officer that such participation does not violate federal personnel laws or applicable agency policy. A copy of this approval to participate in the Challenge shall promptly be provided to the Methuselah Foundation.

Current employees, consultants, and students of the Methuselah Foundation may only participate as Team Members when the Team is not competing for the Prize from

NASA. Participation of such parties as Team Members on a Team will make a Team ineligible for any Prize award.

Team Roles and Responsibilities

Each Team will designate a Team Leader. The Team Leader shall be responsible for compliance with the rules, including prize eligibility rules, by all members of their Team.

Prize funding will be released only to the Team Leader as detailed in Appendix C.

Intellectual Property Rights

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these rules, NASA and the Methuselah Foundation claim no intellectual property (IP) rights from the Team. All trade secrets, copyrights, patent rights, and software rights will remain with each respective Team.

Additional details specific to U.S. Teams and Other International Teams are included in the table in Appendix D.

Insurance and Indemnification

Each Team Member agrees to assume any and all risks and waives claims against the Methuselah Foundation and the U.S. Government and its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from each Team Member’s participation in the Challenge, whether such injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise. For the purposes of this section, the term “related entity” means a contractor or subcontractor at any tier, and a supplier, user, customer, cooperating party, grantee, investigator, or detailee.

Team agrees to obtain any and all insurance policies and coverage required by its local, state, or Federal governments to conduct any and all virtual activities related to or required by participation of Team and the Team Members in the Challenge. In addition, Partner requires that each Team obtain liability insurance in the amount of $5,000 USD minimum that covers each Team Member or otherwise demonstrate financial responsibility for that amount. The Team’s liability insurance shall provide coverage for all claims by (A) a third party for death, bodily injury, or property damage, or loss resulting from an activity carried out in connection with participation in the Challenge, with the Federal Government and Partner named as an additional insured under the Team’s insurance policies; and (B) the Federal Government, the Methuselah Foundation, and its contractors for damage or loss to Government or Partner property resulting from or related to Challenge activities. The Team and all Team Members agree to indemnify the Federal Government and Partner against third-party claims for damages arising from or related to Challenge activities.

Proof of insurance in such form as reasonably required shall be provided to the Partner, no later than ten (10) days prior to the Submission Deadline as outlined in Exhibit C of the Team Agreement. Alternatively, if Team intends to fulfill this requirement by demonstrating financial responsibility in the requisite amount, Team shall submit to Partner in writing such information as demonstrates to Partner, in Partner’s reasonable discretion, that Team has sufficient financial responsibility to cover the potential claims cited in the requisite minimum amount as outlined in Exhibit C of the Team Agreement.

Delay, Cancellation or Termination

The Competitor Team acknowledges that circumstances may arise that require the Challenge to be delayed indefinitely or canceled. Such delay or cancellation, and/or the termination of the Challenge, shall be within the full discretion of NASA and Partner, and the Team accepts any risk of damage or loss due to such delay, cancellation, and/or termination.

Appendix A: Phase 1 Submission Instructions (Digital Twin Track)

Instructions

● The presentation must be a PDF file and may include no more than 50 slides.

Judges will not review any slides beyond 50 slides.

● The recorded presentation may be no longer than 30 minutes. Judges will not review the presentation beyond 30 minutes.

● The animated visualization must be submitted as a separate file and may not be longer than TBD minutes.

● The presentation must address each required section and topic described below.

PLEASE NOTE: Any presentation that does not address all of the requirements will receive a “Fail” score for completeness, will not be judged, and will not be eligible for a prize.

Required Sections and Topics

1. Team Information (1 slide suggested)

● Team Name: (Teams are encouraged to use a creative team name. This name may be used in promotional materials related to the challenge.)

● Team Lead:

● Team Affiliations/Organizations (if applicable):

● Geographic Location (City and State/Territory):

● One Sentence Description: (Provide a one-sentence description of your solution that may be used in promotional materials related to the challenge. Do not reference any confidential elements of your solution in this description.)

● Relevant Past Work (if applicable):

2. Vision and Innovation (2-4 slides suggested)

● What specifically is innovative about your approach?

● How is it different from and/or better than recycling approaches currently used terrestrially?

● How is it different from and/or better than recycling approaches currently contemplated for space applications?

● How does it address the conditions and activities of the hypothetical lunar settlement described in the Mission Scenario? Please specifically address 1) whether your system will be located outside on the lunar surface and/or inside a pressurized habitat and 2) how your system will be designed for the lunar conditions relevant to its location (as described in the Mission Scenario).

● How does your approach leverage advanced technologies, such as AI, etc.?

3. Recycling Process and Outputs (8-16 slides suggested)

● What waste category/categories and items will your recycling process address?

● What are the systems and components that make up your recycling process?

Please provide detailed descriptions, schematics, and other relevant data for these systems and components.

● What is your concept of operations? Will operation of your system require crew time, and if so, how much?

● Describe the inputs and resources needed for your recycling process including electricity, water, heat, chemicals, minerals, crew time, or any other inputs required for your process. Include the following table in your presentation for each waste item that you are addressing. If your recycling process addresses more than one waste item simultaneously, you may provide one table for multiple waste items.

Waste Item Input Amount Required Over 365-Day

Electricity Including:

● Peak demand over a specific time period (kW)

● Total electricity consumed (kWh)

● Net electricity consumed, if any electricity is produced in the recycling process (kWh)

Water

Other/Chemicals

Other/Minerals

Crew Time # of hours (over the 1-year mission including operation and maintenance)

● Describe the usable outputs from your process, including the amounts and types of commodities, fuels, and feedstocks that can be used to manufacture end products and/or any finished end products.

● Describe the types and amounts of the original waste items that were not recycled.

● Describe the types and amounts of unusable outputs that will result from your process.

● What maintenance for your equipment will be needed over the one-year timeframe of the Mission Scenario? Please describe any maintenance activities and the crew time required to conduct the activities.

● Use the following table to provide the total mass of waste addressed by your recycling process over the one-year Mission Scenario and the mass of any unusable waste products. Please use one row for each item that your process will recycle. The Total Item Mass should be taken from Table 4 in the Mission Scenario section.

Item Total Item Mass (kg)

Amount Recycled (kg)

Amount Not Recycled (kg)

Additional Waste Products from the Recycling Process (kg)

4. Digital Twin Architecture and Key Characteristics (8-20 slides suggested)

● Describe the architecture of your digital twin

○ What is your design approach? Describe the physics-based models, simulation, and visualization you will use to create a virtual representation of an intended future physical system.

○ Describe the level of fidelity and resolution that makes it fit for purpose.

○ Describe the sensors and observing systems and the data acquisition and data integration approaches.

○ Describe any automated control and decision-making capabilities.

○ Describe any artificial intelligence, machine learning, and empirical modeling capabilities.

○ Describe your expected approach to virtual prototyping and testing to test performance and functionality in a simulated environment.

○ Describe your validation approach for computer models (e.g., how accurately the model's predictions or outputs align with real-world intended future systems).

○ Describe how the digital twin would communicate with physical assets that would be part of the intended future physical system.

● Describe how your Digital Twin Prototype addresses the following key characteristics:

○ Accuracy

○ Cohesion

○ Flexibility

○ Predictive Capabilities

○ Repeatability

○ Usability

○ Verification and Validity

5. Digital Twin Visualization (2-4 slides suggested)

● Describe what is included or addressed in the visualization provided in your submission

○ How was the visualization created?

○ What engineering data does it incorporate?

○ What does it show?

Appendix B: Phase 1 Submission Template (Prototype Build Track)

Instructions

● The submission must be a PDF file and may include no more than 20 pages.

Judges will not review any materials beyond 20 pages.

● The submission must address each required section and topic described below.

PLEASE NOTE: Any submission that does not address all of the requirements will receive a “Fail” score for completeness, will not be judged, and will not be eligible for a prize.

Required Sections and Topics

1. Team Information (1 page suggested)

● Team Name: (Teams are encouraged to use a creative team name. This name may be used in promotional materials related to the challenge.)

● Team Lead(s):

● Team Affiliations/Organizations (if applicable):

● Geographic Location (City and State/Territory):

● One Sentence Description: (Provide a one-sentence description of your solution that may be used in promotional materials related to the challenge. Do not reference any confidential elements of your solution in this description.)

● Relevant Past Work (if applicable):

2. Vision and Innovation (2 pages suggested)

● What specifically is innovative about your approach?

● How is it different from and/or better than recycling approaches currently used terrestrially?

● How is it different from and/or better than recycling approaches currently contemplated for space applications?

● How does it address the conditions and activities of the hypothetical lunar settlement described in the Mission Scenario? Please specifically address 1) whether your system will be located outside on the lunar surface and/or inside a pressurized habitat and 2) how your system will be designed for the lunar conditions relevant to its location (as described in the Mission Scenario).

● How does your approach leverage advanced technologies?

3. Recycling Process and Outputs (6-8 pages suggested)

● What waste category/categories and items will your recycling process address?

● What are the systems and components that make up your recycling process?

Please provide detailed descriptions, schematics, and other relevant data for these systems and components.

● What is your concept of operations? Will operation of your system require crew time, and if so, how much?

● Describe the inputs and resources needed for your recycling process including electricity, water, heat, chemicals, minerals, crew time, or any other inputs required for your process. Include the following table in your presentation for each waste item that you are addressing. If your recycling process addresses more than one waste item simultaneously, you may provide one table for multiple waste items.

Waste Item Input Amount Required Over 365-Day

Electricity ● Peak demand over a specific time period (kW)

● Total electricity consumed (kWh)

● Net electricity consumed, if any electricity is produced in the recycling process (kWh)

Water

Other/Chemicals

Other/Minerals

Crew Time # of hours (over the 1-year mission including operation and maintenance)

● Describe the usable outputs from your process, including the amounts and types of commodities, fuels, and feedstocks that can be used to manufacture end products and/or the amounts and types of manufactured end products.

● Describe the types and amounts of the original waste items that were not recycled.

● Describe the types and amounts of unusable outputs that will result from your process.

● What maintenance for your equipment will be needed over the one-year timeframe of the Mission Scenario? Please describe any maintenance activities and the crew time required to conduct the activities.

● Use the following table to provide the total mass of waste addressed by your recycling process over the one-year Mission Scenario and the mass of any unusable waste products. Please use one row for each item that your process will recycle. The Total Item Mass should be taken from Table 4 in the Mission Scenario section.

Item Total Item Mass (kg)

Amount Recycled

(kg)

Amount Not Recycled

(kg)

Additional Waste Products from the Recycling Process (kg)

4. Hardware and Components (3-4 pages suggested)

● Preliminary Schematics: Provide assembly-level CAD models showing envelopes and key dimensions for your solution.

● Equipment List and Mass/Volume Estimates: Use the EQUIPMENT TEMPLATE below to provide a draft master equipment list, including mass and volume estimates for each major component or system. Please add as many rows as necessary to the template.

EQUIPMENT TEMPLATE

Description of Equipment

Estimated Mass (kg) Estimated Volume (cm3)

5. Development Planning (2-4 pages suggested)

● Development Plan: Describe your plan for further developing your solution during Phase 2. Teams should address the technical steps necessary for hardware development; personnel and other resources; and expected timeline.

● Risk Assessment: Describe the technical and other risks associated with developing your solution in Phase 2. For each risk, include an assessment (such as high, medium, low) and your proposed risk mitigation strategy.

● Development Budget: Use the BUDGET TEMPLATE below to estimate the budget necessary to execute your Development Plan in Phase 2. In this challenge, NASA is not focused on comparing the overall cost of solutions; rather this section is intended to assess how well the team has thought through the budget necessary to build their solution, if they are chosen to move onto Phase

2. In the “Expected funding sources” column, teams should address whether you will already have funds in place to support work during Phase 2, and if not, how you will work to secure the necessary funds. You may assume the Phase 1 prize purse in your budget.

BUDGET TEMPLATE

Type of cost

Description Estimated budget for developing your solution in Phase 2 ($)

Potential funding source(s)

Materials

Equipment

Lab/testing

Personnel

Admin

Other (if applicable)

Appendix C: Expectations for Phase 2

In this section, NASA intends to provide some additional guidance regarding expectations for Phase 2. This section will be more fully developed in the final version of the Phase 1 rules.

In Phase 2 of the Digital Twin track, teams are expected to focus on developing a high-fidelity digital twin that incorporates the data and capabilities necessary to virtually model and demonstrate a recycling system that fully mimics an intended future physical system. In Phase 2 of the Prototype Build track, teams are expected to develop hardware components and/or systems similar to the designs submitted during Phase 1.

NASA may conduct site visits to see and verify progress and/or hold one or more testing and demonstration events at NASA or other similar facilities during Phase 2.

In either/both tracks, NASA may offer one or more milestone prize purses, in addition to a grand prize purse.