I've been working on this solo for the past several months as my entry to NASA's LunaRecycle Challenge – a $3M competition to solve one of the unsexy but critical problems of long-duration space missions: what do you do with 8 kg of trash per day when you're 384,000 km from the nearest landfill?
*The problem is harder than it sounds:*
The Artemis missions will generate mixed waste streams – food packaging, clothing, hygiene products, and most challenging: Zotek F30 PVDF foam. PVDF releases hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas when heated above 300°C. HF is immediately lethal in enclosed spaces. Most thermal recycling approaches fail here.
*Our solution (ARTEMIS-R):*
1. *AI-powered sorting* – NIR spectroscopy + computer vision classifies incoming waste and routes it to the optimal processing path (99.2% accuracy in simulation)
2. *Hybrid processing* – Different waste types need different approaches:
- Thermal pyrolysis (350-450°C) for organics → syngas fuel + biochar
- Melt extrusion for thermoplastics → 3D printer filament
- Cold mechanical shredding for PVDF → safe filler material (no HF release!)
3. *Net-positive energy* – The system generates +44 kWh/week more than it consumes, thanks to syngas recovery
4. *Radiation shielding output* – Shredded PVDF + biochar + lunar regolith gets pressed into tiles that actually protect habitats from cosmic radiation
*The digital twin:*
The repo contains a full physics simulation with:
- Heat transfer and pyrolysis kinetics modeling
- Real-time sensor simulation (25+ channels)
- Anomaly detection for predictive maintenance
- Web dashboard for visualization
You can run `python -m lunarecycle.dashboard.app --web` to see it in action.
*Performance:*
- 90%+ mass recovery rate
- 8 kg/day throughput
- <30 min/week crew time
- Zero HF emissions from PVDF processing
*Current status:*
85% complete. Submission deadline is January 22, 2026. The entire system is designed to be buildable for ~$32K as an Earth prototype, with a clear adaptation path to lunar deployment.
I'm sharing this because:
1. Space sustainability is underexplored in open source
2. The PVDF safety solution might help others working on polymer recycling
3. I'd love feedback from HN's expertise on the simulation architecture
The code is MIT licensed. Happy to answer questions about the engineering trade-offs, the challenge requirements, or the thermodynamics of turning astronaut underwear into 3D printer filament.
sentinelowltech•43m ago
*The problem is harder than it sounds:*
The Artemis missions will generate mixed waste streams – food packaging, clothing, hygiene products, and most challenging: Zotek F30 PVDF foam. PVDF releases hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas when heated above 300°C. HF is immediately lethal in enclosed spaces. Most thermal recycling approaches fail here.
*Our solution (ARTEMIS-R):*
1. *AI-powered sorting* – NIR spectroscopy + computer vision classifies incoming waste and routes it to the optimal processing path (99.2% accuracy in simulation)
2. *Hybrid processing* – Different waste types need different approaches: - Thermal pyrolysis (350-450°C) for organics → syngas fuel + biochar - Melt extrusion for thermoplastics → 3D printer filament - Cold mechanical shredding for PVDF → safe filler material (no HF release!)
3. *Net-positive energy* – The system generates +44 kWh/week more than it consumes, thanks to syngas recovery
4. *Radiation shielding output* – Shredded PVDF + biochar + lunar regolith gets pressed into tiles that actually protect habitats from cosmic radiation
*The digital twin:*
The repo contains a full physics simulation with: - Heat transfer and pyrolysis kinetics modeling - Real-time sensor simulation (25+ channels) - Anomaly detection for predictive maintenance - Web dashboard for visualization
You can run `python -m lunarecycle.dashboard.app --web` to see it in action.
*Performance:* - 90%+ mass recovery rate - 8 kg/day throughput - <30 min/week crew time - Zero HF emissions from PVDF processing
*Current status:*
85% complete. Submission deadline is January 22, 2026. The entire system is designed to be buildable for ~$32K as an Earth prototype, with a clear adaptation path to lunar deployment.
I'm sharing this because: 1. Space sustainability is underexplored in open source 2. The PVDF safety solution might help others working on polymer recycling 3. I'd love feedback from HN's expertise on the simulation architecture
The code is MIT licensed. Happy to answer questions about the engineering trade-offs, the challenge requirements, or the thermodynamics of turning astronaut underwear into 3D printer filament.