Do Beautiful Things · Season 2 · Episode 8
NASA LunaRecycle Challenge: Exploring Space Sustainability
April 7, 2025 · Hosted by Jennifer Lawson
Discover how NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge is revolutionizing recycling for space missions. Hear more on the “Do Beautiful Things” podcast.
In this thrilling episode of “Do Beautiful Things,” hosts Jenny Lawson and Jennifer Edmunson take listeners on a journey beyond our planet, exploring the innovative LunaRecycle Challenge spearheaded by NASA. This groundbreaking competition is set to revolutionize recycling by challenging inventors to design systems that maximize resource utilization during space missions—transforming waste into valuable assets for future exploration.
Jenny Lawson, the President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, sits down with Jennifer Edmunson, Acting Program Manager for NASA Centennial Challenges, who brings her expertise in Earth and Planetary Sciences to the table. Together, they delve into the intricacies of sustaining human life on the lunar surface through recycling innovations, tackling unique challenges such as extreme vacuums and thermal swings on the Moon.
From the digital designs to hardware prototypes, discover how these lunar projects could inspire and enhance our recycling efforts here on Earth. Could the solutions forged in the vacuum of space lead to more sustainable communities and potentially revolutionize waste management on our own planet? Listen to this podcast episode to find out!
Stay tuned for insights into the future of recycling, both in space and in our backyards. To dive even deeper into how innovation is shaping a more sustainable future, visit lunarecyclechallenge.ua.edu. Join us on our mission to keep our planet and beyond, clean and vibrant.
“For the LunaRecycle Challenge, our target is to reuse and recycle as many materials as we can for space missions.”
“We know that we’re going to have to live on other planetary surfaces sustainably… So, we need to maximize the potential for the materials that we take and be able to use them in things like space manufacturing and surface construction, so we’re able to make what we need while we’re there on the planetary surface.”
– Jennifer Edmunson, Acting Program Manager for NASA Centennial Challenges
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Keep America Beautiful®, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful® strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green, and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. The organization is driven by the work and passion of 700 Keep America Beautiful® affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook (opens in a new tab), Instagram (opens in a new tab), Twitter (opens in a new tab), Linkedin (opens in a new tab), and YouTube (opens in a new tab). Donate and take action at kab.org. MEDIA CONTACTS: McCall Vrydaghs Keep America Beautiful® communications@kab.org (opens in a new tab)
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