NASA selects students from Seville for their revolutionary recycling system for Mars
A team of students from the University of Seville has reached the top 50 finalists of NASA’s prestigious Space Apps Challenge, considered the world’s leading hackathon in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The group, named FyCUS, was recognized for its innovative waste management project for future manned missions to Mars, surpassing more than 18,860 teams from 152 countries, according to the Spanish organizers of the event.
The Andalusian team, consisting of Fuente Miquel Pozo, Jorge Mallado Rodríguez, Marta Pavón Núñez, Francisco José Osuna Ruiz, Ángela Cuéllar, and Rafael Pérez Salvatierra, developed a sustainable recycling solution for the Red Planet that transforms polymer waste generated by astronauts into construction materials. This achievement not only represents a significant advance for space exploration but also highlights emerging scientific talent in Andalusia, strengthening Spain’s position in the international aerospace sector.
FyCUS’s proposal addresses one of the biggest logistical challenges of long-duration space missions: the efficient management of limited resources. Their system allows unavoidable mission waste to be converted into useful materials, reducing the need to transport additional supplies from Earth and moving toward a more self-sufficient model of space exploration.
Source: Diario de Sevilla
