March 1, 2024
A third (33%) of people in the UK would like to travel to space and walk on the Moon (32%) – with nearly half (49%) of 18-34 year olds saying that they would like to go. However, new research from the Aqualunar Challenge reveals that there are some things budding British astronauts just could not live without, with chocolate, tea, coffee, roast dinners and bacon sandwiches coming top.
Few may realise just how much water would be needed to keep us in little luxuries… While we might have ready access to Mars Bars and Milky Ways down on Earth, to make just one 100g bar of chocolate requires 1,700 litres of water – the equivalent of 21 baths.
To grow and produce all the ingredients for one cup of tea (with milk and sugar) requires 59 litres of water – the equivalent of filling the kettle 39 times. As for a roast dinner of beef, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and butternut squash, one serving requires an enormous 4,850 litres of water per serving – the equivalent of running the shower for nearly seven hours.
The Aqualunar Challenge is a new £1.2m international prize that is rewarding new technologies that can purify ice frozen in the lunar soil to produce clean water (to drink and grow food), oxygen for air and hydrogen fuel to make a permanent human base on the Moon viable. It is funded by the UK Space Agency and delivered by Challenge Works.
Meganne Christian, Reserve Astronaut at the UK Space Agency and Aqualunar Challenge judge said: “I’ve no doubt that tea and chocolate at the end of a busy day on the Moon’s surface would be an astronaut’s dream, but we’re quite some way from that. Before we can even think about growing ingredients for food in a lunar base, we will need a reliable source of clean water to make life on the Moon possible.
“If we can purify the ice that is locked inside the Moon’s soil and turn it into water for drinking and growing food, oxygen for breathing and hydrogen for fuel, then it might one day bring an entirely new meaning to Mars Bars and Milky Ways.”
The survey of 2,000 adults in the UK conducted by polling agency Opinium also found that nearly half (47%) of people agree that it is important UK astronauts are part of efforts to build a permanent base on the moon. 4 in 10 (43%) say that the UK should invest in technologies that cut the cost of exploring the Moon, with a similar number (39%) saying the UK should invest in technologies that can purify water on the Moon.
Holly Jamieson, Executive Director, Challenge Works said: “86% of people say they would like to see technologies being developed to purify lunar water adapted for use on Earth. With laser eye surgery, cochlear implants, freeze dried food and fire-resistant materials all having origins in the space programme, we hope that the technologies being developed for the Aqualunar Challenge will find diverse uses on Earth – perhaps even making our tea and chocolate habits more sustainable.”
Entries to the Aqualunar Challenge should explore new ways to solve the challenge of removing contaminants and purify water found on the lunar surface – all in an efficient and reliable way. Challenge Works and the UK Space Agency are working in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Impact Canada to deliver the Aqualunar Challenge, with half the prize total being awarded to UK-led teams, and half being awarded to Canada-led teams.
In June 2024, the Aqualunar Challenge will reward UK-led teams behind the ten most-promising ideas with seed funding of £30k each to develop their ideas. In March 2025, three teams will be named winners, sharing in an additional £300k to take their solutions to the next level.
The deadline to enter is 8 April 2024. To find out more and to enter the Aqualunar Challenge in the UK visit aqualunarchallenge.org.uk.
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Methodology
Opinium surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults in the UK between 12 December and 15 December 2023. The data used in this release has been reviewed and approved by Opinium.
When asked “If you had to live on the Moon, which of these little luxuries could you not live without?”, the top five choices were chocolate (33%), tea (30%), coffee (29%), Sunday roast (20%) and bacon sandwich (18%).
About the Aqualunar Challenge
The Aqualunar Challenge is a £1.2m international challenge prize to drive the creation of innovative technologies to make human habitation on the Moon viable by finding ways to purify water buried beneath the lunar surface.
It is being delivered by Challenge Works – part of innovation foundation Nesta – and the UK Space Agency, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Impact Canada, which are delivering an aligned Aqualunar Challenge. This collaboration highlights the international commitment to sustainable life on the lunar surface and supports knowledge sharing. The Aqualunar Challenge is a UK-Canada international collaboration under the UK Space Agency’s International Bilateral Fund (IBF).
In June 2024, UK-led teams behind the ten most-promising ideas with seed funding of £30k each to develop their ideas. In March 2025, three teams will be named winner and runners up, sharing in an additional £300k to take their solutions to the next level.
Entries to the UK track must be UK-led, however the Aqualunar Challenge is actively encouraging international collaboration within teams. The Canadian track of the prize will run concurrently to the British track rewarding solutions from Canadian-led teams.
About Challenge Works
Challenge Works is a global leader in designing and delivering high-impact challenge prizes that incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good. It is part of UK innovation foundation agency Nesta. For more than a decade, it has run more than 80 prizes, distributed more than £100 million in funding and engaged with 12,000 innovators.
About the UK Space Agency
The UK Space Agency inspires and leads the UK in space to benefit our planet and its people. It is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
