Astronauts aboard Artemis 2 mission will serve dual roles as test subjects for scientific research during their circumlunar journey
The NASA Artemis 2 mission, set to launch next year, marks a significant step in human space exploration. This mission, scheduled for April 2026, aims to establish a sustained human presence on the moon and will involve a crew of four astronauts: Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman from the USA, and Jeremy Hansen from Canada.
During their mission around the Moon for about ten days, the astronauts will serve as biomedical subjects, providing in-flight data on the human body beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in over 50 years. To achieve this, they will wear personal dosimeters to measure radiation exposure and detect sudden spikes from solar storms.
One of the key objectives of the Artemis 2 mission is to study the crew's immune systems in response to deep space radiation. The avatars, thumb-sized simulators of bone marrow on organ-on-a-chip devices, carried by each astronaut, will be exposed to these conditions. The responses of these avatars will be compared to ISS experiments to help predict how tissues react outside Earth's radiation-hardened magnetosphere.
The Artemis Research for Crew Health and Readiness (ARCHeR) project will investigate how the deep space mission affects crew performance, focusing on sleep, stress, and crew cohesion. Each astronaut will wear wrist sensors to log movement and sleep throughout the mission, while NASA will collect samples of blood, urine, and saliva before, during, and after the mission. These samples will be used to track changes in cardiovascular health, nutrition, immunity, and stress across multiple stages of training, flight, and recovery.
If radiation levels reach dangerous levels, astronauts can construct a makeshift radiation shield inside Orion. The Orion spacecraft, which will be used in the Artemis 2 mission, has reduced active radiation sensors compared to Artemis 1, with six active sensors inside the cabin.
Artemis 2 will be the first crewed flight test of Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket. The mission will also involve several science experiments performed by the astronauts during their mission. The avatars will pass through the Van Allen belts during the Artemis 2 mission, providing valuable data on radiation levels in these regions.
The Artemis 2 mission is not just about reaching the moon; it's about understanding the challenges and opportunities of deep space travel. It's a step towards establishing a sustained human presence on the moon and, eventually, on Mars. The data collected from this mission will be invaluable in preparing for future manned missions and ensuring the safety and well-being of astronauts as they venture further into the cosmos.
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