NASA Prepares for Artemis 2 Mission: A Step Toward Sustainable Human Presence in Deep Space
NASA is gearing up to launch the Artemis 2 mission, a crucial step towards returning humans to the Moon and establishing a sustainable human presence in deep space. This mission holds significant scientific importance as it will study the effects of sleep, stress, and radiation on human health in deep space for the first time in over 50 years.
Artemis 2 Mission: The First Crewed Test of the Orion Spacecraft
Artemis 2 is the second part of the Artemis program, which aims to return to the Moon. This mission will be the first crewed test of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS). A crew of four will test the spacecraft in a lunar orbit environment and conduct several scientific experiments during their journey.
These experiments include turning astronauts into subjects for biomedical studies to gather data on the human body beyond low Earth orbit, contributing to understanding and measuring the biological effects of life in microgravity.
Medical Research: Tracking Human Health in Space
Astronauts on Artemis 2 will participate in a long-term study to understand how space travel affects human health. Blood, urine, and saliva samples will be collected before launch, during the mission, and after returning to Earth.
NASA aims to use these samples to track changes in cardiovascular health, nutrition, immunity, and stress throughout the training, mission, and recovery phases.
ARCHeR Project: Monitoring Sleep and Stress
The Artemis Research for Crew Health and Readiness (ARCHeR) project will study how time spent away from Earth, inside the cramped Orion space, and the demanding schedule affects crew performance.
Each astronaut will wear wrist sensors to record movement and sleep throughout the mission. Pre- and post-mission assessments will be compared with data collected in space to understand how the mission impacts crew alertness, stress, and ability to work together.
Immune System Monitoring
Samples provided by the crew before, during, and after the mission will be used to study their immune systems. Immune markers in saliva samples will help researchers evaluate how the body reacts to space radiation.
To save space and energy on Orion, the crew will forgo cooling saliva samples during the flight, instead using special paper to absorb the samples for simple storage.
AVATAR Study: Organ-on-a-Chip
Astronauts on Artemis 2 will be accompanied by miniature models of themselves in the form of blood samples grown to mimic bone marrow on organ-on-chip devices.
These chips will ride inside Orion as it passes through the Van Allen belts to test how marrow responds to deep space radiation and microgravity. Results will be compared with International Space Station experiments to see if the chip technology can accurately predict how tissues react outside Earth’s magnetosphere.
Radiation and Protection
During Artemis 1, Orion carried 5600 passive radiation sensors and 34 active sensors. For Artemis 2, the number of active sensors has been reduced to six inside the cabin. Additionally, astronauts will wear personal dosimeters.
The devices will measure continuous radiation exposure during the mission and detect sudden spikes from solar storms. If readings reach dangerous levels, astronauts can build a temporary radiation shield inside Orion.
Conclusion
The Artemis 2 mission is a crucial step towards a better understanding of how deep space affects human health. Through diverse experiments and biomedical studies, NASA will gather valuable data to prepare for more complex future missions to deep space and the Moon.