- NASA’s Artemis I flight to the moon, planned for late 2021, will have a crew of mannequins to test conditions, prior to a human crew making the trip
- That mission will mark the first time since the Apollo program ended in 1972 that astronauts ventured into Deep Space
- NASA officials said it is necessary to collect new data because technology, spacecraft and medical understandings have advanced significantly since the last moon landing 50 years ago
ORLANDO, Florida: NASA’s Artemis I flight to the moon, planned for late 2021, will have a crew of mannequins to test conditions, prior to a human crew making the trip.
The Artemis I mannequins will allow NASA to evaluate radiation, vibration and impacts from landing, prior to astronauts being sent in an Orion capsule in 2023.
That mission will mark the first time since the Apollo program ended in 1972 that astronauts ventured into Deep Space.
NASA officials said it is necessary to collect new data because technology, spacecraft and medical understandings have advanced significantly since the last moon landing 50 years ago.
Two of the mannequins are designed with materials to replicate human bones and organs. They will also contain over 2,000 sensors to measure radiation.
Additionally, one mannequin will wear a protective radiation vest and one will not.
The third mannequin is a human-sized rubber dummy that will measure the vibrations the astronauts will need to endure.
“The Artemis I flight really is our golden opportunity to get all of these sorts of measurements from mannequins in seats. That’s because once we have astronauts in the capsule, there’s a lot less room for all this equipment,” said Mark Baldwin, engineer and program manager for NASA contractor Lockheed Martin, as quoted by United Press International.
The Orion space capsule was designed and built by Lockheed Martin.
Baldwin experienced seven hours of vibration testing over two days at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in 2017. He said this allowed him to better understand the astronaut experience.
The Israel Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center also contributed to the development of the radiation-testing mannequins.
