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Posted on 04/07/2026 8:27:26 AM PDT by BenLurkin
During their mission to the Moon, the Artemis II astronauts will serve as both scientists and research subjects, participating in five studies that explore how deep-space travel affects the human body, mind and behaviour. These experiments are essential for keeping astronauts healthy on longer missions and for developing technologies, protocols and preventive measures.
1. ARCHeR (Artemis Research for Crew Health and Readiness)
ARCHeR is a cutting-edge study that monitors astronauts' sleep patterns, stress levels, cognitive performance, and teamwork dynamics using wearable wristbands. These devices collect real-time physiological and behavioral data, helping researchers understand how isolation, confinement, and the unique environment of deep space affect crewmembers. Unlike missions in low Earth orbit, deep-space missions involve longer durations and greater psychological stressors, making this research vital to optimize human performance for future exploration.
2. Immune Biomarkers Spaceflight can alter the immune system, potentially increasing susceptibility to illness. The Immune Biomarkers study investigates these changes by analyzing blood samples collected before and after the mission, and saliva samples collected during the mission. In space, astronauts collect saliva using specialized paper in pocket-sized booklets to preserve wet spit since refrigeration and other equipment won't be available on board. These samples help scientists identify biomarkers that signal immune system changes due to increased stresses of radiation, isolation and distance from Earth, contributing to the development of countermeasures to keep astronauts healthy. They also will examine whether otherwise dormant viruses are reactivated in space, as has been seen previously on the International Space Station (ISS) with viruses that can cause chickenpox and shingles.
3. AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response) AVATAR uses organ-on-a-chip technology roughly the size of a USB thumb drive, a revolutionary method that mimics human tissue function on a micro scale. By incorporating cells developed from preflight blood donations provided by crewmembers into these chips, researchers can simulate how deep-space stressors like microgravity and extreme radiation affect human organs. Bone marrow plays a vital role in the immune system and is particularly sensitive to radiation, which is why scientists selected it for this study. This approach allows for detailed, controlled studies of tissue responses without needing invasive procedures, paving the way for personalized medicine in space. In fact, AVATAR could inform measures to ensure crew health on future deep-space missions, including personalizing medical kits to each astronaut. For people on Earth, it could lead to advancements in individualized treatments for diseases such as cancer.
4. Standard Measures Since 2018, this investigation has been collecting data from participating crewmembers before, during, and after missions aboard the ISS – and Artemis II will mark the first time astronauts in deep space take part. The goal is to build a comprehensive picture of how spaceflight impacts the human body by tracking physiological changes over time and identifying trends that could inform training, rehabilitation, and mission planning.
The crew will provide biological samples including blood, urine, and saliva for evaluating nutritional status, cardiovascular health, and immunological function starting about six months before their launch. The crew also will participate in tests and surveys evaluating balance, vestibular function, muscle performance, changes in their microbiome, as well as ocular and brain health. While in space, data gathering will include an assessment of motion sickness symptoms. After landing, there will be additional tests of head, eye, and body movements, among other functional performance tasks. Data collection will continue for a month after their return.
5. Radiation monitoring Space radiation poses one of the greatest risks to astronaut health, especially during missions beyond Earth's protective magnetic field. Radiation monitoring involves tracking exposure levels using six active radiation sensors deployed at various locations inside the Orion crew module. The crew will also wear dosimeters in their pockets. These sensors will provide warnings of hazardous radiation levels. If necessary, this data will also be used by mission control to decide if the crew should shelter to protect from radiation exposure due to solar storms.
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Peanuts.
We have years of data from the space stations.
This is an equipment test flight with four passengers.
Aside from the Radiation tracking, none of these sound groundbreaking.
I mean, of the 27 people who have travelled to the moon and back I think they have a pretty good assessment of how people sleep on the way to the moon.
I am not sure what I would have these folks doing on their way to the moon and back…maybe a marathon video game challenge or binge watch Game of Thrones?
Or maybe on a mission to test the system we need only a couple of astronauts.
Total waste of time and money. Who in their right mind would want to inhabit any of the desolate planets in our solar system? And those are the close ones!
What about Uranus?
DEI in space. SpaceX’s Starship and the Super Heavy booster are the real show. What we’re watching is the sad fruit of a rotten DEI government jobs program that costs $2 billion a launch while Starship is the real deal that can do it for 1/20th the cost. And still these stupid NASA f**cks can’t land on the Moon.
Itching to get there.
How many boxes did they check with this mission? I’m a smart-aleck so I ask these kind of questions from time to time.
China
Do they analyze bowl movements too?
Stool samples?
Then the broken crapper will spoil all those tests!
But they can’t fix a toilet
Not an engineer in the bunch.
None of them.
The international space station is well inside of the earth’s magnetosphere, which shields the earth and it’s atmosphere, from allot of solar and stellar radiation. That protection diminishes completely for the moon for 75% of it’s orbit (21 out of 28 days) around the earth. Yes, humans will experience greater radiation orbiting around, or on the surface of, the moon than what they experience at the international space station.
“Who in their right mind would want to inhabit any of the desolate planets in our solar system? “
I would agree with you as to “inhabiting” any of the other planets of our solar system. But travel around our solar system and human scientists making scientific investigations with such travel is a different matter.
We don’t want to live at the bottom of our oceans but that does not keep us from investigating them and advancing science with such investigations. Why would our solar system be any different?
“Who in their right mind would want to inhabit any of the desolate planets in our solar system? “
I would agree with you as to “inhabiting” any of the other planets of our solar system. But travel around our solar system and human scientists making scientific investigations with such travel is a different matter.
We don’t want to live at the bottom of our oceans but that does not keep us from investigating them and advancing science with such investigations. Why would our solar system be any different?
“Yes, humans will experience greater radiation orbiting around, or on the surface of, the moon than what they experience at the international space station.”
It is only ten days. They will receive much less than a typical space station stint.
So once around the moon and back qualifies as “deep space” now?
What do you think we are going to find? Or do you consider it to be “just because it is there”? If that is the case, it is a waste of time, money, energy, and - potentially - human life(s).
There are probably things at the bottom of the ocean we could actually use - minerals, for example. What exactly are we going to find on another planet that we could use? How would we get it back to earth? And how exactly are human beings going to get there? It is too far, and the amount of food, water, sanitary provisions, and so forth to get/live/work there would be insurmountable. Maybe there are people who want a claim to fame of going to another planet, but that will probably be the end of their life.
Sure, it is cool to have “close-up” pictures of different planets, but how many of those do you want? There is an unknown number of celestial bodies in the universe. How many of them would we need to photograph in order to be satisfied?
Just wondering.
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