On board the Artemis II mission will be several experiments on human health, one featuring tissue samples collected from the astronauts and placed on small chips destined to be exposed to the same hazards of space travel that the astronauts face.
Related: Spaceflight Accelerates Aging of Human Stem Cells, Study Finds It’s no secret that human anatomy isn’t constructed with space in mind.
“We’ve identified five hazards of space flight,” NASA’s Human Research Program chief scientist Steve Platts told ScienceAlert.
NASA’s Artemis lunar program is providing the Human Research Program with a perfect opportunity to uncover the unknown unknowns in space health.
If you’re passionate about space, make sure to subscribe to our Spark newsletter and you could win an epic Space Coast adventure holiday in Florida.
NASA’s crew will be ecstatic as they swing around the Moon when the agency launches its next phase of lunar exploration next year.
Among the human health experiments on board the Artemis II mission will be one that uses tissue samples taken from the astronauts and put on tiny chips that will be subjected to the same risks associated with space travel as the astronauts themselves.
These astronauts-on-chips may eventually be deployed on scouting missions to evaluate health risks prior to live humans making the journey, if this test run goes as planned.
The AVATAR project’s findings could have a big influence on how we treat people who are traveling to the final frontier as well as those of us who need medical care on Earth’s surface.
Related: Research Shows Spaceflight Hastens Human Stem Cell Aging.
There is no denying that human anatomy was not designed with space in mind. Long periods of time spent outside the protective influence of our planet, away from emergency medical attention, and without the support of gravity pose the greatest threat to our health.
Steve Platts, chief scientist for NASA’s Human Research Program, told ScienceAlert, “We’ve identified five hazards of space flight.”.
Space radiation, isolation, being far from easy support, gravity (or the lack of it), and being confined in a closed, potentially hostile environment are some of these.
“That hazard is being in a very small vehicle that’s kind of smelly, kind of loud, it’s hard to sleep – all those kinds of things,” Platts said.
After more than fifty years of space travel, it is now evident that any momentary respite from Earth’s pull is quickly overshadowed by an increasing number of issues, ranging from reduced bone mass to altered vision to heart weakness and heightened erectile dysfunction.
By looking into causes and finding solutions to problems we haven’t even found yet, Platts and his team are entrusted with preparing future missions for any possible health breakdowns.
The Human Research Program has the ideal opportunity to learn more about space health through NASA’s Artemis lunar program.
Frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”> etc.
Platts stated, “One of the experiments we’re doing in Artemis is designed to help us with this exact question.”.
Standard measures are a core set of measurements that we take, such as taking your heart rate and blood pressure and collecting a urine and blood sample when you visit your doctor for an annual checkup. “,”.
These include a series of tests for cognitive function and sensorimotor skills, as well as activity and light exposure measurements obtained using a wrist sensor. The researchers hope to make it easier to spot troubling abnormalities as they arise by understanding what a “normal” function in space looks like.
By placing astronaut tissue samples next to the astronauts themselves, in the direct line of fire of known space hazards, the AVATAR experiment goes beyond the goal of drawing attention to anomalies.
For “A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response,” the word is an acronym. Similar in size to a typical USB drive, it is referred to as an “organ-on-a-chip” that mimics bodily systems. Combining organ samples with their donors on a deep space mission is unprecedented, even though using tissues as stand-ins for human test subjects in space is not new.
Director of NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences division Lisa Carnell told ScienceAlert, “This AVATAR for Artemis II is going to be a bone marrow model made out of each of the astronauts.”.
“So, in Artemis II, every astronaut contributes cells to make their own tiny personas. “..”.
The bone marrow samples, which will travel with the astronauts in the Orion spacecraft as a custom payload, will give NASA researchers pertinent molecular physiological data that can be compared to the crew members’ immune responses.
Future AVATARS are expected to increase both the number of astronauts donating tissues for testing and their tissue library. Bone marrow, liver, brain, heart, and dozens of other organ samples may be sent in advance for testing for those waiting to go on a tour to the Moon, Mars, or even beyond.
In autonomous experiments designed to safely push human biology to its limits, Carnell anticipates that future Artemis missions will carry a number of AVATARs conducting suites of tests, if not entire banks of the chips headed for deep space.
Carnell stated, “The objective is that we want to be able to create these customized avatars, send them out in advance to see what the impact of this deep space environment is on our astronauts and develop countermeasures.”.
“We really need to comprehend and know before we go if we really want to send humans to Mars or to live on the lunar surface. We will be able to flourish in space thanks to this. “..”.
referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”>frameborder=”0″allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share”.
Because organ-on-a-chip technology is expected to transform personalized medicine for Earthlings in general, any lessons learned from the AVATAR program are almost certain to transcend the space industry. The ability to cultivate and preserve functional tissue samples in isolation may open up new avenues for experts to create customized treatments for a range of illnesses.
Carnell said, “What’s really cool is that I think this is going to revolutionize medicine eventually.”.
She imagines the day when we have our own AVATAR, if not to send us into space, then at least for medical testing. However, it is still possible to hope that one day a part of oneself will end up in the stars.
Therefore, this is not solely for NASA. This is for the entire human race. “..”.
NO NEED TO BUY. The sweepstakes runs from October 10, 2025, to December 11, 2025. Where prohibited, void.
