A trio of USB-sized organ avatars will travel with the Artemis II crew, promising early warnings of immune and radiation changes before astronauts land on the Moon.
Before Artemis II’s four astronauts boarded the Orion capsule, preparing for the Moon mission, there was already a microchip for each of them on board.
In a compact triangular container placed directly before liftoff, there were four USB-sized “avatars” that would accompany the historic mission. But their journey into reality is only beginning.
These avatar-organs are made from bone marrow–derived tissue obtained from donors among NASA’s full astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch – and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen – and researchers believe the experiment could yield unprecedented data on the impact of spaceflight on human health.
AVATAR, or A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response, allows scientists to model what happens to the crew’s organs during a voyage into deep space.
An In-Depth Look at Changes in the Body
According to Lisa Carnell, NASA’s director of biological and physical sciences, this approach provides a more detailed understanding of where exactly changes begin in the body compared with traditional post-flight medical tests. “We have never done this before.”
Because researchers focus on bone marrow, Carnell expects to collect data on the immune system’s response to deep-space travel and the impact of heightened radiation levels. Such findings could lead to individualized medical approaches that ease long-duration missions – perhaps further into space.
“The inner ear is a tricky thing, and we know that spaceflight affects it, and upon return, the crew may have difficulty moving for several days. It recovers between three and five days, but in the initial days on the Moon’s surface we need to know exactly how they will react.”
– Steven Platts
Carnell also notes that future missions may consider sending avatars from preselected astronauts so that the crew can prepare for potential health issues even before launch. Such steps would enable timely provisioning of medical supplies and tailor them to individual needs during long journeys.
The aim is to someday send avatars of astronauts chosen for deep-space and long-duration missions in advance so the crew can prepare for possible health issues while far from Earth.
Health Monitoring and Future Missions
Laikisha Hawkins emphasizes: data on the health of people who will fly during Artemis II were not collected by the Apollo project, but they will form the basis for long-term life on the Moon and the development of a Moon base and preparation for trips to Mars.
Under the Spaceflight Standard Measures initiative, the crew began analyzing blood, urine, and saliva six months before launch and during the mission, to document nutritional status, cardiovascular health, and immune system function. They also conduct tests of balance, muscle, the microbiome, vision, and brain activity, assess symptoms of motion sickness, and after return expect another set of tests.
To measure radiation exposure, Orion has six radiation sensors, and each crew member wears a pocket monitor; these sensors alert if radiation becomes dangerous, which can occur during solar storms.
After return, the crew will undergo an adaptation phase to re-acclimate to Earth’s gravity – stair-climbing exercises, lifts, and maneuvers that prepare them for Moon landings where support outside landers may be limited.
Artemis II marks a new era in deep-space exploration and the development of healthcare systems that will allow humans to survive and thrive beyond Earth during future lunar bases and journeys to Mars.