Mannequins flew around the moon on a path that scientists may soon take. Scientists have recently revealed how they lived | CNN

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As Artemis II – NASA’s mission that will send four astronauts to orbit the moon as soon as next year – approaches, a new study reveals how well its Orion spacecraft will protect the crew.

The findings are based on data from Artemis I, a 25-day journey around the moon and back towards the end of 2022. The Orion capsule in that mission, which followed the same path that Artemis II is supposed to take , was not made but taken. special non-human guests.

Two of them, mannequin torsos named Helga and Zohar, went as a test of how much radiation the astronauts would have when they went to the moon. The mannequins were made of materials that imitated human soft tissues, organs and bones, and, like the spacecraft, included detectors to measure radiation exposure along the way.

Now, scientists have released the first results after studying the data of the detector, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. Studies show that the shielding technology used on the spacecraft was effective in reducing the radiation exposure during the trip.

“The Artemis I project marks an important step in improving our understanding of how atmospheric radiation affects the safety of future manned missions to the Moon,” said Sergi Vaquer Araujo, leader of the medical team. of the European Space Agency, in a statement.

Araujo was not involved in this study. But the European Space Agency has provided five mobile dosimeters to measure radiation throughout the Orion spacecraft.

“We are gaining valuable insight into how cosmic rays interact with space shields, the types of radiation that penetrate the human body, and which regions within Orion provide with maximum security,” said Araujo.

NASA's Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission was successfully landed on December 11, 2022, off the coast of Baja California.

NASA has studied the effect of space radiation on human health for decades, since the early 1960s. Data is also regularly collected from astronauts who spend six months to a year aboard the International Space Station.

The station remains in low Earth orbit, meaning it is partially shielded by Earth’s gravity, as well as heavy shielding built into the orbiting laboratory’s design. Earth’s gravity also blocks cosmic rays from reaching scientists.

But for future deep space missions, astronauts will move far from Earth’s protection and will need to rely on well-protected spacecraft and protective space suits.

Long-term space missions to the moon and Mars will expose scientists to cosmic rays, or energetic particles traveling through space. To get to space, astronauts will have to travel through Earth’s Van Allen Belts, two bands of rays that circle our planet like giant doughnuts, according to NASA.

Sensors installed in the Orion capsule captured continuous radiation data on the journey from Earth to the moon and back for the first time, researchers said. Although there is data from the Apollo missions, it was not collected regularly.

The sensors showed that radiation exposure inside Orion varied greatly depending on the location of the detectors, according to the study authors.

As Orion passed through the Van Allen Belts, data showed the most protected areas, such as the capsule’s “storm shield,” provided four times more protection than areas protected from the sun. once. Researchers have found that exposure to radiation in these areas remains at a safe level for scientists to avoid severe radiation sickness.

“A storm shelter is a very difficult space to use to store personnel,” said lead study author Stuart George, a scientist in the Space Radiation Analysis Group at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, in an email. . We found that the storm shelter was the most protected area in the car, which is good because it’s designed that way!”

Exceeding the Van Allen belts was considered the equivalent of the crew encountering a celestial event in space.

As the sun approaches solar maximum – the peak of its 11-year cycle, expected this year – it becomes more active, releasing intense solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Coronal mass ejections are large clouds of ionized gas called plasma and gravitational fields from the outer atmosphere of the sun.

The main compartment of the Artemis II rocket arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on July 24.

When this explosion is directed at Earth, it can affect spaceships, satellites, the space station and even the power grid on the ground.

“This has helped us ensure our shelter design protects workers from extreme solar events caused by space weather,” said George.

Cosmic radiation exposure, which can account for the large amount of radiation that may occur on long-duration space flights, was 60% lower on Artemis I than on experience from previous missions, including robots on Mars, George said.

The team also noticed something surprising in the findings. As Orion passed through the Van Allen Belts, the spacecraft turned to fire the thruster, making sure it was on the right track. During the transition, radiation levels inside the capsule dropped by 50% because the system placed Orion’s shield in the path of the radiation, George said.

Measurements taken during Artemis I could inform the design of future human spaceflight missions, the study authors said.

Mannequin torsos Helga (left) and Zohar were returned to Earth by the Artemis I mission so researchers could see how much radiation they were exposed to. Zohar was wearing a protective vest.

If a solar storm were to occur while the Artemis astronauts were in space, it could last for days.

The storm shelter concept was modified for Artemis II as the small living space inside Artemis I may not have been large enough for the crew to carry out normal operations if they were to stay there for a period of time. long during the solar storm, also known as the sun. a particle event.

“With Artemis II, the crew will (bungee) attach the instruments to the partially shielded wall of Orion’s spacecraft,” George said in an email.

“This means that during a strong solar event, crews will be able to use more of the room while being protected from radiation. It will be very interesting to test this in space, with crews in the loop .”

The core of the Artemis II rocket arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida over the summer, and assembly is now underway for the Artemis III rocket. Artemis III – scheduled for 2026 – aims to land a woman and a person of color for the first time on the south side of the moon.

Meanwhile, the Artemis II crew, including NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are undergoing field training in Iceland. Although they won’t land, the crew will travel 4,600 kilometers (7,402 miles) beyond the moon to take pictures of lunar features such as craters from orbit.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch participates on August 1 in a training session for geologists in Iceland ahead of the Artemis II mission.

Kelsey Young, lunar science lead for Artemis II and science officer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said: “Having a camera on the moon and interpreting what they see in that language scientists can understand it is good for science. Greenbelt, Maryland, in a statement.

“Essentially, that’s what we train scientists to do when we take them to these places like the Moon on Earth.”

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