NASA’s Artemis I mission: The mission is scheduled to lift off for a flight to the Moon on August 19.
NASA’s giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket arrived at the launch pad on Wednesday and is set to lift off for a flight to the moon on August 19. The uncrewed Artemis I mission will not carry humans, but will take off with some items to prepare the astronauts for the first crewed mission.
The Orion spacecraft from the moon mission will have three mannequins, several toys, Amazon Alexa and educational and historical items on board, CNN reported. One of the dummies named Moonikin Campos will take the commander’s seat in the Orion. It will wear the new Orion Survival System suit designed for astronauts during the launch and re-entry of the mission and will record important data through sensors.
The commander’s seat is also equipped with sensors and will track acceleration and vibration during the mission.
The other two mannequins aboard the spacecraft, Helga and Zohar, have torsos made of material similar to a woman’s soft tissue, organs and bones. They have over 5,600 sensors and 34 radiation detectors to record the mission’s level of radiation exposure.
Additionally, Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant is also part of the mission. It’s a reconfigured version of Alexa, called Callisto, and will be used to test the performance of such devices in space. It aims to demonstrate how astronauts and flight controllers can use technology to make their jobs more efficient and safer.
A toy called Snoopy, created by American cartoonist Charles M. Schultz, is another item on board the mission. Mr. Schultz first drew comics featuring the toy on the moon during NASA’s Apollo program, and Snoopy has been associated with the space agency’s missions ever since. A pen used by the cartoonist, wrapped in a space-themed comic, will be carried for the flight. Meanwhile, the Snoopy toy will be used as a zero-gravity indicator in the spacecraft.
Other items also include a variety of trees and plant seeds that will help study the effects of the space environment on them.
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