NASA’s Artemis I rocket sits on Launch Pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center before its uncrewed flight around the Moon.
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NASA’s Artemis I rocket sits on Launch Pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center before its uncrewed flight around the Moon.
Joe Riddell / Getty Images
While there will be no humans aboard NASA’s Artemis I mission, the Orion spacecraft will not be empty. Snoopy and Girl Scout badges, LEGO minifigures, and tree seeds are just some of the thousands of memorabilia that will be on board when the mission kicks off Monday.
There will also be plenty of technology that will collect data during the 42-day, 1.3-million-mile mission that will take the unmanned spacecraft up to 280,000 miles from Earth, and orbit the moon before returning home.
It’s been nearly 50 years since people set foot on the moon, so the test flight will also be a test run of the new rocket and spacecraft before a manned flight.
“We keep in mind that this is a purposeful stress test for the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rockets,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager, at a press conference Saturday.
“We will learn a lot from the Artemis I test flight. With this experience, we will change and modify anything necessary to prepare ourselves for the next mission manned flight.”
NASA plans to send humans to the Moon in 2025. As part of the preparations, the passengers on this mission will be dolls.
Commander Monnequin Campos will wear one of the new Orion Crew Survival System spacesuits, which will include two radiation sensors.
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Commander Monnequin Campos will wear one of the new Orion Crew Survival System spacesuits, which will include two radiation sensors.
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Meet Commander Monekin Campos
This dwarf got its name from A public competition It was eventually named after Arturo Camposthe NASA engineer who was instrumental in bringing the Apollo 13 crew back to Earth safely.
Monnequin Campos will be seated in the captain’s seat. Under the seat are accelerometer and vibration sensors to help assess what human crew members might encounter during flight. Campos will be fully distributed in the official Orion Crew Survival System space suit It will include two radiation sensors.
And while Moonikin Campos can certainly have all the fun, he won’t be alone. Two more dwarves will sit with her.
Helga and Zohar, Trunks of the Dwarf also known as Ghosts, will also be sitting with Monekin Campos. Their part of the mission involves collecting data on radiation levels that astronauts might encounter on future lunar missions.
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Helga and Zohar, Trunks of the Dwarf also known as Ghosts, will also be sitting with Monekin Campos. Their part of the mission involves collecting data on radiation levels that astronauts might encounter on future lunar missions.
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Helga and Zohar are what NASA calls ghosts – dwarf trunks made of materials that mimic human bones, soft tissue, and adult female organs. Much of their job involves detecting and measuring radiation.
“The Zohar will wear a radiation jacket called AstroRad while not wearing a Helga,” NASA said in a description of Mannekan’s duties. “The study will provide valuable data on radiation levels that astronauts may encounter on lunar missions and evaluate the effectiveness of the flak jacket that could allow the crew to exit storm shelter and continue working on mission-critical activities despite the solar storm.”
Don’t forget Snoopy
while there Lots of miscellaneous items Joining the exciting Artemis I mission, nothing is recognizable as Snoopy, the black and white dog created by American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz.
Snoopy is not new to NASA It has been linked to lunar missions since 1969 when the lunar module on the Apollo 10 mission was named Snoopy due to its role in exploration or “intrusion” on a landing site for the Apollo 11 mission.
Schulze also created cartoons for Snoopy on the moon Which captured “public excitement about America’s achievements in space” during the Apollo years, according to NASA.
This time though, Snoopy has a mission of his own. Since the Artemis I mission is unmanned, the stately Snoopy will serve as a zero-gravity indicator to show the team on Earth when the spacecraft reaches weightlessness.
“Devoted student. Bacon advocate. Beer scholar. Troublemaker. Falls down a lot. Typical coffee enthusiast.”