NASA will send female dummies into space to study the harm of radiation to the human body

NASA’s upcoming Artemis 1 mission is important to many researches. The agency said in a statement that there will be female models in the Orion spacecraft, which is scheduled to be launched soon. With these female models, the effect of radiation on people will be investigated.

NASA sends 2 female mannequins covered with human tissues into space

Female mannequins named Helga and Zohar, Matroshka AstroRad, which aims to evaluate the effects of space radiation on astronauts’ bodies Part of the Radiation Experiment (MARE). According to a statement from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which designed and manages MARE, the mannequins are made of materials that mimic the human bones, soft tissues and organs of an adult woman. Thanks to 10,000 passive sensors and 34 active radiation detectors on the mannequins, the mannequins will also collect data as they make a six-week journey around the Moon.

The reason why dummies are especially female is that radiation has a greater effect on female bodies than on male bodies, resulting in an increased risk of ovarian or breast cancer.

Zohar will be equipped with a radiation protection vest developed by StemRad, the industrial partner of the Israel Space Agency (ISA). The discrepancies between Zohar’s sensor data and Helga’s will provide important information about radiation-related health risks in spaceflight. If successful, the vest, called the AstroRad, could be used to protect real human astronauts from radiation exposure during Artemis II and other future missions.