NASA sends the first mannequins around the Moon to measure radiation

Two mannequins called Helga and Zohar will join this trip and will go further than any previous human on a spaceship.

The two mannequins will sit in the passenger seats with the important task of being subjected to radiation effects and measuring the effectiveness of new clothes designed to protect the most sensitive organs and tissues.

The AstroRad suit is under research.

The effigies are made up of 38 tissue-equivalent plastic slices that are modeled to recreate different densities of tissues, bones and organs in adult women. They will be fitted with 5,600 sensors to measure the amount of radiation that astronauts will face in future missions.

Developed by the Israeli-American company, the coat, called AstroRad, will protect astronauts from the effects of radiation. If the test proves successful, this means that astronauts can perform important activities even during a proton storm.

The suit, made for the female, but can be adapted to fit the male body using polythene blocks used to protect astronauts' sleeping areas on the International Space Station.

The shield itself in AstroRad consists of a polymer with a high amount of hydrogen, which is beneficial against spatial radiation because it minimizes the production of secondary radiation.

When wearing the AstroRad suit, the shield elements are solid but ensure the astronauts move freely without obstruction.

In addition, the maker of the AstroRad suit is currently exploring the use of recycled plastic materials created on spacecraft in the future to use for shielding elements, which will significantly reduce the volume. The amount of load related to the device.

During the mission, the mannequin Zohar, will be lucky to wear the suit, while Helga will face the full impact of the cosmic rays in the galaxy and the particles emanating from the Sun.

In 2020, NASA will launch the Orion spacecraft as part of the Artemis I mission - for the first time in an increasingly complex series of missions, hoping to bring the first woman and the next man to respond. down to the Moon and finally to Mars.