"We look forward to the final name selected for the moonikin and encourage people to follow along as we work toward a long-lasting presence on and around the Moon and get ready for the first mission to Mars."
Why a mannequin is going to spaceEngineers will compare Artemis I flight data with previous ground-based tests conducted with the same mannequin and human subjects, NASA has said, to prepare for Artemis II."It's critical for us to get data from the Artemis I manikin to ensure all of the newly designed systems, coupled with an energy dampening system that the seats are mounted on, integrate together and provide the protection crew members will need in preparation for our first crewed mission on Artemis II," said Jason Hutt, NASA's lead for Orion Crew Systems Integration, in a statement.One emergency situation for which the mannequin has been tested is whether astronauts could safely escape their seats if they were stuck upside down in water after splashdown, Hutt said.Also accompanying the "Moonikin" during Artemis I are Helga and Zohar, two female-bodied, model human torsos called "phantoms" that will sit in the two lower seats on Orion.