NASA’s “Astronaut Avatars” – Tiny Organ Chips Poised to Protect Artemis II Crew’s Health
NASA’s Artemis II, scheduled for 2026, will send four astronauts around the Moon and carry the AVATAR experiment, which uses organ-on-a-chip devices containing the crew’s own cells. These chips will monitor how deep space conditions affect human tissue. The project involves NASA, BARDA, NIH, Emulate, Inc., and Space Tango. Data could inform personalized medical protocols for future Moon and Mars missions.