NASA Invites People to the "Name the Artemis Moonikin Challenge" for Its Dummy Headed to the Moon

NASA announced its newest naming challenge, called Name the Artemis Moonikin Challenge, to ask the public to help them name the mannequin that will fly on the uncrewed Artemis I mission aboard the Orion spacecraft that will take off this November.

Sending the mannequin on the Artemis I mission will allow NASA to collect data on the possible effects that the journey may cause on a real human body.

The space agency has already announced the completion of the massive Space Launch System that will ferry humans to the Moon for the Artemis mission.

Name the Artemis Moonikin Challenge

According to CNet, NASA has already narrowed the names to eight. These are Ace, Wargo, Delos, Duhart, Campos, Shackleton, Montgomery, and Rigel.

Each name has a meaning behind them. For instance, Ace is short for "Artemis Crew Explorer," while Duhart is named after NASA's chief medical officer Irene Duhart Long.

But for those who ask if Montgomery is for Montgomery Scott of Star Trek, the space agency said that it is a tribute to Julius Montgomery, the first African-American to work as a technical professional in the Cape Canaveral space facility.

NASA also posted all the meanings of the names on their website. These names were already posted on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram in a bracket-style challenge on June 16.

Voting for the Moonikin's name will end on June 28, and the official name will be announced on June 29, according to the news outlet.

ALSO READ: SpaceX Wins $2.9 Billion Lunar Lander Contract for NASA's Artemis Program Set on 2024

Moonikin Flying on Artemis I Mission Around the Moon

NASA announced on their website that the Moonikin is a mannequin that will serve as an anatomical model that will simulate the human body. The mannequin is commonly used in training for emergency rescues, medical education, and research.

The Moonikin will be equipped with two radiation sensors, as well as sensors in the seat in which one will be placed under the headrest and another behind the seat. These sensors will record the acceleration and vibration as the Orion spacecraft travels around the Moon and back to the Earth.

Data from these sensors will be used by NASA scientists to better understand how best to protect the crew that will be onboard the Artemis I mission and future explorations.

The mannequin has a male form that was previously used during the vibration tests of Orion. The Moonikin will be accompanied by two phantoms, model torsos that are made from materials that mimic the human bones, soft tissues, and organs of an adult female.

These phantoms were named Zohar and Helga, made by the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). They will be supporting the investigation, called the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE), which will provide information on radiation levels during the Lunar Missions.