Artemis II astronauts are hocking back in the name of science.
NASA’s mission is, first and foremost, a multi-prong series of experiments and data collections to aid even more complex flights into deep space.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, therefore, must repeatedly lick tiny strips of paper along their Earth-to-Moon trek.
Formally, the space agency is calling this project Immune Biomarkers, one of multiple health tests crew aboard the Orion spacecraft, nicknamed Integrity, will complete along their 685,000-mile journey.
“A fascinating thing about the space environment is it actually changes the immune systems of our bodies,” Koch explained at a NASA press conference on Sept. 24. “That’s really important to us and our friends.”
Koch brought along her experience on the International Space Station (ISS), where—unlike the pint-sized Integrity—there was room for the standard cooling system needed to store wet samples.
“Many of us had experienced those things when we went to the ISS,” Koch noted. “We’re going to really have to have a handle on that for long duration missions.”
With a refrigeration unit out of the question, NASA’s trademark hivemind of ingenuity landed on a solution that required only mere inches of square-footage: little slips of paper.
“The crew provide those samples by blotting, basically licking, these special papers that they’ll store inside of a pocket-sized booklet,” NASA Chief Exploration Scientist Jacob Bleacher revealed. “We will then be able to rehydrate those saliva packets and conduct some analyses so we can look for stress hormones, anti-microbial proteins, evidence of reactivated viruses and much more.”
A dormant virus arising in space has been seen aboard ISS, where astronauts have found themselves coming down with cases of chickenpox and shingles.
Thanks to spit, NASA said their scientists will learn how immune systems are affected by the increased stresses of radiation, isolating environments and distance from Earth.
“Saliva is basically a window into how our immune system is functioning,” Bleacher said. “Our astronauts will be able to supply saliva samples and we can compare those with saliva samples collected back here on Earth.”
The Artemis II crew was barely out of Earth’s atmosphere following their April 1 launch when they were hit with a different kind of bodily fluid-related task: fixing their broken toilet.
“I’m proud to call myself the space plumber,” Koch revealed aboard Integrity alongside her crewmates during their April 2 media interviews. “I like to say that it is probably the most important piece of equipment on board, so we were all breathing a sigh of relief when it turned out to be just fine.”
Houston CAPCOM suspected the commode’s fan belt was busted, then troubleshot the issue with Koch in what was one of the mission’s first successful teamwork operations.
“It was just an issue of sitting for a long time and needing a little time to warm up,” Koch added. “We did originally think that there could have been potentially something fouling up the motor, and luckily we are all systems go.”
Curious how the Artemis II crew is fairing en route to the Moon? NASA’s YouTube livestream below has got you covered!