Why Is NASA Sending Yeast To Space Through Artemis I? UBC Student Explains Reason

People are learning what is onboard the historic uncrewed Artemis I as NASA gets ready to launch it on Monday for a trip around the moon. Thousands of samples of yeast are included in the mission.

According to NASA (per Newsweek), Artemis I is the first in a line of "increasingly complex missions" that aim to establish a long-term human presence on the moon.

Observing how yeast responds to cosmic radiation is one of the studies carried out on the mission.

Why NASA Adds Yeast in Artemis 1 Mission

Most people will be focused on the 32-story Space Launch System (SLS) rocket itself when it launches on its first uncrewed trip around the moon on August 29. This is because it is the largest rocket ever launched.

Fewer yet will be paying much attention to the yeast traveling with them. However, Time Magazine mentioned that sending yeast to space is a big deal for the scientific community.

Microscopic yeast samples will be on board a shoebox-sized CubeSat called BioSentinel will be launched from the SLS. These items will continually be subjected to the scorching attack of high-energy cosmic rays and solar particles.

While some of the sensors onboard BioSentinel will assess the radiation's strength, much smaller, more precise ones-known as microfluidics cards, designed to examine incredibly little volumes of liquids-will keep an eye on the yeast's health and send the information they collect back to Earth.

In a statement released by the University of British Columbia, researchers said that yeast is a good substitute for evaluating biological processes, including growth, death, and DNA damage.

(Photo : EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)
NASAs Artemis I Moon rocket sits at Launch Pad Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 15, 2022.

ALSO READ: NASA's Artemis 1 Mission Prepares to Head to the Moon, Will Test New Space Launch System (SLS) Rocket

People will learn a lot about the chances of the astronauts coming after from the samples on BioSentinel, which will have the distinction of traveling farther in space than any organisms from Earth have previously.

NASA Artemis 1: We Are Ready

Meanwhile, NASA released the film Artemis I: We Are Ready ahead of its launch. In a little under five minutes, the movie provides a brief walkthrough of the NASA Artemis 1 launch.

To illustrate and explain how the precisely planned mission of Artemis I is projected to proceed, the video made use of some really spectacular images.

The first two and a half minutes of the movie, as demonstrated by NASA, are devoted to getting Artemis off the ground and gaining momentum, while the latter six minutes are devoted to hurling Artemis into orbit.

The Orion spacecraft will be lifted higher by the second stage, and this process will continue until the second stage fires once again and propels Orion outside the limits of Earth. It will take several days to travel to the moon.

On the other hand, many different systems and processes will be looked at, tried, and validated.

Orion will break the previous record for the farthest distance traveled by spacecraft capable of carrying humans while doing this.

Digital Trends said NASA will launch the Orion spacecraft for Artemis 1 and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on August 29.

RELATED ARTICLE: NASA Wants to Land Space Launch System Into Moon's 'Dark, Unexplored' Regions For Its Artemis Lunar Mission

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