Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science · The Planetary Society

The astronaut health experiments of Artemis II

·1 hr 3 min·4 clips

NASA worries about SPEs, galactic cosmic radiation, and secondary radiation created by shielding.

1. Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science centers this episode on Artemis II and the science of keeping astronauts healthy in deep space. 2. Sarah Al-Ahmed of the Planetary Society hosts Steve Platts, NASA Human Research Program chief scientist, because he oversees the human-health experiments flying on Artemis II. 3. The episode asks what NASA can learn from sending four humans beyond Earth’s magnetosphere for the first time in more than 50 years. 4. Platts says his first NASA job was as a cardiovascular physiologist studying blood pressure control after astronauts returned from space. 5. He describes a compression suit developed to prevent the blood-pressure drop seen in shuttle astronauts and early space station crews. 6. Platts explains that cardiovascular scientists often end up in programmatic space-health roles because the heart and blood vessels link the whole organism. 7. He names NASA’s RIDGE hazards as radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from Earth, gravity or lack thereof, and hostile enclosed environment. 8. For radiation, he distinguishes solar particle events from galactic cosmic radiation and says shielding can create secondary radiation. 9. He says the Artemis mission will go around the Moon with onboard measurements that refine NASA’s radiation models. 10. He notes that astronauts on the lunar surface will eventually give NASA the best long-term measure of radiation exposure. 11. Platts describes flashes of light some astronauts see as cosmic rays passing through the retina. 12. He says NASA cannot simply add enough shielding to solve the problem because the vehicle would become too heavy to fly. 13. He says the isolation and confinement work uses analogs in Houston, Hawaii, Russia, Europe, and Antarctica. 14. He points to Antarctica overwinter crews as useful because they cannot leave and show some of the same immunology and psychological effects. 15. He says researchers are now considering AI bots or floating droid-like helpers to check crew wellbeing. 16. Platts explains that Artemis II will help NASA study multiple gravity shifts, including microgravity to 1.6 G and back again. 17. He details the Archer wearable experiment, which tracks light-dark cycles, activity, sleep, proximity, and crew interaction. 18. He also describes dry saliva swabs, standard measures, obstacle-course tests, and ultrasound as ways to measure hormones, biomarkers, movement, and organ health. 19. The interview sounds technical and practical, with Sarah Al-Ahmed asking direct follow-ups and Platts answering in detailed, example-driven terms. 20. People planning missions, studying human physiology, or following Artemis II will get the most from it; listeners wanting pure mission coverage may skip it.

As heard by us

Artemis II becomes a careful look at human health in deep space.

This installment reads less like a launch story and more like a clear look at what human bodies can handle far from Earth. Steve Platts follows the health experiments flying on Artemis II, and the focus stays on practical questions: how astronauts get out of the vehicle, whether…

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Why Artemis II's health experiments matter before the crew heads beyond Earth.

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