See the manikin who traveled around the Moon

Visitors of Space Center Houston now have the face-to-face opportunity to see a unique traveler of deep space: Commander Moonikin Campos, the full-scale manikin that journeyed around the Moon aboard NASA’s Artemis I mission.

Located in the Artemis Gallery of Space Center Houston, Moonikin Campos was the agency’s first integrated test flight subject for Artemis I.The manikin occupied the commander’s seat aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft during the uncrewed 2022 mission, a critical Artemis milestone testing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule.

The male-bodied manikin was named in honor of Arturo Campos, a NASA electrical systems manager who played a critical role in the safe return of the Apollo 13 crew. Campos’ leadership and technical expertise during the 1970 mission remains an example of problem-solving skills under pressure.

During Artemis I, Moonikin Campos collected vital data on radiation exposure, acceleration and vibration to help engineers better understand the conditions astronauts will experience in deep space exploration. That information is being used to improve spacecraft systems and crew safety as NASA prepares to return humans to the Moon and beyond.

These ongoing tests are especially critical as NASA prepares for Artemis II, the program’s first crewed mission, which will send four astronauts on a lunar flyby no later than April 2026.

Today, Commander Moonikin Campos stands as a symbolic test subject for human spaceflight and deep space exploration. View the new installment at Space Center Houston, the Official Visitor Center of NASA Johnson Space Center.

For more information about Commander Moonikin Campos, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/public-names-moonikin-flying-around-moon-on-nasas-artemis-i-mission/uston and the Cactus Jack Foundation are serving Houston Youth through STEM engagement.