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NASA Biological and Physical Sciences Division | Principal Investigator: Dr. Lisa Scott Carnell
The AVATAR investigation aims to advance human health research by leveraging bone marrow organ-on-chip technology to study how deep space conditions impact blood cell development and immune function. Using organ chips containing blood-forming stem and progenitor cells derived from Artemis II astronauts, AVATAR enables researchers to model human bone marrow and better understand how spaceflight affects one of the body’s most radiation-sensitive systems.
During the mission, the organ chips will be housed within a self-contained, automated payload developed by Space Tango, designed to maintain controlled conditions throughout the flight aboard Orion. Upon return, researchers will analyze how spaceflight impacted the cells, providing one of the most detailed looks to date at how deep space environments influence human biology.
AVATAR is led by NASA’s BPS Division in collaboration with NASA’s Human Research Program and U.S. government partners, including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health. The investigation utilizes Emulate organ chips, with scientific leadership provided by Emulate and the Wyss Institute.
Why deep space?
Conducting this investigation beyond low Earth orbit, during Artemis II, provides a unique opportunity to understand how the combined stressors of deep space radiation and microgravity affect bone marrow function and blood cell production. This environment — outside the protection of Earth’s magnetosphere — cannot be replicated on the ground or in low Earth orbit and is critical to informing strategies that protect astronaut health on future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
