The Artemis program will be launching the first woman and the next man to the Moon. Before humans can step aboard an SLS rocket launching towards the Moon, we need a test run. Inside the Orion capsule for this first launch of the Artemis program, Artemis I, will be a manikin some have dubbed a ‘Moonikin’, but now this dummy has a name.
Artemis I will be uncrewed test flight around the moon. The test manikin will be fitted with a wide array of sensors to provide data on how the flight goes.
NASA previously announced a public voting campaign to name this manikin which received over 300,000 votes. The name was decided on using a bracket contest to narrow down 8 names to 1. The 8 names are as follows:
- ACE. Straightforward, practical. Stands for Artemis Crew Explorer.
- CAMPOS. Resourceful, problem-solver. A dedication to Arturo Campos, key player in bringing Apollo 13 home.
- DELOS. Nostalgic, romantic. The island where Apollo and Artemis were born, according to Greek myth.
- DUHART. Warm, welcoming. A dedication to Irene Duhart Long, chief medical officer at Kennedy Space Center.
- MONTGOMERY. Pioneer, innovative. A dedication to Julius Montgomery, first African American to work at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as a technical professional.
- RIGEL. Bright, inspirational. The giant superstar in the Orion constellation.
- SHACKLETON. Secretive, abundant. A crater on the Moon’s south pole and a reference to a famous Antarctic explorer.
- WARGO. Enthusiastic, passionate. A dedication to Michael Wargo, the agency’s first Chief Exploration Scientist.
Name descriptions provided by NASA
The voting was conducted through Twitter Polls, Facebook Reactions, and Instagram Story Polls. The votes from all social media platforms were added together to decide the winner of each bracket. At the end of all the voting, the name Campos won out.
Arturo Campos
Arturo Campos was the electrical power subsystems manager for the Apollo 13 Lunar Module.
As stated above, Campos played a critical role in bringing the crew of Apollo 13 home. Campos wrote the procedures that helped solve problems as they arose. For his actions, Campos and other mission control operators were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1970.
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