Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon has reached ISS on Soyuz MS-29 mission. In this 8-month mission, they will experiment on AI doctor technology and semiconductors. This research is very important for future Moon and Mars missions.
NoSA’s Indian-origin astronaut Anil Menon has created history. He has reached the International Space Station (ISS) through Soyuz MS-29 mission. He is also accompanied by Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos. His Soyuz capsule was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. According to Indian time, at 11:26 pm the capsule successfully docked with the ISS and at around 2 am today the team stepped inside the space station. Anil’s father is Malayali.
8 month scientific mission
Now the next 8 months are going to be very busy for Anil Menon and his team. During this period, experiments will be conducted in many fields like biology, medical technology and material science. This mission includes tasks ranging from medical testing to making high-quality semiconductor crystals with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The information obtained from all this research will prove to be very important for future human missions to the Moon and Mars.
Medical examination with the help of AI
The most special thing about this mission is to test an ‘AI Doctor’ in space. That is, a technology that can check the health of astronauts without the real-time help of doctors present on Earth. Anil Menon will experiment with conducting ultrasound with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR). This technology is very important for the future, especially when humans go to the Moon or Mars for a long time. Because it takes a long time to communicate on Earth over such a distance, it becomes difficult to get immediate medical help. In such a situation, the AI system itself will be able to provide necessary information by analyzing the ultrasound image.
Will also take part in semiconductor research
Apart from medical research, Anil Menon will also take part in experiments related to making semiconductor crystals. These crystals formed in the zero-gravity of space are of very high-quality. These will help in creating powerful computers, AI systems and advanced medical devices in the future.
Journey from SpaceX to NASA
Anil Menon was selected by NASA for its astronaut program in 2021. Before this, he had worked as the first flight surgeon of SpaceX. He has long experience regarding the effects of space on the human body. Interestingly, his wife Anna Menon is also a NASA astronaut and was a part of the 2024 Polaris Dawn mission.
Russian partner is experienced
Russian astronauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina who accompanied Anil are also very experienced. This is the second space journey of both of them. Kikina had earlier created history by becoming the first Russian cosmonaut to go to the ISS on SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission.
future expectations
NASA’s goal is to send humans safely to the Moon and then Mars in the future. Better treatment facilities in space are an important part of this big plan. Therefore, space scientists all over the world are keeping an eye on the results of Anil Menon’s experiment with this AI doctor.