NASA spinoffs to bioengineering and medicine

Through the active transfer of technology, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Technology Utilization (TU) Program assists private companies, associations, and government agencies to make effective use of NASA's technological resources to improve U.S. economic competitiveness and to provide societal benefit. Aerospace technology from areas such as digital image processing, space medicine and biology, microelectronics, optics and electrooptics, and ultrasonic imaging have found many secondary applications in medicine. Examples of technology spinoffs are briefly discussed to illustrate the benefits realized through adaptation of aerospace technology to solve health care problems. Successful implementation of new technologies increasingly requires the collaboration of industry, universities, and government, and the TU Program serves as the liaison to establish such collaborations with NASA. NASA technology is an important resource to support the development of new medical products and techniques that will further advance the quality of health care available in the U.S. and worldwide.     

Life science research in space brings health on Earth

Leading scientists and physicians review groundbreaking research that is leading the way to better health care for astronauts and new treatments for medical problems on Earth. This research includes the development and testing of a new Ventricular Assist Device for patients with heart failure awaiting heart transplantation; advancements in telemedicine that bring medical care to remote areas on Earth and aid in the diagnosis and treatment of illness during space flight; advanced technologies, such as a miniature mass spectrometer, cardiac ultrasound equipment, bone imaging, non-invasive High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound, non-invasive techniques for blood and tissue chemistry measurements; and advances in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.     

On the contribution of space medicine in the public health care

With the beginning of space era, a new branch of medicine has arisen and has been developing along with human exploration of outer space. And even though space medicine mainly faces the same problems as traditional medicine--cosmonauts health care and their high efficiency--this branch, has its own features, associated with the unusual factors of space flight, of which weightlessness is the major one. During the development of manned cosmonautics (duration of a human stay in space has reached already 438 days), methods of cosmonauts medical support and monitoring of their condition have been developed, knowledge of human possibilities and methods of process of organism adaptation to various and frequently severe conditions of external environment have increased. All this led to the fact that nowadays space medicine can become useful for improvement of human health care not only in space but also on the Earth. Moreover, the problem of implementation of cosmonautics achievements, and in particular of space medicine, in practice of public health care presents one of the most important issues concerning human health care. It is also connected with public opinion which is more and more concerned about the efficiency of significant expenses on space activities, especially lately. People often are set by the questions: what has space given, what fruits has space research provided to mankind, which results of this research can be used on the Earth already today for improvement of their life, for discussion of many difficult earthly problems? In terms of using cosmonautics possibilities, its achievements for health care and treatment, it is possible to define a few branches, in which purposeful studies are carried out.     

超导核磁共振技术在航天员生命保障中的应用前景探究

长期空间飞行会对航天员的身心健康造成一定的不利影响,开展航天员生命保障的研究是非常必要的。核磁共振技术是疾病检查诊断的重要手段,同样在航天员生命保障医疗中将发挥重要的作用。文章结合国内外相关研究进展以及航天员选拔、训练和航天员医监医保的相关知识,探究了超导核磁共振技术在航天员生命保障中的应用前景。     

Space-based societal applications—Relevance in developing countries

Space technology has the vast potential for addressing a variety of societal problems of the developing countries, particularly in the areas of communication, education and health sectors, land and water resources management, disaster management and weather forecasting. Both remote sensing and communication technologies can be used to achieve this goal.With its primary emphasis on application of space technology, on an end-to-end basis, towards national development, the Indian Space Programme has distinguished itself as one of the most cost-effective and development-oriented space programmes in the world.Developing nations are faced with the enormous task of carrying development-oriented education to the masses at the lower strata of their societies. One important feature of these populations is their large number and the spread over vast and remote areas of these nations, making the reaching out to them a difficult task. Satellite communication (Satcom) technology offers the unique capability of simultaneously reaching out to very large numbers, spread over vast areas, including the remote corners of the country. It is a strong tool to support development education. India has been amongst the first few nations to explore and put to use the Satcom technology for education and development-oriented services to the rural masses.Most of the developing countries have inadequate infrastructure to provide proper medical care to the rural population. Availability of specialist doctors in rural areas is a major bottleneck. Use of Satcom and information technology to connect rural clinics to urban hospitals through telemedicine systems is one of the solutions; and India has embarked upon an effective satellite-based telemedicine programme.Space technology is also useful in disaster warning and management related applications. Use of satellite systems and beacons for locating the distressed units on land, sea or air is well known to us. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is already a part of the International initiative called Satellite Aided Search and Rescue System.The programme to set up satellite-based Village Resource Centres (VRCs) across India, for providing a variety of services relevant to the rural communities, is also a unique societal application of space technology. The VRCs are envisaged as single window delivery mechanism for a variety of space-based products and services, such as tele-education; telemedicine; information on natural resources for planning and development at local level; interactive advisories on agriculture, fisheries, land and water resources management, livestock management, etc.; interactive vocational training towards alternative livelihood; e-governance; weather information; etc.This paper describes the various possibilities and potentials of Satcom and Remote Sensing technologies for societal applications. The initiatives taken by Indian Space Research Organisation in this direction are highlighted.     

The telemedicine frontier: going the extra mile

Telemedicine has the potential to have a greater impact on the future of medicine than any other modality and will profoundly alter the medical landscape of the twenty-first century. In the most remote areas, it can bring high-quality health care where none is now available. In global health care, it can enhance and standardize the quality of medical care, including developing countries. In the realm of space flight, it can provide a lifeline to medical expertise and monitoring. Through its mobility, it can provide urgently needed health care in instances of natural disaster. However, a number of challenges exist in its coordination and implementation on a global scale, specifically in the international and remote disaster scenarios. In the area of spaceflight, telemedicine capability will remain a consultation/information ‘lifeline’, but additional onboard medical capability and expertise will become crucial complements as missions become more advanced and remote from Earth.     

Space medicine comes down to Earth

Over the years innovative technologies developed for space flight have found their way into a variety of useful terrestrial applications. Significant examples can be found in the area of space medicine, which has greatly influenced human health care delivery on Earth. This report discusses several US applications of space medicine to terrestrial health needs and services, stressing the importance of a ‘space applications mentality’ as a valuable national asset.     

太赫兹技术空间应用研究探讨

作为近年来颇受世界各国和地区的科学家重视的一个新兴学科和技术领域,太赫兹辐射具有不同于其它波段电磁波的许多独特性质,在信息科学、生物学、医学、环境科学领域具有广阔的应用前景。文章介绍了国际上太赫兹技术空间应用的发展历史及及中国太赫兹技术的研究进展,给出了中国发展太赫兹空间技术的几点建议。     

Medical and surgical applications of space biosensor technology

Researchers in space life sciences are rapidly approaching a technology impasse. Many of the critical questions on the impact of spaceflight on living systems simply cannot be answered with the limited available technologies. Research subjects, particularly small animal models like the rat, must be allowed to function relatively untended and unrestrained for long periods to fully reflect the impact of microgravity and spaceflight on their behavior and physiology. These requirements preclude the use of present hard-wired instrumentation techniques and limited data acquisition systems. Implantable sensors and miniaturized biotelemetry are the only means of capturing the fundamental and critical data. This same biosensor and biotelemetry technology has direct application to Earth-based medicine and surgery. Continuous, on-line data acquisition and improved measurement capabilities combined with the ease and flexibility offered by automated, wireless, and portable instruments and data systems, should provide a boon to the health care industry. Playing a key role in this technology revolution is the Sensors 2000! (S2K!) Program at NASA Ames Research Center. S2K!, in collaboration with space life sciences researchers and managers, provides an integrated capability for sensor technology development and applications, including advanced biosensor technology development, spaceflight hardware development, and technology transfer and commercialization. S2K! is presently collaborating on several spaceflight projects with dual-use medical applications. One prime example is a collaboration with the Fetal Treatment Center (FTC) at the University of California at San Francisco. The goal is to develop and apply implantable chemical sensor and biotelemetry technology to continuously monitor fetal patients during extra-uterine surgery, replacement into the womb, through birth and beyond. Once validated for ground use, the method will be transitioned to spaceflight applications to remotely monitor key biochemical parameters in flight animals. Successful application of NASA implantable biosensor and biotelemetry technologies should accelerate the advancement of this and other modern medical procedures while furthering the exploration of life in space.     

MEDES clinical research facility as a tool to prepare ISSA space flights

This new multi-disciplinary medical experimentation center provides the ideal scientific, medical and technical environment required for research programs and to prepare international space station Alpha (ISSA) missions, where space and healthcare industries can share their expertise. Different models are available to simulate space flight effects (bed-rest, confinement,...). This is of particular interest for research in Human psychology, physiology, physiopathology and ergonomics, validation of biomedical materials and procedures, testing of drugs, and other healthcare related products. This clinical research facility (CRF) provides valuable services in various fields of Human research requiring healthy volunteers. CRF is widely accessible to national and international, scientific, medical and industrial organisations. Furthermore, users have at their disposal the multi-disciplinary skills of MEDES staff and all MEDES partners on a single site.     

Technological learning through international collaboration: Lessons from the field

Countries on every continent are making new or renewed commitments to domestic satellite programs. These programs have the potential to address national needs by enhancing access to information, improving infrastructure and providing inspiration to the public. How do countries without local expertise in space technology begin a new satellite program? What is the role of international collaboration in supporting the efforts of a new space fairing country? This paper explores such questions by highlighting outputs from intensive field work in Africa and Asia. Specifically, the study explores case studies of early space activity in these countries to search for lessons about the management of a young space program. The observations from field work are compared to ideas from scholarly literature on technological learning. The findings are organized using principles from systems architecture. The paper presents a model that captures many of the influences and strategic decision areas for a collaborative satellite development project. The paper also highlights the growth of capability among African countries in the area of satellite technology.     

Setting priorities in US space science

Two new long-range US space science strategy studies are notable not only for what the new reports say and do for their respective discipline areas but also for what they demonstrate in terms of shared conclusions and in terms of the feasibility of forging consensus on community priorities. Both studies engaged a broad segment of the research community to survey their respective fields, recommend top priority scientific goals and directions for the next decade, provide recommendations for programmatic directions and explicit priorities for government investment in research facilities, and address issues of advanced technology, infrastructure, interagency coordination, education, and international cooperation. The two studies demonstrate that cross-program priorities can be established when a community sees the effort as being beneficial to the long-term health of the field.     

NEEMO 7 undersea mission

The NEEMO 7 mission was the seventh in a series of NASA-coordinated missions utilizing the Aquarius undersea habitat in Florida as a human space mission analog. The primary research focus of this mission was to evaluate telementoring and telerobotic surgery technologies as potential means to deliver medical care to astronauts during spaceflight. The NEEMO 7 crewmembers received minimal pre-mission training to perform selected medical and surgical procedures. These procedures included: (1) use of a portable ultrasound to locate and measure abdominal organs and structures in a crewmember subject; (2) use of a portable ultrasound to insert a small needle and drain into a fluid-filled cystic cavity in a simulated patient; (3) surgical repair of two arteries in a simulated patient; (4) cystoscopy and use of a ureteral basket to remove a renal stone in a simulated patient; and (5) laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a simulated patient. During the actual mission, the crewmembers performed the procedures without or with telementoring and telerobotic assistance from experts located in Hamilton, Ontario. The results of the NEEMO 7 medical experiments demonstrated that telehealth interventions rely heavily on a robust broadband, high data rate telecommunication link; that certain interventional procedures can be performed adequately by minimally trained individuals with telementoring assistance; and that prior clinical experience does not always correlate with better procedural performance. As space missions become longer in duration and take place further from Earth, enhancement of medical care capability and expertise will be required. The kinds of medical technologies demonstrated during the NEEMO 7 mission may play a significant role in enabling the human exploration of space beyond low earth orbit, particularly to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.     

Promotion and Application Prospects of Disruptive Technology in Future Development of Space Industry

Space is a high-tech field integrating materials,electronic information,manufacture,energy,medicine and other disciplines.A number of disruptive technologies in various fields will have an important influence in areas such as space industry,scientific research on space and even military space.This article focuses on disruptive technologies exerting enormous influence in the space field based on the qualitative and quantitative research of disruptive technologies.The research and application for disruptive space technology is expected to greatly improve the efficiency of space system,significantly reducing research cost,and to promote a great improvement of space technology level.     

The basic health care system for the lunar base crew

A plan of the health care system for the crew on the lunar base is described in this study. The health care system consists of two subsystems. The first is the daily health care system. The system contains health care menus, similar to those on Earth, and some biochemical and ordinary medical examinations. The second system is a periodic medical inspection for the crew's bones and the determination of natural radioisotopes in the body. These care systems are automatically treated with the examination and data filing. Usually these examinations are carried out without the presence of a medical doctor. Examinations and files of the whole results are controlled by a computer. The daily results of examinations are compared with data in the file. If any abnormal values are found in the results, an appropriate message is sent advising whether he must receive an in-depth examination by a medical doctor, or be reexamined by the same submenu. The automatic health care system also records transactions with the life support monitoring system.     

The space life sciences strategy for the 21st century

In the past, space life sciences has focused on gaining an understanding of physiological tolerance to spaceflight, but, for the last 10 years, the focus has evolved to include issues relevant to extended duration missions. In the 21st century, NASA's long-term strategy for the exploration of the solar system will combine the assurance of human health and performance for long periods in space with investigations aimed at searching for traces of life on other planets and acquiring fundamental scientific knowledge of life processes. Implementation of this strategy will involve a variety of disciplines including radiation health, life support, human factors, space physiology and countermeasures, medical care, environmental health, and exobiology. It will use both ground-based and flight research opportunities such as those found in current on-going programs, on Spacelab and unmanned biosatellite flights, and during Space Station Freedom missions.     

Space motion sickness

Space motion sickness, presumably triggered by sudden entry into a weightless environment, occurred with unexpected frequency and severity among astronauts who flew the Skylab missions. Recovery from symptoms was complete within 3-5 days, and as revealed by the Skylab M131 Human Vestibular Function Experiment, all crewmembers were immune to experimentally induced motion sickness after mission day 8. This syndrome has been recognized as a possible threat to the early mission well-being and operational efficiency of at least some individuals who will fly space missions in the future. The causes of space motion sickness are not clearly understood, nor have satisfactory methods been identified to date for its prediction, prevention and treatment. In order to minimize the potential impact of this syndrome on Space Shuttle crew operations the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has organized a broad program of inter-disciplinary research involving a large number of scientists in the United States. Current research on the etiology of space motion sickness is based to a large extent on the so called sensory conflict theory. Investigations of the behavioral and neurophysiological consequences of intralabyrinthine, as well as intermodality sensory conflict are being performed. The work in this area is being influenced by the presumed alterations that occur in otolith behavior in weightlessness. In addition to sensory conflict, the possible relationship between observed cephalad shifts of body fluids in weightlessness and space motion sickness is being investigated. Research to date has failed to support the fluid shift theory. Research underway to identify reliable test methods for the prediction of susceptibility to space motion sickness on an individual basis includes attempts to (a) correlate susceptibility in different provocative environments; (b) correlate susceptibility with vestibular and non-vestibular response parameters, the latter including behavioral, hemodynamic and biochemical factors and (c) correlate susceptibility with rate of acquisition and length of retention of sensory adaptation. Controlled studies are also being performed during parabolic flight as a means of attempting to validate predictive tests for susceptibility to this syndrome. Research to develop new or improved countermeasures for space motion sickness is underway in two primary areas. One of these involves anti-motion sickness drugs. Significant achievements have been realized with regard to the identification of new highly efficacious drug combinations, dose levels and routes of administration. Although pronounced individual variations must be accounted for in selecting the optimum drug and dose level, combinations of promethazine plus ephedrine or scopolamine plus dexidrine are presently the drugs of choice. Work is also underway to identify side effects associated with anti-motion sickness drug use and to identify new drugs which may selectively modify activity in central neural pathways involved in motion sickness. In addition to research on drugs, efforts are being made to develop practical vestibular training methods. Variables which influence rate of acquisition of adaptation, length of retention of adaptation and transfer of protective adaptation to new environments are being evaluated. Also, included in this area is the use of biofeedback and autogenic therapy to train individuals to regulate autonomic responses associated with motion sickness. While valuable new knowledge is expected to evolve from these combined research programs, it is concluded that the final validation of predictive tests and countermeasures will require a series of controlled space flight experiments.     

Space activities in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

This paper summarizes the establishment and current development of space activities in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Space activities in Venezuela are focused on the areas of telecommunications, Earth observation and research on the physical properties of the Earth, and have as a primary goal the satisfaction of social needs. Current development of space activities started in 1999 when the new National Constitution recognized the value of outer space as the common heritage of mankind, and the key role of science and technology in promoting human welfare. The Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (ABAE) was created in 2007. Its legal framework recognizes three key elements that drive its policy: the participation of society, capacity building and human training, and international cooperation. Indeed ongoing international cooperation with partners such as China, India, Brazil and Uruguay has already expanded Venezuelan space capabilities, allowing the country to launch its first telecommunications satellite, Venesat-1 in 2008, to plan the infrastructure development for the design of small satellites, and to train 1195 local professionals in space science, technology and applications. Our analysis shows that Venezuela has the potential to become a space leadership country, promoting the social welfare, integration, and sustainable development of Latin American countries.