Wednesday, August 13, 2008
LIFEPAK 1000 AED Goes to Space
If it's good for NASA, it must be good for your dirty hospital. Medtronic is excited that its portable LIFEPAK® 1000 automated external defibrillator has won some hearts at NASA, after the agency tested 18 other AEDs, and selected this particular model to be the first ever defibrillator in space, to be deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) along with some Russians and Georgians. If the current conflict escalates into outer space, this might come in handy.
From Medtronic:
The ISS has utilized manual defibrillators in the past, but NASA decided to now deploy an AED because it requires less training and maintenance, better enabling astronauts to respond to a medical emergency. The small size and light weight of the 1000 also helped minimize hardware mass and volume onboard the Space Station.NASA conducted extensive evaluations of 18 AEDs available worldwide before selecting the LIFEPAK 1000 defibrillator to protect the crew members of the ISS. The AED evaluations focused on user interface, ease of use, durability and detailed technical specifications related to the unique conditions encountered in space, including electromagnetic interference, pressure susceptibility, temperature, vibration, acceleration and other environmental factors. Additionally, Medical Operations personnel evaluated the use of LIFEPAK 1000 in zero gravity conditions aboard a NASA DC-9 test aircraft as part of developing their advanced life support use protocols.
With the exception of a customized battery developed and provided by Micro Power Electronics, a leading manufacturer of custom batteries and power systems, and a NASA-created cover for the device that is specifically designed for space use to help protect it from electromagnetic interference, the LIFEPAK 1000 was deployed on board the Space Station in the same device configuration used by professional emergency responders.
Product page: LIFEPAK 1000...
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Thursday, May 22, 2008
Centrifuges Recruited in Study of Space Sickness
Suzanne Nooij, a PhD student at Delft University of Technology in Holland, has been studying the causes of space sickness, or Space Adaptation Syndrome (SAS), that impacts many of the astronauts in their initial days in orbit.
Interestingly, SAS symptoms can even be experienced after lengthy exposure to high gravitational forces in a human centrifuge, as is used for instance for testing and training fighter pilots. To experience this, people have to spend longer than an hour in a centrifuge and be subjected to gravitational forces of three times higher than that on Earth. The rotation is in itself not unpleasant, but after leaving the centrifuge about half of the test subjects experience the same symptoms as caused by space sickness. It also turns out that astronauts who suffer from space sickness during space flights also experience these symptoms following lengthy rotation on Earth. This means that these symptoms are not caused by weightlessness as such, but more generally by adaptation to a different gravitational force.Suzanne Nooij has studied these effects closely using the human centrifuge at the Centre for Man and Aviation in Soesterberg. Her results confirm the theory that both types of nausea (space sickness and after rotation) are caused by the same mechanism and also provide better insight into why the symptoms arise.
Logically, Nooij focused her research on the organ of balance. This is located in the inner ear and comprises semi-circular canals, which are sensitive to rotation, and otoliths, which are sensitive to linear acceleration. It has previously been suggested that a difference between the functioning of the left and right otolith contributes to susceptibility to sickness among astronauts. If this is the case, this should also apply after lengthy rotation.
Nooij tested this otolith asymmetry hypothesis. The otolith and semi-circular canals functions on both sides were measured of fifteen test subjects known to be susceptible to space sickness. Those who suffered from space sickness following rotation proved to have high otolith asymmetry and more sensitive otolith and canal systems. These people could not be classified as sensitive or non-sensitive on the basis of this asymmetry alone, but could on the basis of a combination of various otolith and canal features. This demonstrates that the entire organ of balance is involved in space sickness and that it probably entails complex interactions between the various parts of the organ of balance.
Hopefully this knowledge will lead to better management of the condition, as vomit in a zero gravity environment can really put a dent on a trip.
Press release: Why do astronauts suffer from space sickness?
Image credit: Wellcome images: Packaging for Marzine anti-nausea drug showing an astronaut in space, presumably on the moon. Illustration c.1970i...
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Nanotechnology-Based Biosensor from NASA for Early Detection of Biohazards
This NASA developed nanotechnology-based biosensor, designed to detect trace amounts of specific bacteria, viruses and parasites, has now been tested and licensed for commercialization by biosensor technology company Early Warning Inc., from Troy, N.Y.
From a NASA statement:
This biosensor will be used to help prevent the spread of potentially deadly biohazards in water, food and other contaminated sources.NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in California licensed the biosensor technology to Early Warning Inc., Troy, N.Y. Under a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement, NASA and Early Warning jointly will develop biosensor enhancements. Initially, the biosensor will be configured to detect the presence of common and rare strains of microorganisms associated with water-borne illnesses and fatalities.
"The biosensor makes use of ultra-sensitive carbon nanotubes which can detect biohazards at very low levels," explained Meyya Meyyappan, chief scientist for exploration technology and former director of the Center for Nanotechnology at Ames. "When biohazards are present, the biosensor generates an electrical signal, which is used to determine the presence and concentration levels of specific micro-organisms in the sample. Because of their tiny size, millions of nanotubes can fit on a single biosensor chip."
Early Warning company officials say food and beverage companies, water agencies, industrial plants, hospitals and airlines could use the biosensor to prevent outbreaks of illnesses caused by pathogens - without needing a laboratory or technicians.
"Biohazard outbreaks from pathogens and infectious diseases occur every day in the U.S. and throughout the world," said Neil Gordon, president of Early Warning. "The key to preventing major outbreaks is frequent and comprehensive testing for each suspected pathogen, as most occurrences of pathogens are not detected until after people get sick or die. Biohazards can enter the water supply and food chain from a number of sources which are very difficult to uncover."
Early Warning expects to launch its water-testing products in late 2008.
NASA press release: NASA Nanotechnology-Based Biosensor Helps Detect Biohazards...
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
How Dangerous is Moon Dust?
At the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, scientists are studying the human physiologic response to prolonged exposure to lunar dust, the particles of which might pose a threat to human lungs:
During the Apollo lunar missions in the late 1960s and 1970s, the clingy particles were easily transported via spacesuits into the lunar lander following moonwalks. The amount of dust inside the vehicle was so great some astronauts reported they could smell it.Even though there were no known illnesses due to exposure, lunar dust is a concern because it has properties comparable to that of fresh-fractured quartz, a highly toxic substance. However, the Apollo flights lasted only a few days. During the proposed return to the moon, astronauts will be exposed to lunar dust for longer periods of time, including missions that could last months.
Due to the moon’s reduced gravity and the size of its dust particles, the respiratory system’s process to remove unwanted matter may not work as efficiently as it does on Earth. “In the moon’s fractional gravity, particles remain suspended in the airways rather than settling out, increasing the chances of distribution deep in the lung, with the possible consequence that the particles will remain there for a long period of time,” Prisk said.
The lungs are a highly sensitive organ because of the large surface area that delivers oxygen molecules through a thin membrane directly to the blood. The health risk to astronauts increases as dust particles go deeper into the lungs.
To conduct the research, scientists take measurements during flights on NASA’s Microgravity Research Aircraft. These airplanes are used to provide short periods of reduced- and zero-gravity during a series of steep climbs and descents.
“During the portions of the flight in which gravity is reduced to levels seen on the lunar surface, we inject particles into a mouthpiece through which the study participants breathe,” Prisk said. “Subjects breathe in and out, and we measure how the particles behave and how many end up inside the lung.”
Prisk said the research flights have been beneficial so far. “With the reduced-gravity flights, we’re improving the process of assessing environmental exposure to inhaled particles,” he said. “We’ve learned that tiny particles (less than 2.5 microns) which are the most significant in terms of damage, are greatly affected by alterations in gravity.”
The next step is to investigate the risks and determine ways to limit exposure.
Press release: Astronaut health on moon may depend on good dusting...
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
New Software Predicts Radiation Exposure in Space
A new software modeling package, developed by the European Space Agency, promises to give the best estimate of radiation exposure experienced by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS):
The new software package accurately simulates the physics of radiation particles passing through spacecraft walls and human bodies. Such techniques will be essential to use for calculating the radiation doses received by astronauts on future voyages to the Moon and Mars.To predict accurately the radiation risk faced by astronauts, scientists and engineers must tackle three separate problems: How much radiation is hitting the space vehicle? How much of that radiation is blocked by the available shielding? What are the biological effects of the radiation on the astronauts?
This project, funded by ESA’s General Studies Programme and the Swedish National Space Board, mostly concentrates on the second of those questions. It was initiated by Christer Fuglesang of ESA's European Astronaut Corps.
During a stay onboard the ISS in December 2006, he experienced firsthand the effects of space radiation. "You see flashes when you close your eyes as a result of interactions with your eye," he says.
The frequency of these flashes depends on where the ISS is in its orbit and the level of solar activity. There was a solar storm whilst Fuglesang was in space. "That night we were told to sleep in the more shielded sections of the station," he says.The ESA simulation is called Dose Estimation by Simulation of the International Space Station (ISS) Radiation Environment (DESIRE). "The project was designed to provide a European capability in accurately predicting radiation doses onboard Columbus," says Petteri Nieminen, ESA’s Technical Officer on the study.
The first step was to build a programme that would accurately simulate the physics of radiation passing into a spacecraft and then through a human body. To do this, Tore Ersmark of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden worked with several existing software packages. These included a software toolkit known as Geant4, which simulates the propagation of radiation particles. Geant4 has been successfully used in disciplines such as space physics, medical physics and high-energy physics, and is developed by a large international collaboration involving ESA, CERN, and many other institutes and universities.
One of the lengthiest aspects of the work was that Ersmark had to build from scratch a computer model of the International Space Station itself. The configuration and orientation of the ISS are crucial parameters in defining the amount of matter that radiation passes through.
The Columbus module, launched into space by NASA's Space Shuttle on 7 February, is the most ambitious and sophisticated contribution to human spaceflight that Europe has yet made. It is equipped with radiation monitors to test the DESIRE predictions. "We are really pleased with the results from DESIRE and look forward to comparing them to the actual measurements," says Petteri.
Inside Columbus, during quiet solar times, the radiation levels are expected to be low. "Although they are several hundred times greater than the background radiation level here in Sweden, that is still not dangerous," says Ersmark.
Beyond Columbus, the DESIRE tool can be developed into a European software package that can be used to predict the radiation risks for other manned space flight missions, both close to Earth and beyond the protection of our planet’s magnetic field...
During the Apollo missions of the 1960s-70s, the astronauts were simply lucky not to have been in space during a major solar eruption that would have flooded their spacecraft with deadly radiation. Essentially, they took risks and got away with it. For the kind of long-duration journeys being talked about today, a far more robust system of predicting radiation doses is required.
Predicting the radiation risk to ESA's astronauts ...
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Simulating Space Exercise on Earth
Scientists at NASA's Glenn Research Center, with the help of folks from the Cleveland Clinic, built an odd looking treadmill, dubbed Standalone Zero Gravity Locomotion Simulator (sZLS), designed to resemble the lack of gravity when running on a treadmill in space.
Living in weightlessness can lead to aerobic deconditioning, muscle atrophy and bone loss, all of which can affect an astronaut's ability to perform physical tasks. On the International Space Station, crew members exercise daily to help counter the effects of prolonged weightlessness.The treadmill simulates zero gravity by suspending human test subjects horizontally to remove the torso, head and limbs from the normal pull of gravity. Participants are pulled toward a vertically-mounted treadmill system where they can run or walk. The forces against a test subject's feet are precisely controlled and can mimic conditions of zero gravity in low Earth orbit or conditions on the moon, which has one-sixth the gravity of Earth. In addition to simulating exercise protocols, the device may be used to imitate the physiological effects of spacewalking.
Cleveland Clinic in Ohio collaborated closely with NASA in the development of the treadmill and currently is conducting bed rest studies with a similar device to understand how exercise during simulated spaceflight affects the muscles and bones.
Press release: NASA Uses Vertical Treadmill to Improve Astronaut Health in Space
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Friday, October 5, 2007
The Workings of Space Toilets
On the heels of our coverage of the nanotoilet, a video of Col. Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency explaining the mechanics of space toilets is capturing the imagination of the internet community.
And here is NASA demonstrating the actual device.
(hat tip: Wired)
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Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Space Flight Makes Bacteria Deadlier
Investigators from the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have conclusively shown an increase in virulence in Salmonella typhimurium that was exposed to weightlessness aboard NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-115. Cheryl Nickerson and James Wilson, both professors in ASU's School of Life Sciences, will be publishing their results in the upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
From the statement by ASU:
Their results... reveal a key role for a master regulator, called Hfq, in triggering the genetic changes that show an increase in the virulence of Salmonella as a result of space flight. The results of these studies hold potential to greatly advance infectious disease research in space and here on Earth, and may lead to the development of new therapeutics to treat and prevent infectious disease.To study the effects of space flight, Nickerson and colleagues sent specially contained tubes of Salmonella in an experimental payload aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The tubes of bacteria were placed in triple containment for safety and posed no threat to the health and safety of the crew during or after the mission.
During the flight, astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper activated growth of the bacteria in sealed hardware and 'fixed' the cultures after a day of growth to determine changes in gene and protein expression levels.
"The bacterial cultures were taken up into space and activated to grow in a separate compartment of the tubes called the growth chamber," said Nickerson. "The bacteria didn't have access to the growth chamber until Heide pushed down on a plunger which introduced the bacteria into the growth media. Then they were grown for 24 hours, and at the end of 24 hours, Heide pushed down on the plunger again, which either "fixed" the bacteria with chemicals that preserved the gene expression message, or else introduced fresh media to keep the bacteria growing to perform the virulence studies."
As a synchronous control experiment back on Earth, Nickerson's team grew an identical set of bacteria in the same type of tubes used for flight and incubated them in a special room at the NASA Kennedy Space Center called the orbital environmental simulator. "This simulator is linked in real-time to the shuttle, and duplicates the exact temperature, humidity and growth conditions of the shuttle, with the exception that they are not flying in space," said Nickerson. "In addition, we were also linked via real-time telecommunications with the shuttle crew when they were activating and terminating our experiments in flight, and we did the exact same things at the same time to the ground samples that the astronauts did to the flight samples - thus we had perfectly matched synchronous ground controls."
After the bacteria returned to Earth, the group performed the first global analysis of Salmonella to measure the effect of space flight on gene and protein expression and virulence. By measuring the gene and protein patterns, the researchers could hone in on the key molecular players necessary for virulence from among thousands of potential candidates.
"We chose to measure gene expression at the mRNA level since the technique to do this, called microarray analysis, is a highly advanced and convenient way to quantitatively measure the expression of every gene in a single experiment," said Wilson, who coordinated the team's molecular profiling efforts for the Nickerson lab, and played a central role in the performance of these experiments, including data analysis. "It is a very powerful technique that was very applicable to the space flight experiment. The isolation of mRNA poses particular challenges since it is very sensitive to degradation, but we designed the experiment using a fixative that preserved the mRNA very well."
After logging in millions of miles in space, the invaluable and well-traveled bacterial samples were analyzed back on Earth, and for the protein profiling studies, were taken to the University of Arizona's core proteomics facility at its Center for Toxicology to measure the level of every protein that had been subjected to space flight.
"Working with the UA group was great and we obtained very nice data that complemented the microarray analysis very well," said Wilson. "Keep in mind also that our body of mRNA and protein expression data from this experiment is precious, since comprehensive analysis of an organism's molecular genetic response to space flight is very rare."
Compared to bacteria that remained on earth, the space-traveling Salmonella had changed expression of 167 genes. After the flight, animal virulence studies showed that bacteria that were flown in space were almost three times as likely to cause disease when compared with control bacteria grown on the ground.
The study discovered that an important regulatory protein, Hfq, may be a key molecule responsible for the increased virulence due to space flight. "Hfq is a protein that binds to and regulates a number of regulatory RNAs, which in turn, control gene expression," said Nickerson. "Our studies suggest that there may be a role for these regulatory RNAs in the cellular response to the physical and mechanical forces found in space flight, which are relevant to conditions that cells encounter here on Earth during the normal course of their lifecycles."
Press release: Space flight shown to alter ability of bacteria to cause disease ...
Flashback: All Systems Go: NASA'S GeneSat-1...
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Monday, September 24, 2007
Zero Gravity In-Flight Robotic Surgery
From what sounds like a merger of Virgin Airways, Virgin Health, and Virgin Galactic, researchers from SRI International and the University of Cincinnati will be flying the C-9 "weightless wonder", comparing the performance of a robotic surgical robot outfitted with SRI's control software to a real surgeon with a brain and heartbeat.
The experiment will compare the precision and speed with which both human and robot surgeons can cut and stitch an incision, among other things. The SRI-developed software will help robo-doc compensate for the "errors in movement" that could be expected whether flying through space or over a battlefield in a medivac flight.The SRI telerobotics allow the robot surgery to be controlled from thousands of miles away. When perfected, this system would allow patient care to begin the minute they close the ambulance door, according to Silicon Valley-based SRI.
"In remote telesurgery, a surgeon controls a multi-armed robot located at the patient's bedside from a distant location using a telecommunications network," SRI's Thomas Low said. "This has the potential to provide emergency medical and surgical care to astronauts during space flights, soldiers injured in battle and patients living in remote regions on Earth where there are no physicians."
More from C-NET...
(hat tip: Gizmodo)
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Aquanauts to the Rescue!
National Space Biomedical Research Institute is sending a team of 'aquanauts' to Aquarius, "the world's only underwater research habitat", 60 feet below the surface around Key Largo, Florida, in order to investigate the efficacy of stress, fatique, and other psychological tests when performed by isolated individuals and teams, like those who go to space.
"The crew takes a three-minute test that measures vigilance, attention and psychomotor speed. We've learned from laboratory experiments that the test is sensitive to fatigue and other factors that impact a person's ability to pay attention to a task and respond quickly," Dinges said [David F. Dinges, Ph.D., team leader of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute's Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Factors Team -ed]. "The test is taken at least four times a day - on waking, before and after simulated moon walks, dives and habitat experiments, and before bed."The Psychomotor Vigilance Test, or PVT, was developed through Dinges' work with NSBRI, NASA, the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. The user watches for a signal and responds when it appears, allowing the measurement of reaction times.
The crew also wears a wristwatch-sized device, called an Actiwatch®, that measures the sleep and wake cycle. The aquanauts provide saliva at various times each day including when they awake, before and after performing experiments and simulated moon walks, and before going to bed.
"With the saliva samples, we measure cortisol, a hormone that provides information on their stress levels," Dinges said. "Cortisol is normally high in the morning; it's a means of getting you going each day. If we see elevated cortisol after performing a high-level task, it would indicate some type of stress occurred during the activity."
The crew fills out brief questionnaires about how hard they are working, so researchers can get a sense of their physical and mental workload. Another questionnaire focuses on mood and interpersonal interactions between the crew as well as with mission control personnel.
More from NSBRI...
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Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The BioSuit
For the last seven years, MIT engineers have been working on designing a new space suit, one that is not bulky and features full range of motion for the astronaut. The big idea behind the BioSuit is a technology that relies not on gas pressurization, as in today's bubble suits, but on "mechanical counter-pressure":
In the 40 years that humans have been traveling into space, the suits they wear have changed very little. The bulky, gas-pressurized outfits give astronauts a bubble of protection, but their significant mass and the pressure itself severely limit mobility.Dava Newman, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems at MIT, wants to change that.
Traditional bulky spacesuits "do not afford the mobility and locomotion capability that astronauts need for partial gravity exploration missions. We really must design for greater mobility and enhanced human and robotic capability," Newman says...
Key to their design is the pattern of lines on the suit, which correspond to lines of non-extension (lines on the skin that don't extend when you move your leg). Those lines provide a stiff "skeleton" of structural support, while providing maximal mobility.
The suits could also help astronauts stay fit during the six-month journey to Mars. Studies have shown that astronauts lose up to 40 percent of their muscle strength in space, but the new outfits could be designed to offer varying resistance levels, allowing the astronauts to exercise against the suits during a long flight to Mars.
Press release: One giant leap for space fashion: MIT team designs sleek, skintight spacesuit ...
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Nano ChemSensor Unit Monitors Spaceship Atmosphere
From Silicon Valley's NASA Ames Research Center comes word that the first nanotechnology-based electronic device ,dubbed Nano ChemSensor Unit, designed to monitor gases in a spaceship, performed well on board the U.S. Naval Academy's MidSTAR-1 satellite. The detector's technology platform, based on MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System), is designed to "mitigate biomedical risks, improve closed loop life support systems and play an important role in miniature, light weight multi-use sensors."
Here's what NASA tells us about the Nano ChemSensor Unit:
The goal of the Nano ChemSensor Unit (NCSU) is to demonstrate and validate the use of nanosensors in space flight for trace chemical detection. Nano sensors hold the promise of making MEMS-scale sensor suites for many Space Exploration missions. This experimental instrument will determine if nano technology can tolerate the micro-gravity, thermal, and cosmic radiation environment of outer space. Chemical sensors using CNT and other nanostructures have been developed for gases such as ammonia, NOx, CO2, etc, hydrocarbons, and VOCs at both ARC and GRC (on-going projects). Physical sensors and actuators using the nanostructured materials have also been developed such as flow sensors, force sensors, temperature sensors, vision sensors, acoustic sensors, and electromechanical actuators. These sensors have shown advantages of being light and compact, using lower power (mW- mW), higher sensitivity (ppb to ppt) and robustness. Using MEMS technology, these sensors can be integrated on a silicon wafer as a small package (< 2kg) for smart detection.The verification methodology applied by the NCSU experiment is the use of pressurized 30ppm NO2 in N2 gas which is periodically released to a sensor chamber that holds 32 sensing elements. A predictable change in electrical conductance of the nano-sensing elements will be measured by the on-board electronics, then telemetry is sent back to Earth.
Press release: NASA Nanotechnology Space Sensor Test Successful in Orbit ...
Nano ChemSensor Unit project page
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Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Astronauts to Get Handheld Microorganism Detector
Fearing space bacteria and fungi, NASA scientists have developed a highly accurate hand held microorganism detection unit to monitor the health of astronauts and the shuttle.
You're one of several astronauts homeward bound after a three-year mission to Mars. Halfway back from the Red Planet, your spacecraft starts suffering intermittent electrical outages. So you remove a little-used service panel to check some wiring.To your unbelieving eyes, floating in midair in the microgravity near the wiring is a shivering, shimmering globule of
dirty water larger than a grapefruit. And on the wiring connectors are unmistakable flecks of mold.That actually happened on the Russian space station Mir. When Mir was launched in 1986, "it was as clean as the International Space Station when it was launched," recounted C. Mark Ott, health scientist at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. And the cosmonauts aboard Mir (just like the astronauts from the U.S. and other nations aboard ISS) followed a regular schedule of cleaning all the space station's surfaces to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds that could jeopardize human health.
In 1998, U.S. astronauts participating in the NASA 6 and NASA 7 visits to Mir collected environmental samples from air and surfaces in Mir's control center, dining area, sleeping quarters, hygiene facilities, exercise equipment, and scientific equipment. Imagine their surprise when they opened a rarely-accessed service panel in Mir's Kvant-2 Module and discovered a large free-floating mass of water. "According to the astronauts' eyewitness reports, the globule was nearly the size of a basketball," Ott said.
Nor was the water clean: two samples were brownish and a third was cloudy white. Behind the panels the temperature was toasty warm--82°F (28°C)--just right for growing all kinds of microbeasties. Indeed, samples extracted from the globules by syringes and returned to Earth for analysis contained several dozen species of bacteria and fungi, plus some protozoa, dust mites, and possibly spirochetes.
Enter, NASA's Lab-On-A-Chip:
"The ability to monitor microorganisms would be especially important on long space voyages, not only to check the health of astronauts but also to monitor electronics and structural materials, which can be corroded or otherwise damaged by certain fungi and bacteria," says Wainwright, the experiment's principal investigator. LOCAD-PTS is designed so that "astronauts can do the analysis onboard with no need to return samples to laboratories on Earth."Astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams opened the instrument kit bag, assembled LOCAD-PTS, and then took six readings. "The first two readings were controls to show that the instrument was operating correctly," explains Jake Maule, LOCAD-PTS project scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. "First she swabbed her palm, which she had first pressed to handrails and other often-handled surfaces that should have had lots of bacteria--and indeed, we got a strong positive reading," he continues. "Then she sampled some ultraclean water in the instrument that is used to moisten samples, to check that the water was truly clean--and indeed, we got a great negative reading."
Press release: Preventing "Sick" Spaceships
Press release: Lab on a Chip Works!
(via Technovelgy, /.)
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Friday, April 20, 2007
Raven, the Mobile Surgical Space Robot
New details are emerging about NASA's Extreme Environment Mission Operations 12 (NEEMO 12) project, an underwater clinical exercise featuring experiments in robotic telesurgery and space medicine. The robotic equipment for this mission was designed by BioRobotics Lab at the University of Washington:
The 12th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations test will take place May 7 to 18 off the coast of Florida. The robot leaves Seattle on Friday. During the mission, Raven will operate in the Aquarius Undersea Laboratory, a submarine-like research pod about 60 feet underwater. This mission will test current technology for sending remote-controlled surgical robotic systems into space.During the mission, four crew members will assemble the robot and perform experiments. The two larger-than-life black robotic arms will use surgical instruments to suture a piece of rubber and move blocks from one spindle to another on what looks like a delicate children's toy. The brains behind the robot's movements will be three surgeons in front of a computer screen in Seattle: Drs. Mika Sinanan and Andrew Wright of the University of Washington's Medical Center, and Dr. Thomas Lendvay of Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle.
Instructions will travel over a commercial Internet connection from Seattle to Key Largo, Fla., then via a special wireless connection from there to a buoy, and finally via cable underwater. Images of the simulated patient will travel back over the same network.
Raven was built over the past five years in the UW's BioRobotics Lab, co-directed by professor Blake Hannaford and research associate professor Jacob Rosen in the department of electrical engineering, with partners in the UW's department of surgery. The da Vinci surgical robot, which is used at the UW and elsewhere, weighs nearly a half-ton. Raven weighs only 50 pounds.
Lightweight, mobile robots could travel to wounded soldiers on the battlefield to treat combat injuries. Surgical robotic systems also could be used in disaster areas so doctors worldwide could perform emergency procedures. The robots could even travel to remote areas in the developing world so local doctors could get help on difficult procedures. NASA will test the robot's suitability for a mission to space, where it could perform emergency surgery without requiring a surgeon to be onboard.
Raven went on its first road trip last summer to California's Simi Valley. Researchers installed an operating-room tent in gusting winds and temperatures nearing 100 degrees F (40 C), and hooked the equipment up to gasoline-powered generators. Surgeons completed the first field test communicating with the operating tent using an unmanned aircraft equipped with a wireless transmitter.
The NASA mission poses new challenges. Researchers shrank the computers and power supplies that support the robot so they can be carried in dive bags by technical scuba divers and fit into the limited space. Most importantly, the engineers wrote an instructional manual so crew members could reassemble the robot and troubleshoot any problems they encounter...
Once everything is installed in the undersea lab the crew will be alone with the robot. Crew members can communicate by phone with the ground team but they will have to operate the robot and fix any problems on their own. The four-person crew includes research collaborator and surgeon Dr. Tim Broderick of the University of Cincinnati, who will observe the robot's movements and determine its suitability for space travel. Two NASA astronauts and a NASA flight surgeon complete the crew.
Also traveling to the research pod is the M7, a surgical robot developed by SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif. These two robots are the only existing prototypes for a mobile surgical robot, Hannaford said. Currently both robots are research projects and are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use on humans.
Press release: Robotic surgeon to team up with doctors, astronauts on NASA mission ...
(hat tip: Medlaunches)
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Monday, March 12, 2007
Studying Space Medicine, MDs Go Underwater
The upcoming NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 12 (NEEMO 12) exercises off the coast of Florida will feature a team of clinicians studying new aspects of space medicine:
NASA will send a flight surgeon, two astronauts and a Cincinnati doctor into the ocean depths off the Florida coast May 7-18 to test space medicine concepts and moon-walking techniques. It is the first undersea mission to include a NASA flight surgeon.Veteran space flyer Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper will lead the 12-day undersea mission aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aquarius Underwater Laboratory. NASA Flight Surgeon Josef Schmid, NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez and Dr. Tim Broderick of the University of Cincinnati complete the crew.
During the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations 12 (NEEMO 12), the crew will conduct a variety of advanced medical technology experiments, including robotic telesurgery on simulated patients.
"Schmid's unique experience in space medicine will benefit the mission itself as well as the future development of crew care techniques for long-duration human spaceflight missions," said NEEMO Project Manager Bill Todd of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Hands-on telesurgery demonstrations and robotic telesurgery technology developed and refined within this mission will help surgeons overcome interplanetary communication lag time. Technologies such as surgeon-guided automatic robot function could improve the care of astronauts on future missions to the moon and Mars...
Similar in size to the International Space Station's living quarters, Aquarius is the world's only permanent underwater habitat and laboratory. The 45-foot long, 13-foot diameter complex is three miles off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, about 62 feet beneath the surface. A surface buoy provides connections for power, life support and communications. A shore-based control center monitors the habitat and crew.
Project page...
(hat tip: MTB Europe)
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Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Radiation Microdosimeter for Space
Engineers from the United States Naval Academy are developing a novel radiation monitoring system for astronauts of future missions to Moon, Mars, and (of course) beyond.
From the press release by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute:
The electronic output module held by Vincent L. Pisacane, Ph.D., collects information from sensors housed in various locations within the spacecraft. The microdosimeter will use the measurements to directly estimate radiation risk."Astronauts are exposed to radiations from different sources including particles trapped in the Earth's magnetic field, cosmic rays and energetic solar events," Pisacane said. "The instrument measures the integrated effect of a radiation field since damage depends on the types of radiation and their energy."
Pisacane and his colleagues have developed two systems; one for ground-based lab testing and one for use in space. The microdosimeter flight instrument will be tested aboard the USNA student-built MidSTAR-1, a satellite developed by midshipmen expected to launch in early 2007 aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch vehicle. The goal of the project is to reduce the size of the sensors to the size of a deck of cards.
The flight instrument consists of three sensors and an electronic output module that collects and stores data for transmission to the ground. One sensor will be near the exterior of the spacecraft and the other two housed at different locations inside. Of the interior sensors, one resides in a block of polyethylene, which will simulate the effect of radiation on tissue.
"The sensors measure the deposition of radiation energy in tiny microscopic elements similar in size to a red blood cell," Pisacane said.
Each of the three sensors provide an energy spectrum from the various locations within the spacecraft every three hours, but can provide more frequent updates if an enhanced-radiation event occurs. The microdosimeter will use the measurements to directly estimate the radiation risk. On the MidSTAR-1 test flight, the group will focus on testing the device's sensitivity, resolution and response to noise.
"The microdosimeter can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of shielding materials," Pisacane said.
On Earth, the microdosimeter's capabilities will be useful for nuclear material clean up, in detecting radioactive devices, and to monitor patients undergoing radiation treatment.
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Thursday, December 7, 2006
All Systems Go: NASA'S GeneSat-1
On Dec. 11 NASA will launch into space GeneSat-1, a fully automated microbiology lab, to study the effects of gravity on bacteria:
GeneSat-1 is a 10-pound satellite that will carry bacteria inside a miniature laboratory to study how the microbes may respond in spaceflight. It is a secondary payload on an Air Force four-stage Minotaur 1 rocket delivering the Air Force TacSat 2 satellite to orbit."The Small Satellite Office at NASA's Ames Research Center teamed up with industry and local universities to develop the fully automated, miniature GeneSat spaceflight system that provides life support for small living things," said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. GeneSat-1 was designed and built at Ames, and the mission will be managed from the center.
"During this mission, we are exposing bacteria to the space environment to see how they are affected," said John Hines, GeneSat-1 project manager at NASA Ames. "It is the first of many small satellites that will give scientists the opportunity to inexpensively investigate fundamental biological questions such as the weakening of the immune systems and the effects of drug therapies during spaceflight."
GeneSat-1's onboard micro-laboratory includes sensors and optical systems that can detect proteins that are the products of specific genetic activity. The GeneSat-1 ground control station at NASA Ames will receive data radioed from the micro-laboratory after it has completed its observations and tests of the bacteria inside.
The biological test will last only 96 hours, but the GeneSat-1 team will evaluate the stability of the orbiting payload's systems for four months to a year. Air pressure, temperature and humidity are controlled aboard GeneSat-1. Light emitting diodes illuminate analytical sensors that help scientists detect genetic activity by measuring proteins that glow.
The knowledge gained from GeneSat-1 will help scientists understand how spaceflight affects the human body; specifically, the intestinal bacteria that help human beings digest food. NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate provided funding for the payload's initial development.
Full story @ NASA Ames Research Center...
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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
NASA Investigates Myocardial Loss Using Live 3D Ultrasound
Philips is reporting that its iE33 echocardiography system is being used by NASA to investigate the cause of myocardial wasting in astronauts:
Astronauts commonly are thought to lose heart mass during prolonged flight. Two-dimensional echocardiography measurements reveal a 5 percent decrease, which usually returns within three days of being back on Earth. Researchers are interested in learning the cause of these changes. Possible explanations include heart atrophy caused by weightlessness, dehydration from space travel or error caused by the geometric assumptions used in two-dimensional echo.The new technology being used captures a full-volume image of the beating heart in less than a minute and allows physicians to examine the heart as if they were holding it in their hands. It also allows the researchers to make accurate measurements of heart mass, ejection fraction, blood flow, strain rate and cardiac wall motion pre- and post-flight.
"We have a very short window of time in which to do an echo exam on the astronauts," said David S. Martin of Wyle Laboratories, Inc., ultrasound lead for the NASA Cardiovascular Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. "Live 3D Echo allows us to quickly grab all the image data we need to do a full examination of the heart anatomy and function and send the astronauts on their way. Following the image acquisition, we use off-line analysis software to do several measurements that help us evaluate changes after space travel."
The product page at Philips...
The press release...
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Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Broken Exercise Equipment on International Space Station
The Washington Times is reporting that the international space station (ISS) is currently zero for three on working exercise machines. The treadmill, "bicycle-like device" and weight room are all out of commission.
Judith Hayes of NASA's Johnson Space Center said each of the International Space Station's three exercise machines has had mecha