WHY SPACE MATTERS
Medicine
NASA’s contributions to the medical field, including treatments and technology found in hospitals and research labs alike, have meaningfully advanced the medical field worldwide.
Research at the ISS led to the creation of the world’s first robot capable of performing surgery inside magnetic resonance machines (MRIs). Armed with this technology, surgeons can simultaneously see the three dimensional images of the brain and apply pressure to the affected area - or reconnect the arteries and veins of small children and babies. The Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity project (ADUM), also developed for use on the ISS, led to breakthrough diagnostic techniques which allowed non-experts to diagnose broken bones with more than 90% accuracy after only a few minutes of training. This methodology was brought back down to Earth to provide rapid point-of-care diagnoses for injured athletes.
Techniques developed on the space station are even used to fight cancer. Microcapsules created in microgravity are injected into tumors and used to apply treatments, restrict growth, or release markers for monitoring, they can also be used to treat deep-tissue infections and clotting disorders. Space matters when it comes to treating disease and injury... and saving lives.
