Few people know NASA’s role in medicine , but many of the devices we find in the doctor’s office or hospital owe a lot to this space agency. And it is not surprising, considering that in 1958 when the United States Congress gave the green light to the creation of NASA; He also established that he share information about his possible discoveries.
Some medical advances are the result of NASA’s partnerships with other researchers. Others came because NASA scientists saw additional applications to some of their discoveries; or simply invented the technology that led to the advancement.
Medical advances that we owe to NASA
Over the years, NASA can claim at least partial credit for a wide variety of medical innovations, from ear thermometers and automated insulin pumps to biz list implantable cardiac defibrillators and improvements in digital mammography technology.
For example, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed digital image processing to improve images of the moon. A technology that contributed to advances in medical imaging , with techniques as widely used today as magnetic resonance or computed tomography.
Another example is the development of the LVAD left ventricular assist device in 1995. Engineers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston worked with Dr. Michael DeBakey to develop this artificial heart pump based on the space shuttle fuel pumps. It helps keep people healthy while they wait for heart transplants and sometimes makes a transplant unnecessary.
Laser angioplasty using fiber optic catheters
Here are some of the many medical advances that emerged, at least in part thanks to NASA’s contribution:
Digital imaging breast biopsy system, developed from Hubble Space Telescope technology
Tiny transmitters to monitor the fetus inside the womb
Fiberoptic forceps that allow doctors to measure the pressure applied to a baby’s head during delivery
Refrigerated suit to lower body temperature in the treatment of various diseases
Voice controlled wheelchairs
Light-emitting diodes to aid in brain cancer surgery
Foam used to Book Your List insulate external tanks of the space shuttle to obtain better, less expensive
Tools for cataract surgery
Without a doubt, NASA’s research will continue to bear fruit in the future in the form of advances in different fields of human knowledge.
