A lone spacesuit proves to be a model patient for a CT-imaging collaboration
2014-08-27
It's no surprise that even the heads of seasoned medical professionals turned for a double take recently when Johnson Space Center personnel from the External Relations Office and Engineering took a non-flight Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuit to the Houston Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation and Education (MITIE) to evaluate imaging of spaceflight hardware in MITIE’s advanced imaging technology environment. The MITIE facility is a one-of-a-kind facility located in Houston that was developed to improve patient care through multidisciplinary collaboration among medical professionals, research scientists and the medical device industry.
The idea behind using this local industry capability for NASA benefit stems from another cutting-edge collaboration, Pumps and Pipes, which every year brings three uniquely Houston industries (medical, energy and human aerospace) together to discuss shared challenges and explore each industry’s toolbox for solutions. During a recent Pumps and Pipes planning discussion for its upcoming annual meeting slated for Dec. 8, the topic of last year’s emergency incident of water inside the EVA helmet during a spacewalk led to discussions about NASA's use of CT X-ray imaging for some of the EVA backpack components during the investigation afterward. This resulted in the idea that there are likely many more complex systems that could benefit from the advanced imaging capabilities that exist near JSC in the Houston Medical Center.
To begin exploring this capability, a small team found an appropriate first test article and made the trip to Houston Methodist. With the help of scores of senior heart and imaging doctors and technicians, as well as more than a few wide-eyed onlookers, the collaboration successfully demonstrated the capability to image portions of an EVA suit. Plans for continued use of local advanced imaging capabilities are moving forward as JSC engineers and system leads begin to identify items and systems that could also benefit from using state-of-the-art CT imaging.
Stay tuned as this partnership matures for the betterment of humanity and spaceflight endeavors.
James Lewis
NASA Johnson Space Center
The idea behind using this local industry capability for NASA benefit stems from another cutting-edge collaboration, Pumps and Pipes, which every year brings three uniquely Houston industries (medical, energy and human aerospace) together to discuss shared challenges and explore each industry’s toolbox for solutions. During a recent Pumps and Pipes planning discussion for its upcoming annual meeting slated for Dec. 8, the topic of last year’s emergency incident of water inside the EVA helmet during a spacewalk led to discussions about NASA's use of CT X-ray imaging for some of the EVA backpack components during the investigation afterward. This resulted in the idea that there are likely many more complex systems that could benefit from the advanced imaging capabilities that exist near JSC in the Houston Medical Center.
To begin exploring this capability, a small team found an appropriate first test article and made the trip to Houston Methodist. With the help of scores of senior heart and imaging doctors and technicians, as well as more than a few wide-eyed onlookers, the collaboration successfully demonstrated the capability to image portions of an EVA suit. Plans for continued use of local advanced imaging capabilities are moving forward as JSC engineers and system leads begin to identify items and systems that could also benefit from using state-of-the-art CT imaging.
Stay tuned as this partnership matures for the betterment of humanity and spaceflight endeavors.
James Lewis
NASA Johnson Space Center
A non-flight spacesuit is readied for examination at the MITIE facility. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair
Under an array of CT-imaging capabilites and technologies, a hybrid spacesuit will be studied as part of a unique collaboration effort. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair
MITIE experts perform a scan on the spacesuit. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair