Sonography's Expansion Into Space

Abstract

In 2001, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) integrated a sonography machine into the Health Research Facility on the International Space Station. With longer missions in space and a possible trip to Mars, NASA decided the International Space Station needed more diagnostic capabilities. A ground-to-space two-way communication system was set up between the astronauts and the radiologists at Mission Control. A series of studies was conducted to ensure the operating astronauts could produce diagnostic images under remote guidance. Some of the remotely guided studies included ocular examinations, the Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma scan, and musculoskeletal examinations.