Outreach Achievements

The benefits of NASA's technology and research can be felt beyond contributions to the economic health of the United States. Through a variety of partnerships, NASA provides space age technology to improve all aspects of society.

A Pennsylvania boy has had the world outside his house opened to him thanks to NASA. The 10-year-old suffers from erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a rare, inherited condition that results in severe burns when skin is exposed to ultraviolet rays, such as in sunlight. For his entire life, any trip outside his Rossiter, Pennsylvania, home threatened his well-being, until NASA came through with a suit that blocks 99.9 percent of ultraviolet light. Based on NASA's research into space suit technology, the outfit resembles a sweat suit, but includes a facemask and goggles. The cost of the suit was covered by private donations, with NASA supplying the technology.

Recently, NASA-sponsored clinical trials were completed on a portable heart-rate monitor. The monitor takes advantage of NASA technology originally designed to measure airflow over airplane wings. Besides portability, the new monitor allows for remote monitoring over the Internet. A pregnant at-home patient can strap a soft, wide belt equipped with sensors across her abdomen and send the signal directly to her doctor's office via the Internet, with all the ease of tuning a radio. NASA developed the technology in partnership with Veatronics Corporation, who hopes to commercialize the monitor in the near future.

Sixteen years ago, a NASA engineer began a dialogue, with heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey, about a heart pump device that would help patients bridge the gap while awaiting a heart transplant, as well as assist in the recovery process. In 1992, NASA began funding the project through the Johnson Space Center. In more recent years, Ames Research Center has contributed its experience with simulating fluid flow through rocket engines to simulate blood flow through the pump. The simulations led to improvements in the miniature heart-assist pump. This year, the device was implanted in a patient in the United States for the first time. The 31-year-old woman has suffered from heart failure most of her adult life and is awaiting a heart transplant. In the meantime, the heart pump will supplement the weakened heart's ability to pump blood through the body. In Europe, trials have been ongoing with the device and 32 patients have received implants to date.

For major metropolises along the coasts of the United States, climate change is an important issue. Goddard Space Flight Center researchers recently completed a 2-year study in collaboration with researchers from other institutions that took the temperature of New York City. With over 19 million people living in the New York metropolitan region, changes in climate could have a significant impact on the area. The study showed that the temperature has risen 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 100 years. An overall rise in temperature increases incidents of summer heat-stress, particularly in the poor and elderly, while increasing the strain on electric utility systems. The results of the study will be used in future decisions about infrastructure, public health, water supplies, energy usage, and environmental conservation.

NASA experiments above the Earth have also provided new insights into predicting threats to public health. Scientists are taking advantage of risk analysis approaches using satellite data developed by NASA to track plankton "blooms" space and ocean temperatures, which are indicators of environmental health. Sea surface temperatures have demonstrated a cycle mirroring cholera outbreaks. The NASA technique has also been used to study malaria, Lyme disease, and Rift Valley fever.

Land mines pose a serious health risk to millions of people around the world. NASA technologies in the field of robotics are being applied to help rid war-ravaged nations of abandoned and forgotten land mines. Using a NASA parafoil design developed at Marshall Space Flight Center, Scout Technologies has designed a land mine scouting and removal system. The parafoil allows the device to be dropped from an aircraft, and flown by remote control to its intended operating area. On the ground, the robot uses global positioning system (GPS) technology to determine its exact location. The unit can be programmed to operate autonomously or through remote control either on site by video link.

Whether helping expectant mothers and heart patients or making gains in knowledge about our planet's health, NASA is using its vast resources in knowledge and cutting-edge technology to improve the quality of life on Earth.