Expedition 10 Crewmembers Conduct Ultrasound Experiment on Space Station

Expedition 10 Commander and Science Officer Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov recently served as test subjects in a successful run of the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM) experiment. Chiao and Sharipov performed ultrasound bone scans on each other by taking turns as operator and subject. The bone scans were taken of the shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle, monitored remotely from the ground, and videotaped and photographed for downlink.

ADUM investigates the diagnostic capability of ultrasound in medical contingencies relevant to the space environment and demonstrates the ability of minimally trained crewmembers to perform and interpret advanced ultrasound examinations. The ultrasound is the only medical imaging device currently available on the Station. Ultrasound may have direct application for the evaluation and diagnosis of 250 medical conditions of interest for treating exploration crews.

Focused human physiological and biological Space Station research on astronaut health and the development of countermeasures to protect crews from the space environment will allow for long duration missions to explore beyond low Earth orbit. NASA’s payload operations team at the Marshall Center coordinates science activities on Space Station.

Source: NASA