First X-rays taken in space mimic historic first radiograph captured on earth
The first medical X-ray image to have ever been taken in space has officially been released.
The image was taken during SpaceX’s recent Fram2 mission aboard the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft. The radiograph is of a hand with a ring on it, which is likely a tribute to the first X-ray ever taken in 1895—an image Wilhelm Roentgen took of his wife’s hand while experimenting with cathode rays in a vacuum tube.
The X-ray was captured using portable imaging equipment developed by MinXray, KA Imaging and prominent academic institutions. The Impact System is lighter in weight, requires less power to operate and can acquire radiographs using a fraction of the radiation dose astronauts are accustomed to being exposed to while in space.
The radiograph is part of a larger SpaceXray project, which aims to understand the feasibility of acquiring diagnostic imaging in microgravity environments in space. SpaceXray was one of 22 scientific studies to be included in the Fram2 mission. Experts involved in the research are hopeful their work could pave the way for improved medical diagnostics for astronauts participating in lengthy space travel in the future.
“We're grateful to the crew and immensely proud that life in space will be safer and better because of this technology. Let's make life on Earth better because of it, too,” Principal Investigator Sheyna Gifford said in a news release.
“We are incredibly excited and honored to be a part of this historic first! Proving it is possible to provide medical X-ray imaging capabilities beyond our gravitational boundaries opens doors for this technology to be used anywhere there is a need,” added Jeanne Walter, vice president of marketing and sales for MinXray.
Chief Technology Officer of KA Imaging, Karim S. Karim, described the radiograph as “an incredible achievement” that could have an impact that “goes beyond space.”
The Fram2 mission safely landed off the coast of Southern California on April 4.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.