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X-43A launch preview
NASA officials preview the third and final test launch of the X-43A hypersonic vehicle during this news conference from Dryden Flight Research Center. (29min 47sec file)
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Deep Impact arrives
NASA's Deep Impact comet spacecraft arrives at the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near Kennedy Space Center to begin final launch preparations for blastoff December 30 aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket. (2min 53sec file)
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Veterans Day
Aboard the International Space Station, commander Leroy Chiao offers his thoughts in this downlinked message in honor of Veterans Day.
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Delta rocket lofts GPS
The Boeing Delta 2 rocket lifts off Saturday morning with the GPS 2R-13 satellite from pad 17B at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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Launch in full
This longer-length clip follows the Delta 2 rocket during its late-night ascent carrying the latest Global Positioning System satellite. (2min 25sec file)
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Delta scrub
A red alarm triggers Friday morning's countdown to launch of Boeing's Delta 2 rocket carrying a GPS satellite to be scrubbed at Cape Canaveral, Florida. (1min 52sec file)
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Swift preview
Mission scientists preview NASA's Swift gamma-ray burst detection satellite being readied for launch into Earth orbit. (39min 49sec file)
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Voting from space
International Space Station Expedition 10 commander Leroy Chiao talks about the election and voting from orbit with CNN's Paula Zahn. (10min 20sec file)
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Delta 4-Heavy preview
Preview what a Boeing Delta 4 rocket launch will be like with this animation package of a "Heavy" configuration vehicle. (1min 41sec file)
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Cassini science update
Radar imagery of Saturn's moon Titan and other new data from the Cassini spacecraft is presented during this JPL news conference on Thursday. (54min 48sec file)
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Post-flyby briefing
Scientists and mission officials discuss the initial pictures and data obtained during Cassini's flyby of Titan during this JPL news conference on Wednesday. (55min 18sec file)
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First pictures
The first pictures taken by Cassini during this close encounter with Titan are received at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to the delight of the mission's imaging leader. (2min 21sec file)
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Scientific paper submitted from space
NASA NEWS RELEASE
Posted: November 14, 2004

A scientific manuscript submitted by International Space Station (ISS) astronauts while in space was published this past week. The research findings show minimally trained operators using remote guidance can perform ultrasound in space.

The results of the shoulder ultrasound exams done in space for the first time will advance the care of space travelers on long-duration missions and may find additional uses helping treat medical emergencies on Earth.

The article is available today in the on-line version of Radiology and will appear in print in the February 2005 issue.

"Remotely guided ultrasound is a significant and clinically relevant advancement in space medicine, providing a reliable and versatile diagnostic tool for health care in long-duration missions, particularly as we progress to exploration-class missions in the future," said Nitza Cintron, M.D., Ph.D., head of Space Medicine at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston.

Shoulder evaluation using ultrasound is the standard of care at many institutions and is used by professional teams to evaluate injuries to athletes. Astronauts may be at risk of shoulder injury due to exertion during spacewalks, combined with decreases in muscle and tendon mass during long-duration spaceflight.

Working in the Space Station's Human Research Facility, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke, co-authors of the article, tested the ability of nonphysician crewmembers to perform ultrasonography of the shoulder. They did the diagnostic tests monthly during their six-month stay aboard the Station, last April to October, as part of the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity project.

Ultrasound images of the shoulder were transmitted as they were made on the Station to experts in the Telescience Center at JSC. The experts on the ground guided Padalka and Fincke through the positioning, probe placement, and manipulation and equipment adjustments to get optimal images. The crew used novel positioning techniques for the subject and operator to facilitate the examination in the microgravity environment.

Still images were captured during the exams and downlinked to the experimental team. These high-fidelity images could be used to exclude subtle changes in shoulder integrity. There were no clear differences between the tests done in space and those done in standard conditions on Earth.

"The Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity project has just begun to provide a great and useful capability on board the Space Station with direct implications to improve life on Earth in the fields of emergency, rural and remote medicine," Fincke said. "The remotely guided ultrasound concept, with trained first-responders as operators, is a significant and clinically relevant advancement in space science, with profound ramifications for emergency or clinical care."

Researchers from NASA, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Wyle Laboratories in Houston and Texas Diagnostic Imaging in Dallas participated in the tests and contributed to the article.

"Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka have proven that nonphysicians can perform complex medical tasks using just-in- time training and remote expert guidance," said Scott Dulchavsky, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, principal investigator for the Space Station ultrasound experiment and co-author of the article. "This is a significant advance for providing medical care in space; however, these techniques are directly transferable to Earth to improve patient care in remote locations including underserved areas, rural communities, and during military conflicts," he added.

To view the article on the Internet, visit: http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/full/2342041680v1