NASA And Yale University Push The Barriers Of Communications And Medicine On Mt. Everest

"In a few months we will begin assembly of the International Space Station with an eye toward further exploration of our solar system," said NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. "To ensure a safe trip for our astronauts, we need the best computational, communication, engineering, and medical technology. At NASA, we are working on virtual environments for surgery, decision support systems and the most advanced medical monitoring techniques. Just think what this could mean for health care here on Earth. The NASA-Yale project is helping us achieve these goals. I wish our Mt. Everest pioneers great success as they help NASA climb the final frontier."

A team of Department of Defense and MIT personnel will be stationed at a base camp of 17,500 feet. The climbers ascending Mt. Everest will transmit data from sensors monitoring vital signs and location and, whenever possible, video of their progress. Yale personnel, supervised by Dr. Ronald C. Merrell, chairman, Yale Department of Surgery and director of the NASA-Yale project, will support medical consultation and monitor the health status of the climbers during their trek.

NASA and Yale have been working in partnership since July 1997, to contribute to the United States' competitive lead in commercial applications of telemedicine. The goal of the program is to develop and test next generation technologies. Tests on Mt. Everest may lead to design improvements in future automated medical monitoring and care systems for astronauts who may be in space for months, not weeks.

Other NASA Telemedicine Activities

NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH, is providing the telecommunications bridge from Mt. Everest on its Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). NASA also practices telemedicine on a daily basis in the human space flight program, currently comprising three areas: Space Shuttle, Shuttle/Mir and planning for and construction of the International Space Station.

Additional tests are already taking place at Yale through NASA's telemedicine connection with Moscow. Using the Internet, the "Spacebridge to Russia" has become a model for international telemedicine activities. The telemedicine network linking NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, and Star City in Moscow supports NASA physicians caring for astronauts training in Russia. NASA demonstrations of telemedicine's potential on Earth have helped the rural Arizona Pagago Reservation and the Armenians after the earthquake of 1988.

NASA has been a pioneer in telemedicine since the beginning of human space flight. Using reliable, inexpensive communications NASA has brought expensive medical consultation within the reach of millions around the globe. For more information on NASA's Telemedicine program visit our website:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/olmsa/aeromed/telemed/