NORTHBROOK, Ill., Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Diagnostic Ultra-portable X-ray for Space (DUXS) program achieved liftoff late last year by successfully obtaining medical diagnostic radiographic images in zero-gravity (Zero-G) conditions – including a re-creation of one of the first X-ray images ever taken by Nobel Prize winner Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. The purpose of this study was to prove successful X-ray imaging is possible in a zero-gravity environment and show that existing equipment is capable of producing diagnostic images in both zero-gravity and Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

The DUXS program is a partnership between industry and academia aiming to improve medical diagnostic capabilities in the final frontier and beyond. True weightlessness, which was required for this study, was accomplished by reserving space in a multi-parabolic flight provided by Zero Gravity Corporation (Zero-G®) in G-FORCE ONE®, a specially modified Boeing 727. During the flight, highly trained pilots perform a series of parabolas, between 24,000 and 32,000 feet which provides 20 to 30 seconds of Zero-G per parabola.

This flight's imaging team consisted of four members. Sheyna Gifford, MD, MPH, MBA, MS focuses her research on preventative medicine, rehabilitation and parastronautics. David Lerner, MD is a researcher from the University of Washington specializing in radiology, as well as remote and aerospace medicine. These two researchers partnered with MinXray Inc., a leading global supplier of portable, compact digital imaging equipment. Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Jeanne Walter, supplied MinXray's Impact Battery-Powered Portable Digital Radiography System, and Director of Global Sales, Mike Cairnie, took the images during the Zero-G flight. These images included a radiographic image of Dr. Gifford's hand, which mirrored the first X-ray ever taken of Röntgen's wife's hand back in 1895 and provided the first conclusive evidence that medical-quality diagnostic X-rays can be quickly and simply obtained in microgravity.

Successful acquisition of radiographic images mid-flight helped identify the complexities that exist when imaging in Zero-G conditions and potential solutions for those problems. Establishing the single inertial frame between all components and participants, which is required for the system to capture quality diagnostic images, was a variable examined by the team during the pre-flight preparation. Several methods of stabilizing the X-ray generator, patient and digital detector together were developed and even modified during the actual flight as the testing progressed.

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