In-orbit X-rays: portable imaging debuts for astronauts and remote clinics

The Fram2 mission aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon achieved the first in-space X-rays. Four crew members, with about four hours of training, used a portable X-ray device to image a smartwatch, a hand, an abdomen, a pelvis, and a chest in orbit. The resulting images were good enough to aid injury diagnosis and hardware checks, and the device survived launch and re-entry with minimal damage. Experts say portable, rugged, compact X-ray systems could boost crew health care on future missions and even improve medical access on Earth in rural areas; researchers aim to further shrink and harden the technology. The study was published in Radiology on July 14.