Danish medical equipment in Space

Danish Aerospace Company has until today built and sent more than 2.9 tons of its equipment into space. Furthermore the company has been appointed as one of ESA's control centers, called USOC, for control of medical scientific equipment on the ISS.

II, was launched and used under the European Thomas Reiter 179 days‐long stay at the Russian in 1995‐96. A third generation called ARMS ‐ Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System was flown on the space shuttle Columbia in January 2003.

The fourth generation was launched to the International Space Station in July 2005. It is called PFS ‐ Pulmonary Function System. PFS was intensively used by ESA's Thomas Reiter during his half‐year stay on the ISS. It was used for both scientific experiments and to test the medical protocols used in the study of ' health.

The Danish space medical company “Danish Aerospace Company” (DAC) from Odense has spent years developing medical equipment for manned spaceflights.

Five generations of the pulmonary physiologic equipment DAC has since 1985 developed five generations of respiratory monitoring equipment for astronauts.

The first pulmonary physiologic equipment, called RMS ‐ Respiratory Monitoring System, was Figure 1 – ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter started using based on mass spectrometer principle. It flew on DAC's PFS equipment on the International Space space shuttle mission Spacelab D‐2 in 1993. Station. (Photo: NASA/ESA) Since then a new type of the same kind of equipment was developed based on a photo‐ acoustic principle. This equipment, called RMS‐

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Fifth generation also in space carrying out scientific experiments which DAC’s Latest ‐ via a contract with the European Space control center is responsible for. Agency ‐ DAC has developed a fifth generation: a portable equipment, called the Portable More than 20 communication channels are used in Pulmonary Function System (Portable PFS). DAC to contact the other centers in the World. Unlike previous equipment which was developed Furthermore DAC receives several live audio and for scientific experiments the Portable PFS also is video channels from the space station. When used for regular health examinations conducted equipment such as PFS or Portable PFS is being used on the astronauts regular every month while by astronauts on the ISS, data is sent online to Earth staying on the ISS. and on to DAC, so the companys experts can monitor the operation of the equipment during tests or medical examinations. Portable PFS can be controlled directly from DAC through commands and the personnel can remotely update of its software on board ISS. The control center has been operational since 2005.

Figure 2 – ESA astronaut with the company’s Portable PFS equipment on the International Space Station. (Photo: NASA/ESA)

The Portable PFS equipment was launched to the ISS in the unmanned Japanese HTV supply vessel in September 2009. Since then the equipment has regularly been used in scientific experiments Figure 3 – Danish Aerospace's control center for ESA and studies of astronauts' health. The equipment scientific equipment on the ISS. (Photo: DAC) is also a candidate for future manned missions Space exercise ergometers from DAC where it can be used for regular medical Besides the pulmonary physiologic equipment DAC is examination of the astronauts during the trip also the supplier of exercise ergometers for use in

Control Center in Odense space. Since 1993 there have regularly flown DAC has been appointed by ESA to be one of exercise ergometers on all manned launches from seven technical/scientific control centers for the Russians and Americans. ESA's scientific equipment on the ISS. DAC supervises the respiratory equipment and the The first space ergometer was built for ESA and flew physiologic experiments particular circulatory in 1993. Since then DAC has delivered more than 15 and respiratory physiology. space ergometers to NASA. The ergometers have been flown on the Russian space station Mir and on Danish Aerospace Company's control center is all shuttles since 1993. One of the ergometers is connected via a dedicated and secure network to currently used every day on the International Space ESA’s, NASA’s and Russia's control centers. A Station. team of DAC’s technicians is manning the control center when the equipment is used or when

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Is frequently used Portable PFS is used for monthly health screenings. The Danish developed equipment on the ISS is There are currently new experiments in space which frequently used by successive crews of will be using the equipment. The latest experiments astronauts from many different countries for are from Canada and Sweden. scientific experiments, regular health examinations and exercise. This parallel development for both earth and space use has resulted in a valuable "spinoff" and "spin‐ back" where an important experience has been beneficial for both sectors. The requirements of space ‐ where invasive trials from the astronauts are disliked and where the equipment must be highly reliable and weigh as little as possible ‐ have helped to pave the way for development of the new equipment for use in hospitals and clinics.

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Figure 4 – ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter on DAC's exercise ergometer. (Photo: NASA/ESA)

Several scientific studies with senior researchers from Denmark, France, Germany and the USA uses PFS for tests, including respiratory and circulatory functions. In addition,

Figure 5 – ESA astronaut Cady Coleman using DAC's Portable PFS equipment while she is biking DAC's exercise bike (Photo: NASA)

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