SPACE AMBULANCE

For many years it has been the dream of Digital Health enthusiasts to use cutting-edge technology to provide need-based, cost-effective, appropriate, technology-enabled remote healthcare 24/7 to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

As early as 2015, I was personally involved in setting up a 24/7 Tele emergency service in the Himalayas .

In the last 9 years, several patients diagnosed remotely were transferred by surface or helicopter to the nearest tertiary hospital. Though almost 3 miles above sea level with temperatures of -25C these patients were still on earth!!!

What does one do when the patient is 230 miles above the earth and remote diagnosis confirms that surgical intervention or ICU management is required immediately? To start building a prototype Space Ambulance (hoping that it will never ever be used!) requires extraordinary involvement, passion, and dedication besides knowledge and skills.

But then, what else would you expect from an astronaut who has spent 49 days in space in four shuttle missions, three spacewalks, the first human to perform an in-flight repair to the Space Shuttle's exterior, and also the first to take a “ SELFIE” in space.

It was indeed a privilege to spend 1 hour, one to one (on Saturday a holiday) with Dr Stephen Robinson former astronaut and presently Head, Dept of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Davis.

Humility personified, with the enthusiasm of a Seenager (like me, he is an elderly teenager!), Prof Robinson gave me a glimpse of what his 17 Ph.D students are doing under his tutelage.

Though there will be no traffic jams, designing a well-equipped Ambulance that will precisely dock with a spacecraft traveling at 28,000 km per hour, 400 km above the earth, presupposes mastery of scores of multi-disciplinary sciences.

As Dr Stephen pointed out funding for such a project would really take off (pun intended) only when there is a use case!! Today the whole world is only talking about RoI to justify investment. While there could be spinoffs benefitting earthlings, many would question funding to build a Space Ambulance.

For the individual astronaut or space tourist critically ill RoI’s should not matter. Dr Stephen indicated that it would take 2.5 hours for the space ambulance to reach the astronaut (sometimes this is the time taken on Earth also!!).

For gizmos, jeeks, and space enthusiasts preliminary details of the proposed prototype are given below along with the patient module.

Fig 1 The author with Prof Stephen former Astronaut

Fig 2 The author with mock-up of patient evacuation module in the Space Ambulance

Fig 3 Preliminary details of the proposed prototype of Space Ambulance