Astronauts are required to be in top-notch physical condition before they go to space. But, once in space, health issues and even accidents that would be minor on Earth can become quite serious - astronauts aren't given extensive medical training, and calling 911 is definitely not an option.
Emergency medical care in space is so hard to come by, there's even an escape capsule built into the International Space Station, which is the only way to make a quick return to Earth in the event of an emergency, medical or otherwise.
This is especially necessary when a medical problem requires surgery - the lack of gravity on the ISS means blood drops from an open surgical wound would float off in blobs, potentially ending up in the station's equipment.
To try to solve this problem, researchers at a company called Virtual Incision are working on a tiny robot that could perform emergency surgeries to fix urgent problems without the need for a quick getaway, New Scientist reports. Such an innovation would be essential as we contemplate longer missions and those in which humans stray further from Earth, say to an asteroid or Mars.
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