Social, Cultural and Educational Legacies - ER - NASA

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The DeBakey VAD ® functions as a “bridge toheart transplant” by pumping blood throughoutthe body to keep critically ill patients alive until adonor heart is available.These illustrations show a visual comparison ofthe original ventricular assist device (top) and theunit after modifications by NASA researchers(center and bottom). Adding the NASAimprovements to the MicroMed DeBakey VAD ®eliminated the dangerous backflow of blood byincreasing pressure and making flow morecontinuous. The highest pressure around theblade tips are shown in magenta. The blue/greencolors illustrate lower pressures.So, what was it that Dave Saucier andthe other engineers at JSC thought theyknew that could help make a VAD workbetter, be smaller, and help thousandsof people seriously ill with heart failureand waiting for a transplant? Well,these folks had worked on andoptimized the turbopumps for theshuttle main engines that happen tohave requirements in common withVAD. The turbopumps needed tomanage high flow rates, minimizeturbulence, and eliminate air bubbles.These are also requirements demandedof a VAD by the blood and body.In the beginning, VADs had problemssuch as damaging red blood cells andhaving stagnant areas leading to theincreased likelihood of blood clotdevelopment. Red blood cells areessential for carrying oxygen to thetissues of the body. Clots can preventblood from getting to a tissue, resultingin lack of oxygenation and buildup oftoxic waste products that lead to tissuedeath. Once engineers resolved theVAD-induced damage to red blood cellsand clot formation, the device couldenter a new realm of clinical application.In 1996 and 1999, engineers from JSCand NASA Ames Research Center andmedical colleagues from the BaylorCollege of Medicine were awarded USpatents for a method to reduce pumpingdamage to red blood cells and for thedesign of a continuous flow heart pump,respectively. Both of these wereexclusively licensed to MicroMedCardiovascular, Inc. (Houston, Texas)for the further development of the small,implantable DeBakey VAD ® .MicroMed successfully implanted thefirst DeBakey VAD ® in 1998 in Europeand, to date, has implanted 440 VADs.MicroMed’s HeartAssist5 ® (the 2009version of the DeBakey VAD ® )weighs less than 100 grams (3.5 oz),is implanted in the chest cavity inthe pericardial space, which reducessurgical complications such asinfections, and can operate for as manyas 9 hours on battery power, therebyresulting in greater patient freedom.This device not only acts as a bridgeto transplant, allowing patients to livelonger and better lives while waitingfor a donor heart, it is now a destinationtherapy. People are living out theirlives with the implanted device andsome are even experiencing recovery,which means they can have the deviceexplanted and not require a transplant.Making Oxygen Systems SafeHospitals, ambulances, industrialcomplexes, and NASA all use 100%oxygen and all have experienced tragicfires in oxygen-enriched atmospheres.Such fires demonstrated the needfor knowledge related to the use ofmaterials in oxygen-enrichedatmospheres. In fact, on April 18, 1980,an extravehicular mobility unit plannedfor use in the Space Shuttle Programwas destroyed in a dramatic fireduring acceptance testing. In responseto these fire events, NASA developeda test method and procedures thatsignificantly reduced the danger.The method and procedures are nownational and international industrialstandards. NASA White Sands TestFacility (WSTF) also offered courseson oxygen safety to industry andgovernment agencies.During the shuttle era, NASA madesignificant advances in testing andselecting materials for use inhigh-pressure, oxygen-enrichedatmospheres. Early in the shuttle era,engineers became concerned that smallmetal particles could lead to ignitionif the particles were entrained in the277°C (530°F) oxygen that flowedthrough the shuttle’s Main PropulsionSystem gaseous oxygen flow controlvalve. After developing a particleimpact test, NASA determined that thestainless-steel valve was vulnerable toparticle impact ignition. Later testingrevealed that a second gaseous oxygenflow control valve, fabricated from analloy with nickel chromium, Inconel ®718, was also vulnerable to particleimpact ignition. Finally, engineersshowed that an alloy with nickel-copper,Monel ® , was invulnerable to ignition byparticle impact and consequently wasflown in the Main Propulsion Systemfrom the mid 1980s onward.490Industries and Spin-offs
The original shuttle extravehicular mobility unit with an aluminum secondary oxygen pack isolationvalve and first-stage regulator ignited and burned during acceptance ground testing on an unoccupiedunit in 1980 (left). The redesigned unit with a nickel-copper alloy secondary oxygen pack isolationvalve and first-stage regulator is being used with much success (right).NASA’s activities led to a combustiontest patent (US Patent Number4990312) that demonstrated thesuperior burn resistance of anickel-copper alloy used in theredesigned, high-pressure oxygensupply system. Member companiesof the American Society for Testingand Materials (ASTM) CommitteeG-4 pooled their resources andrequested that NASA use thepromoted combustion test method todetermine the relative flammability ofalloys being used in industry oxygensystems. Ultimately, this test methodwas standardized as ASTM G124.NASA developed an oxygencompatibility assessment protocol toassist engineers in applying test data tothe oxygen component and systemdesigns. This protocol was codified inASTM’s Manual 36 and in the NationalFire Protection Association FireProtection Handbook, and has gainedinternational acceptance.Pretest.Ignition by particle impact.This gaseous oxygen valve was found to be vulnerable to ignition when small metal particles wereingested into the valve. The test method developed for this is being used today by the aerospace andindustrial oxygen communities.Another significant technology transferfrom the Space Shuttle Program toother industries is related to fires inmedical oxygen systems. From 1995through 2000, more than 70 firesoccurred in pressure-regulating valveson oxygen cylinders used byfirefighters, emergency medicalresponders, nurses, and therapeuticoxygenpatients. The Food and DrugAdministration approached NASA andrequested that a test be developed toensure that only the most ignition- andburn-resistant, pressure-regulatingvalves be allowed for use in thesemedical systems. With the help of aforensic engineering firm in Las Cruces,New Mexico, the WSTF teamdeveloped ASTM G175, entitledStandard Test Method for Evaluating theIgnition Sensitivity and Fault Toleranceof Oxygen Regulators Used for Medicaland Emergency Applications. Since thedevelopment and application of this testmethod, the occurrence of these fireshas diminished dramatically.This spin-off was a significantdevelopment of the technology andprocesses to control fire hazards inpressurized oxygen systems. OxygenSystem Consultants, Inc., in Tulsa,Oklahoma, OXYCHECK Pty Ltdin Australia, and the Oxygen SafetyEngineering division at Wendell Hull& Associates, Inc., in Las Cruces,New Mexico, are examples ofcompanies that performed materialsand component tests related topressurized oxygen systems. Thesebusinesses are prime examples ofsuccessful technology transfer fromthe shuttle activities. Those involvedin the oxygen production, distribution,and user community worldwiderecognized that particle impact ignitionof metal alloys in pressurized oxygensystems was a significant ignition threat.Industries and Spin-offs491
Page 1 and 2: Social,Cultural, andEducationalLega
Page 3 and 4: Social Impact—NASAReflects Americ
Page 5 and 6: astronaut classes that NASA selecte
Page 8 and 9: to “Astronauts Young, [Robert]Cri
Page 10 and 11: the unique opportunity to experienc
Page 12: Education:InspiringStudents asOnly
Page 16 and 17: Project StarshineProject Starshine
Page 18 and 19: Toys in Space: InnovativeWays to Te
Page 20 and 21: Sciences Corporation,11 years later
Page 22 and 23: Using documentation on the special
Page 24 and 25: College EducationUndergraduateEngin
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Page 28 and 29: Industriesand Spin-offsIndustriesAe
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Page 40 and 41: The ShuttleContinuum,Role of HumanS
Page 42 and 43: Inspiring Students Through Human Sp
Page 44 and 45: What’s Next for Human Spaceflight
Page 46 and 47: Global Community Through Space Expl
Page 48 and 49: The Legacy of the “Space Shuttle
Page 50 and 51: The Canadian astronaut program has
Page 52 and 53: Inspiring GenerationsLeah Jamieson,
Page 54 and 55: The Legacy of the Space ShuttleMich
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Social, Cultural and Educational Legacies - ER - NASA

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