Oximeter on Space Shuttle Atlantis

Space Shuttle Atlantis went on its last mission on July 13, 2011, with the end of that mission will come the end of the shuttle program. The shuttle program has been around for almost three decades, with hundreds of successful missions. Along with hundreds of successes there were some tragedies. These tragedies took the lives of many astronauts, but at the same time they helped the program find faults in its operations and designs. The final mission for the shuttle program was designed to close out the program while putting focus on some vital instruments and technologies that have been incorporated over the past few years. These advances include various medical devices that were both developed for space travel, and were incorporated into space applications from regular home or hospital use.

One device that was incorporated into space use was the oximeter. An oximeter is a medical device used to measure the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate of an individual. The measure of an astronaut's oxygen level is absolutely critical in space travel for obvious reasons. The main difference is that the oximeter technology had to be adjusted to be able to withstand the stresses of space. The final mission of the Space Shuttle Atlantis had multiple oximeters for the astronauts, which compared to say 10 years ago was zero. The oximeter was around 10 years ago, but it had not been developed into a product that could be mobile. The devices were too bulky, not as accurate, and very expensive. The shuttle program has pioneered many different technologies throughout the years. Not only have they developed technologies, but the program has taken existing technologies and bettered them.

With the shuttle program coming to an end, one of the many concerns of the technology industry is the idea of innovation. Innovation is not going to stop with the end of the shuttle program, but innovation at that level will cease to exist. This could be a big speed bump for the industry. The United States will be dependent on the Russian space program for transferring of its astronauts to the space station, but the research and development of NASA will not be as extensive. The end of the shuttle program does not only affect research and development, but also hundreds of people employed by the agency. The affects will be felt by many, but the things it left behind will not be forgotten.

About the Author

For high quality, low-cost oximeter models, visit us at http://www.PulseOximetersPlus.com.