Summary: The mini X-ray project at NASA Glenn brings hospital-grade care into space cabins. It joins engineers, doctors, students, and industry in one goal, protecting astronauts as they leave Earth for longer missions. It may also improve medical care for people in remote areas here on Earth.
NASA is looking ahead.
As humans travel to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, medical care in space must be stronger and more flexible. Communication delays with Earth and no easy return make new tools essential, and portable imaging has become a clear focus.
At the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, engineers and doctors are testing what they call a mini X-ray. This is a small, handheld system that astronauts could carry on missions. The device would let crews check for broken bones, dental problems, or even scan spacesuits and rover wheels for hidden faults. As acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said, “Technological innovations like that of the mini-X-ray will help keep our astronauts healthy as we endeavor farther into space than ever before” NASA, 2025.
NASA reviewed over 200 commercial machines and narrowed the field to three companies - MinXray, Remedi, and Fujifilm. These units were chosen because of size, weight, safety, and image clarity. According to Dr. Chase Haddix, a biomedical engineering contractor with NASA Glenn, “These X-rays could be used to detect both clinical and non-clinical diagnostics, meaning they can check an astronaut’s body or identify the location of a tear in an astronaut suit” [NASA, 2025].
To make sure the system works in real life, NASA Glenn is working with hospitals and schools. University Hospitals in Cleveland is comparing images from the mini X-rays with hospital-grade equipment. Cuyahoga Community College has supplied life-like body models and helped train researchers in image quality and patient positioning Tri-C, 2025. These steps are vital because astronauts are not radiology experts and live in cramped quarters much smaller than any hospital room.
Portable imaging is not only for space. The same technology has already been used in remote villages in South Africa and high mountain camps in Nepal. If the machines can handle heat, cold, and poor conditions here on Earth, NASA believes they may also survive the extremes of launch and deep space.
Looking forward, NASA plans to choose the best device by the end of 2025. The selected system will be tested aboard the International Space Station in 2026 or early 2027 [NASA, 2025]. This research is supported by the Mars Campaign Office and the Human Research Program, both focused on keeping future crews healthy on long journeys.
Why it matters
Doctors on Earth use X-rays every day. In space, the same tool could be a lifeline. Research shows that over thirty different health conditions likely to occur on long missions may need imaging support NASA Glenn Medical Technologies, 2024. Having a light and safe system ready inside a spacecraft could save lives, reduce risk, and even solve equipment mysteries without wasting time.