e ocean thatdidnt happen as predicted.Other benefits of the space program concern diagnosticand monitoring techniques and devices used in the medicalfield. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a directoutgrowth of the system developed for use on manned spacemissions, and today is a standard diagnostic tool in everymajor hospital in the country (Cone 18). Since it revealsthe structures of the soft tissues within the body,radiologists no longer are forced to rely solely on X-raysin order to make a best guess about what might behappening within an individuals body. No longer relegatedto dealing with visual shadows on X-rays, radiologists can attain perfect views of internal systems from anyperspective they wish (Cone 18).MRI has also moved exploratory surgery closer andcloser to the realm of obsolescence. That in itself is amajor benefitthere is growing concern and potentialevidence that cancerous growths only begin their rampantruns after exposure to the atmosphere. If that theory doesindeed prove to be true, then MRI has already saved lives innumbers of which no one can measure.Another medical benefit resulting from the necessarymonitoring of manned space expeditions is that oftelemedicine. Telemedicine is the interactive transmissionof medical images and data to provide better health care forpeople in remote or medically underserved locations. Theconcept has been around since the 1920s and its generalviability has been demonstrated since the 1950s, but wideadoption was slowed by high costs and technologicalshortcomings (www.sti.nasa.gov). Though the first reasonsfor the idea of telemedicine had more to do with providingservices for those in remote areas, the entire focus haschanged in light of the burgeoning cost of health care inthis country in recent years. The transmission of a heartrate and pattern over phone lines is much more convenientfor the patient with such ailments, and it holds down thecosts of health care without de...
