From breast cancer treatments to self-driving cars and fitness trackers, space exploration is improving life on Earth for millions of people.
As the James Webb Space Telescope beams incredible images back to Nasa, scientists hailed the way the same technology has been used to improve eye surgery.
It is the latest example of how space research can be used in multiple formats of everyday life, particularly in improving healthcare.
The eyesight of millions has improved thanks to the technology used to build the Webb telescope over decades, by driving major improvements to Lasik eye surgery.
The same process for measuring the powerful mirrors used by the telescope to capture fragments of light from more than 13 billion years ago in deep space has been incorporated into a device to precisely measure the human eye.
The technology has been incorporated into Johnson & Johnson Vision’s iDesign Refractive Studio, a device that takes measurements to map imperfections in visual pathways and cornea curvature, similar to a unique optical fingerprint for each eye.
“The mirrors were one of the really critical technologies we needed to develop to enable the observatory,” said Lee Feinberg, optical telescope element manager for Webb at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“We had to polish them in such a way that, when they cool down, they become the mirror shape that we want.
“We had to match the curvature of one mirror to the next, which was a very challenging problem.”
Since the early 2,000s, the technology has been expanded and used elsewhere, including in treating people with degenerative eye conditions.
Johnson & Johnson Vision, which is headquartered in Santa Ana, California, acquired the technology in 2017, incorporating it into its iDesign Refractive Studio, which won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in 2018.
It has been used in more than 18 million successful procedures worldwide by eye doctors in 47 countries.
Top five space innovations used on Earth
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Although Nasa didn’t invent the technology used in thousands of hospitals around the world, the same digital image processing technique was used to enhance photographs of the moon.
That eventually led to the evolution of computerised tomography used daily in MRI and CT scans to provide potentially life-saving images for doctors.
Heart pump (LVAD, Left Ventricular Assist Device)
Space engineers worked alongside doctors to develop an artificial heart pump in 1995 that uses similar technology intended for space shuttle fuel injectors.
The lifesaving device pumps blood from the heart to the rest of the body via a control unit and battery pack and acts as a stop-gap for patients awaiting a heart transplant.
Artificial limbs
The next-generation foam used to insulate the external tanks of the space shuttle has since been used to build moulds for amputees.
The materials used are affordable and robust, making them perfect for the development of artificial limbs.
Light technology
The Nasa technology was originally developed for experiments to grow plants in space. For more than a decade it has been used to reduce the painful side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients and those receiving a stem-cell transplant.
Trials of a High Emissivity Aluminiferous Luminescent Substrate, or Heals device, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, found a 96 per cent improvement in pain management in those who used LEDs (a semiconductor light source that emits light when current flows through it).
The light sources release energy in the form of photons, that stimulate cells to aid the healing process.
Smartwatches
Wearable devices to measure biometric activity are commonplace. But the EmbracePlus smartwatch designed to monitor astronauts during deep space exploration is now being used to monitor patients.
It offers doctors real-time monitoring of physiological data of patients to help collect valuable information for research studies and clinical trials. It is proving particularly effective in neurology, by advancing the research on those with Alzheimer’s, dementia or brain injuries when it can be difficult to get accurate patient-generated data.
For self-driving cars?
Nasa has developed its Deep Space Networks — a GPS navigation system for space. The technology relies on atomic clocks for the precise accuracy required during huge distances.
The refined lasers and oscillators used in the technology can help with communications on Earth and range-finders for self-driving cars.
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
South Africa squad
: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
The%20specs%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)
AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)
Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Sunday
Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)
Roma v Brescia (6pm)
Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)
Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)
Monday
SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)